Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Africa vs. Qatar Cost of Living Summary
South Africa is 12.9% cheaper than Qatar overall.
- Restaurants
- pay 55.0% more in South Africa
- Groceries
- pay 5.0% less in South Africa
- Transportation
- pay 36.1% more in South Africa
- Housing
- pay 42.0% less in South Africa
- Childcare
- pay 70.8% less in South Africa
- Entertainment and Sports
- pay 60.2% less in South Africa
- Clothing
- pay 3.6% less in South Africa
South Africa vs. Qatar Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Africa instead of Qatar, you would:
pay 55.0% more for restaurants
Qatar | South Africa | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $6.69 QAR24.42 | $9.33 ZAR158.57 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $6.07 QAR22.16 | $5.11 ZAR86.86 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $0.82 QAR2.98 | $1.03 ZAR17.52 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $0.30 QAR1.09 | $0.80 ZAR13.64 | |
Qatar vs. South Africa - Cost of restaurants
pay 5.0% less for groceries
Qatar | South Africa | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $1.50 QAR5.46 | $1.00 ZAR17.04 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $4.10 QAR14.96 | $3.88 ZAR65.99 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $7.40 QAR27.00 | $4.37 ZAR74.25 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $2.51 QAR9.16 | $2.33 ZAR39.64 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $3.44 QAR12.55 | $2.13 ZAR36.25 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $0.86 QAR3.14 | $0.73 ZAR12.37 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.65 QAR2.38 | $0.65 ZAR11.08 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $0.66 QAR2.40 | $0.68 ZAR11.61 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $0.59 QAR2.14 | $0.71 ZAR12.05 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $0.46 QAR1.68 | $0.59 ZAR9.95 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $0.45 QAR1.65 | $0.60 ZAR10.19 | |
Qatar vs. South Africa - Cost of groceries
pay 36.1% more for transportation
Qatar | South Africa | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $2.14 QAR7.83 | $4.92 ZAR83.64 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $33.29 QAR121.46 | $56.18 ZAR954.32 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $24,539.60 QAR89,530.95 | $21,394.82 ZAR363K | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $15.86 QAR57.85 | $9.34 ZAR158.63 | |
Qatar vs. South Africa - Cost of transportation
pay 42.0% less for housing
Qatar | South Africa | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $83.65 QAR305.18 | $39.36 ZAR668.59 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $1,687.55 QAR6,156.91 | $404.16 ZAR6,865.77 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $1,253.51 QAR4,573.35 | $361.59 ZAR6,142.63 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $66.60 QAR242.97 | $88.13 ZAR1,497.10 | |
Qatar vs. South Africa - Cost of housing
pay 70.8% less for childcare
Qatar | South Africa | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $798.67 QAR2,913.89 | $173.48 ZAR2,946.96 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $10,764.79 QAR39,274.55 | $3,962.11 ZAR67,307.48 | |
Qatar vs. South Africa - Cost of childcare
pay 60.2% less for entertainment and sports
Qatar | South Africa | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $10.98 QAR40.07 | $2.18 ZAR37.00 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $4.21 QAR15.36 | $2.05 ZAR34.81 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $6.42 QAR23.42 | $2.96 ZAR50.35 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $127.24 QAR464.23 | $30.26 ZAR514.07 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $11.33 QAR41.32 | $6.85 ZAR116.34 | |
Qatar vs. South Africa - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 3.6% less for clothing
Qatar | South Africa | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $51.95 QAR189.54 | $50.74 ZAR862.01 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $46.24 QAR168.70 | $32.75 ZAR556.39 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $94.73 QAR345.61 | $94.19 ZAR1,600.10 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $69.59 QAR253.89 | $81.80 ZAR1,389.52 | |
Qatar vs. South Africa - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: June 2026
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