Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between The Pearl-Qatar and Cha-am

For one person, living is cheaper in Cha-am: $871 a month against $2,633 in The Pearl-Qatar, rent and utilities included – about $21,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

127

Cost of Living Index in The Pearl-Qatar
Learn more

The Pearl-Qatar Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Cha-am
Learn more

Cha-am Living Index

Jump to prices

The Pearl-Qatar

🇶🇦 Qatar

$2,633

/mo nomad

Cha-am

🇹🇭 Thailand

$871

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in The Pearl-Qatar and in Cha-am

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in The Pearl-Qatar and in Cha-am actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,633 in The Pearl-Qatar versus $871 in Cha-am.

The Pearl-Qatar $2,633
Cha-am $871

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,895 in The Pearl-Qatar versus $1,405 in Cha-am.

The Pearl-Qatar $3,895
Cha-am $1,405

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,158 in The Pearl-Qatar versus $1,940 in Cha-am.

The Pearl-Qatar $5,158
Cha-am $1,940

Living in The Pearl-Qatar is roughly 202% more expensive than in Cha-am, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

The two cities straddle the global median: The Pearl-Qatar is 93% above, Cha-am is 36% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.85 QAR 28.57

$2.98 ฿101

163.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.5 QAR 253

$22.18 ฿748

213.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.05 QAR 29.29

$7.35 ฿248

9.52%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.15 QAR 44.21

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.72 QAR 49.93

Cappuccino

$5.43 QAR 19.75

$2.01 ฿68.0

170.15%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 QAR 3.20

$0.69 ฿23.33

27.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 QAR 1.59

$0.35 ฿11.68

25.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 ฿82.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 ฿98.9

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 QAR 5.80

$1.74 ฿58.6

-8.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 QAR 4.97

$1.47 ฿49.73

-6.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 QAR 6.99

$1.33 ฿44.92

44.36%

Eggs

$2.44 QAR 8.88

$1.87 ฿63.2

30.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.70 QAR 24.38

$12.37 ฿418

-45.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.01 QAR 29.14

$2.53 ฿85.2

216.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.26 QAR 40.98

$9.97 ฿336

12.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 QAR 8.19

$3.37 ฿114

-33.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 QAR 6.81

$1.21 ฿40.99

54.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 QAR 5.76

$1.90 ฿64.0

-16.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.25 QAR 4.55

$1.81 ฿61.1

-30.94%

Potato (1kg)

$0.91 QAR 3.33

$1.74 ฿58.7

-47.70%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 QAR 3.08

$1.08 ฿36.60

-21.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 QAR 5.06

$1.20 ฿40.51

15.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 QAR 1.85

$0.44 ฿14.80

15.91%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$9.48 QAR 34.49

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 QAR 6.68

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 QAR 8.09

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.59 QAR 24.00

$4.26 ฿144

54.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿606

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 ฿56.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 ฿96.5

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 QAR 2.07

$0.91 ฿30.60

-37.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.90 QAR 116

$22.60 ฿763

41.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.96 QAR 7.15

$1.34 ฿45.26

46.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 QAR 1.94

$1.08 ฿36.47

-50.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.35 QAR 34.04

$3.61 ฿122

159.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.54 QAR 1.95

$1.37 ฿46.38

-60.58%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$15.8K QAR 57.5K

$16.3K ฿551.3K

-3.22%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$15.0K QAR 54.6K

$26.5K ฿892.8K

-43.31%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$84.1 QAR 306

$80.9 ฿2,731

3.99%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$31.82 QAR 116

$11.74 ฿396

171.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.0 QAR 269

$23.19 ฿783

218.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$173 QAR 630

$23.97 ฿809

622.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.41 QAR 133

$5.88 ฿198

519.22%

Cinema Ticket

$11.80 QAR 42.97

$6.70 ฿226

76.12%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$725 QAR 2,640

$615 ฿20.8K

17.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,420 QAR 34.3K

$10.6K ฿358.6K

-11.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.0 QAR 215

$51.0 ฿1,721

15.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.67 QAR 181

$28.67 ฿968

73.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.6 QAR 283

$72.2 ฿2,437

7.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.7 QAR 312

$53.1 ฿1,790

61.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,188 QAR 7,963

$368 ฿12.4K

495.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,735 QAR 6,316

$267 ฿9,015

549.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,370 QAR 15.9K

$752 ฿25.4K

481.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,019 QAR 11.0K

$651 ฿22.0K

363.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,463 QAR 27.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,348 QAR 19.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,418 QAR 27.0K

$362 ฿12.2K

1951.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.29

5.96

-28.02%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for The Pearl-Qatar: October 26, 2026

Last update for Cha-am: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

The Pearl-Qatar

$1.7K 65.9%

Cha-am

$267 30.7% 84.6% $1.5K

Sport & Entertainment

The Pearl-Qatar

$197 7.5%

Cha-am

$37 4.3% 81% $159

Groceries & Markets

The Pearl-Qatar

$192 7.3%

Cha-am

$233 26.7% 21.2% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

The Pearl-Qatar

$190 7.2%

Cha-am

$116 13.3% 39% $74

Eating Out

The Pearl-Qatar

$157 6%

Cha-am

$92 10.6% 41.3% $65

Clothing & Footwear

The Pearl-Qatar

$122 4.7%

Cha-am

$92 10.6% 24.7% $30

Getting Around

The Pearl-Qatar

$39 1.5%

Cha-am

$33 3.8% 15% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,188 in The Pearl-Qatar and $368 in Cha-am. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

The Pearl-Qatar pays about 21 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $70 in The Pearl-Qatar vs $22 in Cha-am. Groceries flip the comparison at $192 vs $233, with The Pearl-Qatar cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇶🇦 The Pearl-Qatar

🇹🇭 Cha-am

🕒 Local time

10:32 10:32 AM

14:32 2:32 PM

4 h ahead of The Pearl-Qatar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

31,354

💱 Currency

Qatari Riyal QAR ر.ق

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 QAR = 0.275 USD

1 QAR = 0.246 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to QAR – Qatari Riyal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇶🇦 Qatari Riyal (ر.ق)

Qatari Riyal exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3.64 QAR (1 QAR = 0.275 USD). 1 EUR = 4.06 QAR (1 QAR = 0.246 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to QAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

The Pearl-Qatar Cha-am 5,250 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

The Pearl-Qatar
Cha-am

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

The Pearl-Qatar vs Cha-am: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,633 in The Pearl-Qatar and $871 in Cha-am, so Cha-am is about 67% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in The Pearl-Qatar is about 21 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,188 in The Pearl-Qatar versus $368 in Cha-am. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,633 per month in The Pearl-Qatar versus $871 in Cha-am – Cha-am is about 67% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Cha-am runs roughly 29% less than in The Pearl-Qatar. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $871 in Cha-am versus $2,633 in The Pearl-Qatar, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Cha-am but tight or insufficient in The Pearl-Qatar. The gap between the two cities makes Cha-am the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cha-am is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in The Pearl-Qatar, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, The Pearl-Qatar and Cha-am are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Cha-am wins on affordability, The Pearl-Qatar on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.