Cost of living comparison

compared to

South Africa vs. Qatar Cost of Living Summary

South Africa is 25.8% cheaper than Qatar overall.

Restaurants
pay 28.3% more in South Africa
Groceries
pay 1.1% less in South Africa
Transportation
pay 72.4% more in South Africa
Housing
pay 54.8% less in South Africa
Childcare
pay 61.0% less in South Africa
Entertainment and Sports
pay 63.0% less in South Africa
Clothing
pay 1.2% more in South Africa

The cost of transportation, restaurants, and clothing in South Africa are more expensive than in Qatar. Expenses including entertainment and sports, childcare, housing, and groceries are lower in South Africa.

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South Africa vs. Qatar Cost Breakdown

If you lived in South Africa instead of Qatar, you would:

pay 28.3% more for restaurants

 
Qatar
South Africa
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $6.49
QAR23.78
$10.21
ZAR168.45
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
 $7.14
QAR26.12
$5.91
ZAR97.49
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.84
QAR3.07
$1.08
ZAR17.88
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pay 1.1% less for groceries

 
Qatar
South Africa
Bread
1 loaf
 $1.38
QAR5.06
$1.07
ZAR17.59
Local cheese (8 oz) $3.99
QAR14.62
$4.08
ZAR67.33
Milk (1 gallon) $7.97
QAR29.19
$4.58
ZAR75.49
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pay 72.4% more for transportation

 
Qatar
South Africa
Gasoline (1 gallon) $2.14
QAR7.82
$5.49
ZAR90.53
Monthly public transit pass $23.33
QAR85.39
$65.15
ZAR1,074.55
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $27,978.05
QAR102K
$32,517.32
ZAR536K
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pay 54.8% less for housing

 
Qatar
South Africa
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
 $86.45
QAR316.45
$38.93
ZAR642.17
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,433.67
QAR5,248.28
$421.37
ZAR6,950.09
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $856.18
QAR3,134.22
$369.24
ZAR6,090.32
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pay 61.0% less for childcare

 
Qatar
South Africa
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $670.94
QAR2,456.14
$199.53
ZAR3,291.11
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $9,605.02
QAR35,161.31
$4,917.78
ZAR81,113.80
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pay 63.0% less for entertainment and sports

 
Qatar
South Africa
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $11.34
QAR41.52
$2.25
ZAR37.13
Cappuccino in mid-range area $5.19
QAR19.01
$2.25
ZAR37.18
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
 $5.67
QAR20.76
$3.16
ZAR52.13
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pay 1.2% more for clothing

 
Qatar
South Africa
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
 $44.75
QAR163.81
$52.66
ZAR868.55
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
 $42.52
QAR155.66
$34.13
ZAR562.92
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
 $98.38
QAR360.14
$99.75
ZAR1,645.29
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We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this

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Compare further: Qatar vs. South Africa

Salary Calculator · Free tool
What salary would you need in South Africa?
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Quality of Life Comparison · 22 statistics
Be 249.2 times more likely to be unemployed in South Africa
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Size Comparison · See true size
Qatar is about 105 times smaller than South Africa.
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Moving from Qatar to South Africa · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
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