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According to figures in a global cost of living index, Doha has ranked the top most expensive city in terms of cost of rent in the Middle East, just ahead of Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Kuwait City and even some Asian cities like Shanghai and Tokyo.

The Numbeo index which runs an international database based on user-contributed information, put Doha fifth out of 136 cities around Asia and first in the Middle East in terms of apartment rent expenses (one bedroom)—with the Gulf city scoring 51.63.

The score compares all cities with New York City, which has got a base score of 100. This means that the expense of rent in Doha, on average, equals almost 52 percent for prices in NYC.

Rent in Doha on average is 48.37 percent lower than rent in New York, which has a score of 100 percent.

According to the index ,in Asia, Doha ranks fifth, coming shortly after Hong Kong (76.21), Singapore (65.82), and Nagoya (63.66) .

It’s worth mentioning that the report puts Doha ahead of other Gulf cities such as Abu Dhabi, which came in 6^th, Dubai 7^th, and Manama 23^rd out of the 135 assessed cities in Asia.

Other statistics that looked in the cost of one-bedroom flats in the most expensive districts within cities worldwide indicate that rent in Qatar in such regions is around 16.72% higher than that of the United States.

A one-bedroom flat in the middle of Doha costs QAR 5,804.88 ($1,549) a month, on average, ranking fifth globally after Hong Kong ($2,209), Singapore ($2,066), Luxembourg ($1,764), and Switzerland ($1613.18).

That means renting a one-bedroom apartment in a strategic location in Doha would cost more than renting in countries like Iceland, Netherlands, Australia, and Germany.