The Cost of Living in Doha, Qatar

Qatar is a peninsula bordering the Arabian Gulf and Saudi Arabia.  Arabic is the national language and English is spoken by most locals and expatriates.

Doha is Qatar's largest city, with over 80% of the nation's population residing here or its surrounding suburbs, and is also the economic center of the country.

The overall cost of living rank in Doha is 84 out of 300 global locations, which equates it with high cost of living locations for expatriates to live. 

In terms of the hardship people are likely to experience, assessed in global terms, Doha is ranked as a some hardship location with a hardship index of 20%.

According to the recent Consumer Price Index released by the Qatar Statistics Authority, the cost of everything but rent in Qatar has gone up. Compared to the cost of things like clothes, food and transportation in May 2010, prices have gone up between 0.4 to 7.8 percent, QSA reports:

“The highest increase was in the Clothing and Footwear group, where prices went up by 7.8%, followed by Transport and Communications by 5.2%, , Miscellaneous Goods and Services, by 4.8%, Food & Beverages group, by 4.5%. Prices in the group of Rent declined by (3.8%).”

CPI has also been calculated excluding the group of rent. After eliminating the effect of rent, the overall index shows a 1 month increase of 0.4% in May 2011 compared to April 2011, and an increase of 4.1 % for the full year compared to the month of May 2010, as published in Doha News.

Added to this, all citizens employed by the Government will be receiving up to a 60% increase in their salaries, which will likely snowball the already increasing prices. As an expatriate this is not good news, if salaries do not increase on the expatriate front as well.  Increasing prices will decrease expatriate purchasing power and result in expats unable to send money home, save or sustain a decent standard of living.

To get a full evaluation of your cost of living status go to xpatulator.com

Xpatulator.com provides cost of living comparison calculators by city. Choose salary, cost of living allowance, or cost of living index report for international comparison of global locations across the world.

Cost of living and hardship (quality of life) data is updated quarterly. Current data is as at 1 July 2011 based on data collected during the second quarter of 2011. Exchange rates are updated daily. The latest free cost of living rankings as well as free cost of living reviews are available for all 300 global locations and all 13 cost of living baskets.

Cost of living index (percentage) and hardship (quality of life) index information for 13 different cost of living baskets in 300 international locations are delivered via 3 premium content self service comparison calculators (Report Wizards) that generate personalised reports online:

Salary Purchasing Power Parity Calculator

Cost of Living Allowance Calculator

Cost of Living Index Calculator

Denise is an Expat, Mom, Wife, writer and Marketing Manager at  http://www.xpatulator.com/ a website that provides cost of living index information and calculates what you need to earn in a different location to compensate for cost of living, hardship, and exchange rate differences. The complete cost of living rank for all 300 locations for all 13 baskets is available here.

Qatar, Doha Cost of Living January 2010

LOCATION: Qatar is in the Middle East, it is the peninsula bordering the Persian Gulf and Saudi Arabia.

CAPITAL CITY: Doha

LARGEST CITY: Doha

CURRENCY: Qatari Riyal (QAR)

ECONOMY: Qatar has a strong economy mainly derived from oil revenues. The people of Qatar enjoy a high standard of living, with a comprehensive welfare system and many free or highly subsidized services.

Doha has an overall cost of living index which equates it with high cost of living locations. The overall cost of living index is comprised of the prices for defined quantities of the same goods and services across all 13 Basket Groups. Doha is currently ranked 32 overall, most expensive place in the world for expatriates to live, out of 276 international locations. The cost of living overview for each of the 13 Basket Groups is as follows:

Alcohol & Tobacco costs for alcoholic beverages such as alcohol at bar, beer, locally produced spirit, whiskey, and wine as well as tobacco products such as cigarettes is relatively more expensive compared to other cities with a rank of 6 out of 276.

Clothing costs for clothing and footwear products such as business suits, casual clothing, childrens clothing and footwear, coats and hats, evening wear, shoe repairs, and underwear is relatively more expensive compared to other cities with a rank of 11 out of 276.

Communication costs for various communication costs such as home telephone rental and call charges, internet connection and service provider fees, mobile / cellular phone contract and calls is equally expensive on average compared to other cities with a rank of 98 out of 276.

Education costs such as creche / pre-school fees, high school / college fees, primary school fees, and tertiary study fees is relatively less expensive compared to other cities with a rank of 192 out of 276.

Furniture & Appliance costs for furniture, household equipment and household appliances such as dvd player, fridge freezer, iron, kettle, toaster, microwave, light bulbs, television, vacuum cleaner, and washing machine is relatively less expensive compared to other cities with a rank of 223 out of 276.

Grocery costs for food, non-alcoholic beverages and cleaning material items such as baby consumables, baked goods, baking, canned foods, cheese, cleaning products, dairy, fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, fruit juices, meat, oil & vinegars, pet food, pre-prepared meals, sauces, seafood, snacks, soft drinks, spices & herbs is relatively more expensive compared to other cities with a rank of 18 out of 276.

Healthcare costs for general healthcare, medical and medical insurance such as general practitioner consultation rates, hospital private ward daily rate, non-prescription medicine, and private medical insurance / medical aid contributions is relatively more expensive compared to other cities with a rank of 20 out of 276.

Household costs for housing, water, electricity, household gas, household fuels, local rates and residential taxes such as house / flat mortgage, house / flat rental, household electricity consumption, household gas / fuel consumption, household water consumption, and local property rates / taxes / levies is relatively more expensive compared to other cities with a rank of 8 out of 276.

Miscellaneous costs related to stationary, linen and general goods and services such as domestic help, dry cleaning, linen, office supplies, newspapers and magazines, and postage stamps is relatively more expensive compared to other cities with a rank of 7 out of 276.

Personal Care costs for personal care products and services such as cosmetics, hair care, moisturizer / sun block, nappies, pain relief tablets, toilet paper, toothpaste, and soap / shampoo / conditioner is equally expensive on average compared to other cities with a rank of 141 out of 276.

Recreation and Culture costs such as books, camera film, cinema ticket, DVD and CDs, sports goods, and theatre tickets is relatively more expensive compared to other cities with a rank of 15 out of 276.

Restaurants, Meals Out and Hotel costs such as business dinner, dinner at a restaurant (non fast food), hotel rates, take away drinks and snacks (fast food) is relatively more expensive compared to other cities with a rank of 4 out of 276.

Transport costs for public transport, vehicle costs, vehicle fuel, vehicle insurance and vehicle maintenance such as hire purchase / lease of vehicle, petrol / diesel, public transport service maintenance, tires, vehicle Insurance, and vehicle purchase is relatively less expensive compared to other cities with a rank of 253 out of 276.

Your exact customized cost of living index for Doha is based on which of the above basket groups as well as the comparison location you select in the Calculators.

In terms of the hardship people are likely to experience, assessed in global terms, Doha is ranked as a some hardship location with a hardship index of 20%.

Your exact customized hardship index premium for Doha is based on the comparison location that you select in the Calculators.