Where to Live?

Dear pnb,

I am a canadian workng in Doha. I previously working in Dubai. My preference is Doha by far. Where do you some from in Canada?? If you come from TO or Vancouver, you may like Dubai but I found it entirely too busy and crowded and fast.

Overall, I would say the cost of living is similar, except hosuing. Housing is more expensive in Doha, although we all hope it will come down now that the Asian Games have finsihed. ;-)

space - I would say if you want a decent house you need to allocate about 20 000/month. Most people I know here have their salary and housing is provided. To get a 4-5 bedroom on a decent compound you will pay at least.

a decent car will cast you abotu 3000/month to rent or buy....I say this much becsue the driving is crazy here and I would not drive a small car, you need a big car for safety. Gas is cheap.

sea - No where in Doha is too far from the sea

expats - there are loads of us here!! lots of Newfies!!!

recreation - There are loads of clubs, one golf course and a few places to do sailing.

shopping - It's the national passtime!

British nurserys - Lots around but don't know the prices.

We live in a gated coumpound about NW of downtown. On the map section of this forums them have many of the compounds located as well as the stores etc. It's pretty inclusive of Doha and its environs. Ours is mostly western Expat is leased by the company they pay utilities.(except phone and internet)

I flew in with a Canadian Expat who had lived in Dubai for 18 months. He said he and his wife hated it! He said the traffic was so bad they couldn't get anywhere. It took him an hour to commute 15 miles. I don't know if he was eggagerating or not.(Last time I was in Dubai was 8 years ago I'm sure it's changed.)The Canadian ended up in Saudi Arabia.

The traffic here can be nerve racking as well as they are tearing roads all the time.

I find the shopping is ok. Like JJMB said it catch as catch as catch can. Some grocery stores have things you need others not one week, then have it some other time. But I lived in Saudi for 11 years starting in the early 90's. We're used to having no choice.

Housing: We live in an area called Al Hilal W which is closer to the airport. It's an area that's on the outer fringe of the happening scene. I think most Western expats tend to live closer to the downtown Doha area, or close to where Western schools or Embassies are located. We chose our location based on its proximity to our work. Traffic can be horrendous especially around roundabouts. Compound that by the sheer number of accidents that occur just about everywhere, you can imagine why we'd want to live close to work. Many gated compounds where expats live may include utilities. For instance, I heard that places like Le Mirage and Al Fardan (close to the Mall and the D ring) cost 21,000 QAR/month but that may include utilities. But if it's not included, I heard that it's about 200 - 400 QAR, total.

Savings: We'd estimated that we'll be saving a lot more money but the expenses have been a lot higher than we anticipated. We're saving, but not as much as we expected, about 60% of what we initially estimated.

Recreation: Sad to admit that my husband and I work entirely too much. Qatar touts itself as a family friendly country and as a result, there are many in-door playgrounds in many of the shopping malls, and outdoor picnic areas. You'll most likely be interested in playgroups formed among Western expats. There are many to choose from, from what I hear.

Shopping: There are many supermarkets around here: Carrefour, MegaMart, Lulu, etc. You can find just about anything--the catch is that you may not find everything you're looking for in one store. For instance, I have a dog. I can find only Purina dog food at certain stores (Carrefour, Lulu's) and Iams in others (MegaMart). Fresh vegetables/fruits are abundant and it looks like frozen food section is pretty good,too.

Let me know if you have any other specific questions.

thanks,JJMB

Housings: is there a general area you would recommend? Is it like a gated community? How much do your utilities cost for a 3 bed villa for example?

Savings: with your current expenses do you have savings at the end of the mont?

Recreation: What types of things does one do with their family

Shopping: I meant grocery - is everything available

Hi PNB,

I've never been to Dubai but I heard that it's a lot more Westernized and a little more expensive as far as living expenses are concerned. My husband and I both work and we probably make a little more that what you make. We pay for our own housing and vehicle rental and this is an example of our monthly expenses:

House: We live in a gated compound with mostly Western expats. It's got 3 bedrooms plus a maid quarter. It's not by the sea or anything. We pay 16,000 QR. No utilities, internet and telephone included. It's furnished but we bought some furniture when we got here.

Nursery: Our son is enrolled in a nursery that's British run. Their fee structure is based on the number of days. We pay approximately 1800 QR/month for 5 days/week.

Shopping: I'm not sure where you're coming from so I don't know if I can give you many references. It depends on what you're looking for. A lot is available; however, you can find items on the extreme highend and the extreme low end (stuff that I probably wouldn't buy).

Recreation: There are many clubs that you can join, many of which are hotel affiliated. I don't know much about them.

Car rental: We have a kia sportage and a honda civic and pay about 1800 QR/month for rental of both.