Base salary enough?

I did not realise that housing is covered in addition to his 25000. Since he has 4 kids, if one of them are in nursery or KG, then i just wanted to warn him that some companies may not cover until age 3 or age 5.

In my case, my wife will also be working. That's why a nanny / driver.

Thank you all for some great insight and advice on the salary topic. This discussion has ventured into other areas like housing and schooling, which has been doubly-helpful, so thanks again.

Many on here expressed concern about housing and school costs. Those were also my main concerns from day 1, and to some extent, still are. A I said, the company shall provide housing allowance and school reimbursement for the kids, and through my research, I believe the amount I'm getting will cover 100% of those costs. I could eventually choose to live in a better house or in a better location, and have to cover the difference from my base salary. That decision can only be made once I find out how much of my base salary is left after all other expenses are covered.

Some here see the glass half full while others half empty, and I appreciate the diversity in opinions. Different lifestyles amongst the members here will usually yield varying opinions. The consensus here however is that with housing and education covered, my expenses should realistically not have to exceed 10K/month with moderate spending. Some expenses like home internet, mobile phone, and gym membership are also covered by the company, so that should help even further. I am also getting a car allowance, which should take care of one car in the household.

Answering some of your questions:

@CDN - You bring some fanatastic points. I would certianly be missing out on my 401(K) contributions from my employer right now, so yes that would be something to consider. I tried to offset that part of the equation with the end of service payment in Qatar. Another great point you bring up are taxes. Taxes are part of my equation, although I believe for FY 2015 the first $105K earned out of the US are not taxed. Although a smaller hit compared to the tax liability while working here in the US, it's a liability nonetheless and should be considered.

@QUFac - You are correct that spending knows no limits. You can probably easily spend all 20K or more on clothing, toys, electronics, entertainment, eating out, etc, and we could probably spend just as much here in the US, but we don't. Not because we can't but because we wisely choose not to. If I can live a comfortable life in Qatar with my family for around 10K/month, and put the rest in savings then I would be happy with that.

@QUFax - Nursery is not covered. Child has to be atleast 4 years for school allowance to apply. Both of my kids are older than 4, and we do not plan on having any more kids. However, things don't always go as planned :)

Vincent

what is your experience , title, nationality of the company ?

we may know it's ranges

I agree with the above comments. QUFac is saying BS. Ignore him. If everything is paid by the company and you end up with 25k to spend on your food, transport and leisure activities then you will be more than fine. You will be able to save at least 7 or 8k from this salary.

QUFac: When it comes to adding, there can be no end to it. When it comes to managing expenses properly, it is another story. In many cases here, it is the "Easy come, easy go" situation. Just some simple questions: Why do you need a nanny for a child? What is the role of the mother? Your calculation simply beats the imagination! From my experience, I believe he would not get to spend more than 8,000 at the most if he manages his expenses well. But then as I stated in my earlier posting, "East is East, and West is West..."

Given that his housing , car and education allowance are provided. I cannot see him spending anything like 15k a month on expenses

In summary, you may end up spending all 25000 or atleast 20,000. Think about clothing, accessories, entertainment for kids. Unless you dont have a job in the US, you should be careful about moving.

Well, based on the very high cost of living, its easy to end up spending 15000 a month.

I have a family with 1 child. I am thinking nursery / KG tuition at 3000, nanny = 2000, driver = 2000 (taxi). Then atleast 1 car = 2000, phone and other utilities = 1000, . All these add upto 10,000. I have not even included any food ' groceries and other household needs. Housing atleast another 10,000 (hopefully provided by employer). So, 15,000 for a family of 4 children is a possibility or may even exceed.

You have had a lot of comments so I hope you have some answers to your question. Based on my personal experience, your salary is very good by Qatari standards. You will be amongst the top-paid 5% of the expat population, and may be even the top paid 2%. I recommend you move here and enjoy your new life in the middle east :)

Check if child education allowance includes nursery , kindergarten. This can cost 35-50000 QAR per year per child in good ones.

Vincent: CDN has correctly said "25K to a lot of people is an insane amount." But CDN continues to say that "we can easily spend 15,000 in am month (Family of three)." That too is an insane amount. But as Rudyard Kipling very correctly said, " OH, East is East, and West is West and never the twain shall meet." With changing times, I would just like to add a few words to Kipling's quote: East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet in culture and in spending!

Vincent, it honestly really depends. The things I find most expensive here are toys and rent. Since housing will be covered along with school 25k is solid, but let's say after covering the remaining 5-10% you're left with 20k. Factor in your 401K contributions you'll be missing out on (if your current/previous employer has a benefit/matches) and figure out a percentage associated to that. Also, as a US citizen you will have to pay taxes on your income and the banks here report your income earnings to the IRS. So consider that into your calculations as well. Than figure out how much ahead you're coming out.

Don't think about what you can spend or how much you need to live comfortably here. First figure out those figures and then decide if the difference is worth coming out here. It's a great country, but let's be real for a second. The only reason to leave the US is for two reasons, 1. More money, 2. A better position.

You have to remind yourself that your experience here may not translate all that well if/when you do decide to return to the US.

