Moving to Qatar from Saudi Arabia
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Saudi Arabia to Qatar — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Saudi Arabia to Qatar, you would find that Qatar is 20.7% more expensive than Saudi Arabia overall. A SAR280,000 salary in Saudi Arabia would need to be roughly QAR328,000 in Qatar to maintain the same lifestyle.
Planning this move? Get up to 5 free, no-obligation quotes from vetted international movers. Get free quotes ↓Is Qatar cheaper than Saudi Arabia?
Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 2.5% more
Groceries
pay 5.6% less
Transportation
pay 25.7% less
Housing
pay 75.7% more
Childcare
pay 33.9% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 48.7% more
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
What salary do you need in Qatar?
What does your salary buy?
SAR280,000 → QAR328,000
To maintain the same standard of living in Qatar
Calculate with your salary →Get free moving quotes to Qatar
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
How many people actually move from Saudi Arabia to Qatar, based on official data.
Who's moving to Qatar?
Top countries of origin for Qatar's foreign-born residents.
- 702,013
- 261,672
- 253,940
- 235,505
- 183,544
- 170,052
- · · ·
-
28.911
Saudi Arabia
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Saudi Arabia to Qatar.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Qatar performs significantly better than Saudi Arabia across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
annual government + private spending per person
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
share of adults with obesity
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
Saudi Arabia generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Qatar leads in healthcare spending per person.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Saudi Arabia performs better than Qatar across all environment metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
annual consumption — reflects grid capacity
share of households with internet
Saudi Arabia generally does better on infrastructure, though Qatar leads in water stress level.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
the highest marginal rate on personal income
Qatar generally does better on employment & economy, though Saudi Arabia leads in top income tax rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
government spending on education as % of GDP
percentage of adults who can read and write
Saudi Arabia generally does better on family life, though Qatar leads in life expectancy.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), Department of Zakat and Income Tax (2016), Public Revenues and Tax Department, Qatar (2016), The World Factbook (2017). How we calculate this
Weather in Qatar vs Saudi Arabia
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Riyadh | Doha |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 75°/50°F (24°/10°C) | 75°/58°F (24°/14°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 101°/72°F (38°/22°C) | 99°/76°F (37°/24°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 109°/77°F (43°/25°C) | 104°/83°F (40°/28°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 84°/56°F (29°/13°C) | 85°/67°F (30°/19°C) |
View all months
| Month | Riyadh | Doha |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 68°/44°F (20.1°/6.9°C) | 71°/55°F (21.7°/12.8°C) |
| Feb | 74°/49°F (23.3°/9.3°C) | 73°/57°F (23.0°/13.7°C) |
| Mar | 82°/56°F (27.7°/13.2°C) | 80°/62°F (26.8°/16.7°C) |
| Apr | 92°/65°F (33.3°/18.4°C) | 89°/69°F (31.9°/20.6°C) |
| May | 103°/74°F (39.4°/23.4°C) | 101°/77°F (38.2°/25.0°C) |
| Jun | 109°/78°F (42.6°/25.3°C) | 106°/82°F (41.2°/27.7°C) |
| Jul | 111°/80°F (43.7°/26.4°C) | 107°/84°F (41.5°/29.1°C) |
| Aug | 111°/79°F (43.7°/26.3°C) | 105°/84°F (40.7°/28.9°C) |
| Sep | 105°/73°F (40.6°/22.9°C) | 101°/80°F (38.6°/26.5°C) |
| Oct | 96°/65°F (35.5°/18.2°C) | 95°/74°F (35.2°/23.4°C) |
| Nov | 83°/56°F (28.1°/13.3°C) | 85°/67°F (29.5°/19.5°C) |
| Dec | 72°/47°F (22.1°/8.4°C) | 75°/59°F (24.1°/15.0°C) |
Data:
National Center for Meteorology,
Qatar Meteorology Department
Can you move from Saudi Arabia to Qatar?
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Saudi Arabia and Qatar. To live, work, or study long-term in Qatar, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Qatar's immigration authority.
Saudi Arabia passport holder visiting Qatar
Visa Free
Qatar passport holder visiting Saudi Arabia
Visa FreeData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Qatar than Saudi Arabia?
No — Qatar is on average about 21% more expensive than Saudi Arabia. City-level variation matters.
How much money do I need to move to Qatar?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly QAR82,000 in Qatar on a SAR280,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees).
Can I work remotely from Qatar?
Internet is rarely the blocker — Qatar has 11.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people. The real questions are legal: digital nomad visa eligibility, your employer's overseas-work policy, and tax residency in both countries.
Is Qatar safe for expats?
Qatar performs significantly better than Saudi Arabia across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Qatar is 0.1 per 100,000 people, compared to 0.9 in Saudi Arabia.
How is healthcare in Qatar compared to Saudi Arabia?
Saudi Arabia generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Qatar leads in healthcare spending per person. There are 30.2 doctors per 10,000 people in Qatar, compared to 34.1 in Saudi Arabia. Qatar scores 76 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Saudi Arabia: 74).
What's the weather like in Qatar compared to Saudi Arabia?
The average high temperature in Doha is 91°F, compared to 92°F in Riyadh. Doha receives around 3.0 in of rainfall per year, while Riyadh gets 4.4 in.
What language do they speak in Qatar?
Both Saudi Arabia and Qatar share the same official language: Arabic.
