Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United Kingdom and Qatar

Name: Qatar
Address: QA

For one person, living is cheaper in Qatar: $1,909 a month against $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
Learn more

United Kingdom Living Index
92

Cost of Living Index in Qatar
Learn more

Qatar Living Index

Jump to prices

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,462

/mo nomad

🇶🇦 Qatar

$1,909

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the United Kingdom and in Qatar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,462 in the United Kingdom versus $1,909 in Qatar.

United Kingdom $2,462
Qatar $1,909

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,600 in the United Kingdom versus $3,082 in Qatar.

United Kingdom $3,600
Qatar $3,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,738 in the United Kingdom versus $4,256 in Qatar.

United Kingdom $4,738
Qatar $4,256

Internal cost variation is higher in the United Kingdom: monthly costs span $1,126 to $4,646, compared to $232–$2,633 in Qatar. City choice carries more weight in the United Kingdom.

Living in the United Kingdom is roughly 29% more expensive than in Qatar on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: the United Kingdom 81% above, Qatar 40% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.48 £16.00

$8.27 QAR 30.10

159.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.7 £63.9

$67.4 QAR 245

27.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 £7.90

$8.41 QAR 30.63

26.16%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.24 QAR 48.20

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.46 QAR 48.98

Cappuccino

$4.91 £3.66

$5.47 QAR 19.93

-10.24%

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

$2.66 £1.98

$0.91 QAR 3.30

192.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 £1.39

$0.34 QAR 1.26

450.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.63 £4.93

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 £5.10

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 £1.25

$2.16 QAR 7.85

-22.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 £1.28

$1.50 QAR 5.47

14.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 £1.62

$2.05 QAR 7.46

5.85%

Eggs

$4.00 £2.98

$3.05 QAR 11.08

31.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.42 £7.02

$9.50 QAR 34.57

-0.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.19 £6.84

$7.61 QAR 27.70

20.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.77 £11.00

$10.03 QAR 36.50

47.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 £2.21

$2.12 QAR 7.70

40.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 £1.21

$1.76 QAR 6.41

-7.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 £2.13

$1.63 QAR 5.94

74.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.52 £2.62

$1.26 QAR 4.57

179.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 £1.36

$0.93 QAR 3.37

96.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 £1.20

$0.94 QAR 3.41

71.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 £0.93

$1.20 QAR 4.36

4.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 £1.23

$0.58 QAR 2.12

186.21%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$10.39 QAR 37.82

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 QAR 7.44

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 QAR 11.03

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.65 £17.61

$6.47 QAR 23.56

265.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.50 £7.82

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 £2.22

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 £2.61

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.98 £2.96

$0.53 QAR 1.93

650.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 £80.0

$32.56 QAR 119

229.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 £3.86

$2.17 QAR 7.90

138.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.35 £1.75

$1.90 QAR 6.92

23.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.84 £19.98

$8.44 QAR 30.72

218.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.48

$0.54 QAR 1.98

268.52%

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

$39.4K £29.4K

$24.4K QAR 88.7K

61.97%

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

$40.5K £30.1K

$21.5K QAR 78.3K

88.13%

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

$327 £244

$90.0 QAR 328

263.65%

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

$18.21 £13.56

$44.05 QAR 160

-58.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.60 £32.47

$85.5 QAR 311

-49.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.36 £31.54

$167 QAR 607

-74.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.22 £13.57

$20.20 QAR 73.5

-9.80%

Cinema Ticket

$13.85 £10.31

$12.13 QAR 44.15

14.18%

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

$1,868 £1,391

$733 QAR 2,669

154.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K £16.9K

$9,778 QAR 35.6K

131.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.9 £69.2

$55.8 QAR 203

66.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.92 £34.19

$51.2 QAR 186

-10.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £75.7

$95.3 QAR 347

6.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 £76.1

$83.0 QAR 302

23.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,342 £1,000

$1,580 QAR 5,753

-15.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,073 £799

$957 QAR 3,485

12.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,231 £1,662

$3,018 QAR 11.0K

-26.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,742 £1,297

$2,047 QAR 7,450

-14.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,601 £4,171

$4,338 QAR 15.8K

29.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,265 £3,176

$2,959 QAR 10.8K

44.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,349 £2,494

$4,017 QAR 14.6K

-16.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

5.22

1.92%

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

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 26, 2026

Last update for Qatar: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

United Kingdom

$1.1K 43.6%

Qatar

$957 50.2% 10.8% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United Kingdom

$389 15.8%

Qatar

$220 11.5% 43.6% $169

Eating Out

United Kingdom

$328 13.3%

Qatar

$162 8.5% 50.5% $165

Groceries & Markets

United Kingdom

$307 12.5%

Qatar

$204 10.7% 33.6% $103

Clothing & Footwear

United Kingdom

$154 6.3%

Qatar

$128 6.7% 16.8% $26

Getting Around

United Kingdom

$140 5.7%

Qatar

$46 2.4% 67% $94

Sport & Entertainment

United Kingdom

$70 2.9%

Qatar

$191 10% 173% $121

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $1,287 in the United Kingdom, $1,393 in Qatar. Capital cities: $2,811 in London vs $2,014 in Doha.

National salary averages: $3,251 in the United Kingdom, $4,162 in Qatar. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 8% higher in Qatar.

Dining out costs 43% more in the United Kingdom.

Public transport is 248% more expensive in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are 28% higher in Qatar, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Qatar.

Good to know

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🇶🇦 Qatar

🕒 Local time

03:20 3:20 AM

06:20 6:20 AM

3 h ahead of the United Kingdom

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,326,569

2,639,211

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Qatari Riyal QAR ر.ق

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 QAR = 0.275 USD

1 QAR = 0.245 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

QAR, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 0.745 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Qatari Riyal exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 3.64 QAR (1 QAR = 0.275 USD). 1 EUR = 4.08 QAR (1 QAR = 0.245 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

United Kingdom Qatar 5,210 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

United Kingdom
Qatar

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

United Kingdom vs Qatar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,909 per month in Qatar and $2,462 in the United Kingdom, Qatar comes out about 22% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in Qatar: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

It depends on what you’re after: Qatar wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.