Anyways, that's enough out of me and I'll get back to your original question.

25k to a lot of people is an insane amount of money here, but let me tell you about my situation personally. Some months if we're extremely bored and end up going out to eat a little too much we can easily spend 15,000 in a month (Family of three) with some shopping thrown in as well. A usual month I would say we spend on average for food, entertainment, going out, and misc at least 7-8,000/month.

In other words: don't fight the desire to pee. Do it, and you'll be free.

And there's another one to be found in the teachings of Buddha: "Suffering is caused by desires." Forget them and you are free.

It depends very much what "freedom" means, accha. What's your definition? Mine is similar to Hegel's:" Freedom is the acceptance of the necessities."

Brit: Ha! Ha! From the previous postings of WT, I got to realize he has spent a major part of his life in the ME. He sure has missed enjoying that "freedom" he talks so freely about, and still continues to do so. Why? What is the price of "that" freedom? Many from the West still long to come here, and live here, and enjoy here, and not think of ever returning to the land of "freedom!" Why?

accha, it's in the National Anthem of the US. Start there and then go and find it.

Let him look for it, brit. Some are blind.

Acchabaccha: I believe he means The United States of America

WT: Where is this "land of the brave and the free?" I have searched the world map, each and every corner of it and took the support of Google also, but with no luck.

brit, not all. When I came here in 1995 with my two small kids Qatar was the best place to bring them up in a healthy environment. There was no shortage of good schools and the rent for a two-story villa with four bedrooms was QR 3,500. Qatar has gone from heaven to hell if you consider the past.

WT: Aren't we all here for the money ?

Giving up residence in the 'Land of the brave and the free' must pay off. Are you sure you want to move to the land of the 'censored and controlled' for the sake of a few bucks more?

Thank you, Molten Metal. If I can't save in Qatar then I surely won't move there. My wife is smart with the money, so I'm not very concerned about excessive spending.

I am certainly most concerned with school for the kids. One of the interviewers told me has also had to put his kids in below average schools for a few years when he first arrived, until they were finally admitted to the school of his choice.

As far as vehicles, we are getting a car allowance of about 2K/month. I am planning to also sell my car here in the States, and use the money to possibly purchase a second car.

I am also sure there is no shortage of free beaches in Doha, so I am not planning on getting hotel memberships. Possibly gym memberships, but that's about it.

I agree with you Mary that almost all foreign nationals are expendable in the Gulf, but that comes with the territory.

MashaAllah .............. So good salary ........... hope your partner allows you to save for your retirement .................. ...... Welcome to Qatar & QL ...........

I agree with MC in general. I don't agree, however, that one needs a membership in any of the overpriced 5* memberships. Qatar has 645 km coastline. There are beautiful beaches everywhere. Depending on your ambitions you have plenty to discover and to enjoy for free.

You may be willing to compromise and find somewhere cheaper. Be aware there are no rent caps here, and if your landlord finds that he can rent out your place next year at 10 - 65% more rent (and the latter figure has happened with a QLr who posted here in the past 2 weeks), you'll be scrambling.

As WT says, finding a place in a good school, especially at this late date for September, is going to be your biggest challenge. Often, newcomers have to home school for a while or settle for a mediocre school until they secure a place at their school of choice - also remember, tuition fees are not the only costs to consider when making up your budget. Activities, transport (if using) etc. are on top of that.

Two vehicles will set you back at least 4,000/month, more if you go for something bigger/better than a Toyota Corolla or similar. I say 2 because if your children don't use the bus for school then someone has to get them there and pick them up. Traffic here is dire and dangerous. Some use drivers to transport their children. Public transport is extremely limited and very unreliable in terms of timings.

Will you want a membership at a 5* hotel to gain beach access close by? That's about 20,000/year. And there are no public (free) beaches within the city. Of course, you may choose to live where you have access to a pool within the accommodation so that wouldn't be an issue - the accommodation would be priced accordingly.

I can't decide for you, and nor should I. I am only saying I wouldn't come if the basic necessities (acceptable housing and good education and medical) are not fully covered by my employer. Remember, you can be made redundant and have to leave 6 weeks after you arrive, just like anywhere in the Gulf, and yes that has happened to people too. You want to be comfortable with your salary/benefits package at least.

Securing a place in a good school will be the most challenging part.

If everything is mostly paid for, then you should be spending anything between 4000 to 6000 qr per month on food and other things

Mary, the 90-95% coverage of actual cost of housing and schools was something that I calculated based on some property searches online. I could certainly go with a smaller property or a property in cheaper areas which would allow me to cover 100% of housing. School allowance should cover both kids at say the Qatar International School. I figured I could go for the housing that I really like, and cover the 5% from my base salary.

You say you are getting housing and school allowances that might cover up to 95% of actual costs? Be very aware that these costs are rising rapidly. Will these allowances also rise (and if it isn't in the contract then don't believe what HR tells you)?

Personally, I wouldn't move unless these costs were fully paid by the employer.

"and answering such a question really depends on onse lifestyle" - I meant ONE's lifestyle.

I promise I'm educated and that was just a typo :)