*Cost of Living in Qatar*
*Cost of Living in Qatar*
Welcome to Qatar
With so many foreigners hopping the next flight to Qatar
to make their dreams happen...... ..life would turn out to be a shocker
here. The common problem for youth is that they want to
make too much money in too little a time. They are willing to leave
homeland on the first offer from any country of repute (or even without
repute) without considering the pros and cons. As for the millions of Gulf
. aspirants world wide ..........guys hold on do a self assessment based on
the under mentioned facts:-
· Just don't convert the petro $ salary to your country currency
. That would be the first of the many mistakes are likely to make. The conversion if at all should be done for savings and not gross earnings.
· If you a married person, consider the cost of family accommodation
. The minimum requirement of a one BHK (bedroom, hall, kitchen) flat would
cost you a minimum of QR 6,000/- per month around city(not per annum, guys) Add a minimum of 15-25% annual increments in rent. Don't expect the salaries to rise by even half that %.
· If you are smart enough to realize that you can look for apartments
outside city limits to save QR 500 - 750 per month in rent , please allow yourself one to two hours for commutation every day(given the present traffic situation, which can only degrade with influx of millions of immigrants every year).Add that to a normal 10 hours day would mean you would end up spending around 14-15 hours a day on job......and you thought family life would be so much fun in Qatar.
· Be prepared to shell out QR. 50/- for a routine check up at doctors ( that is if your company does not cover you with health insurance) . If you are lucky you will not fall ill, but god forbid if you do, then you will have a big hole in your pocket.
· If you aren't used to hot summers then you are in for a treat of your lifetime. Temperatures can run up to 50 degrees on a normal sunny afternoon and such days are pretty regular. And did I mention the humidity levels of 95% .........I am sure I did.
· If you don't have children you are lucky......bcos if you a 2-3 children
going to school...... add at least QR 12,000 (per annum per child) to the
cost of living · You assume petrol here is cheaper and so would be the taxies ........try taking a cab from airport to your hotel ........the meter would touch 30 to 50 QR/- before you will be able to make yourself comfortable in the Taxi.
· Last but not the least of all woes is a triple call rate to your loved
ones. it must give you an idea what awaits you.
So if you are fascinated by the growing number of glam malls ..........the ever-changing skyline ............ all the hype and glory that surrounds this place TWeekend night .........the cute cars ........the chic cafés ....the bars/disco's.....; think twice buddies !!!!!!
(Remember what is yours is what you take home after a lifetime ).No matter how long you stay here you will still be an expatriate ......
Trust me, there's nothing like home!!!
*This is GULF*
* Local calls are free
* Petrol is cheaper than water,
* Any building construction finishes in 3 months
* Unqualified get more salary than Qualified
* Show-off matters more than real quality & performance
* Laborers are paid less than what they are worth
* Companies can kick out their employees without any reason
* Wastas (recommendation) are more powerful than money
* Cleaners have more Wasta than officers
* Watchman has more Rights than the Building Owner
* Office boy & Drivers have more influence on Boss than Manager
* Gulf climate changes so fast, in one hour u can see raining, dust storm,
hot / humid / chilling weather
* Gulf is located in desert, still u find greenery everywhere
* If u can't earn money in the Gulf, u can't earn anywhere in the world * In
Gulf, time goes very fast, Friday to Friday comes u never know, its sooo
fast
* Every bachelor has a dream of getting married and buying a house
* U love your parents, friends, relatives 100 times more than when you were
together
* Being at home is more painful than being at work
* A ladies hair saloon every 5 meters
* Food/Grocery delivery to the car/home
* A Starbucks every 10 meters
* A Shopping Mall located every 5km
* Highway lanes differentiated for slow & fast drivers
* Getting a license is more difficult than getting a car
* Smashed cars are more than bugs
* No Queues for women
IF YOU'RE SAYING 'NO' THEN YOU ARE HIDING THE TRUTH....... .........
I need to fix some SERIOUS facts.
"50 degrees on a normal sunny afternoon and such days are pretty regular"
No it doesn't. The highest average is 42. The highest in Qatar's history was 52 and that made the news, so how is it that 50 degrees is a 'normal sunny afternoon'.
You should fix that.
"The minimum requirement of a one BHK (bedroom, hall, kitchen) flat would
cost you a minimum of QR 6,000/- per month around city(not per annum, guys) Add a minimum of 15-25% annual increments in rent. Don't expect the salaries to rise by even half that %."
Wrong again, if you want to say that this is an 'average' based on a good apartment in a specific area then yes I agree.
Otherwise, why is it that I've provided apartments for 5k? Plus On ILQ there's a listing for a 2 bedroom for around 6k.
Also what is 15-25% annual increments, the law is 7%. Don't generalize.
"Trip call rates"
I assume you mean international. The rates are comparable to the UK. So perhaps you'd want to be more specific. Triple the rate from which country to which country? Even then, use skype!
"If you are smart enough to realize that you can look for apartments
outside city limits to save QR 500 - 750 per month in rent , please allow yourself one to two hours for commutation every day(given the present traffic situation, which can only degrade with influx of millions of immigrants every year)."
Now that is also wrong. From Wakra in at 7 am it takes me 40 mins MAX to get to the center of the corniche.
You have to correct yourself by mentioning from where to where.
If you want to help people, give them the facts and then clearly mention what your opinion is.
I'm not trying to be a pain but I'm trying to help you help people.
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Click here for info Qatar's safety, events, costs, pics, and so much more I♥Q <-- (Expat, Tourist, and Local I
diamond girl, 42c is 42c :P but of course yes, if you're under the sun it's worse.
(Hence consider spreading the word about ILQ's donation drive for labourers)
@rlasrado, sadly nobody can be perfect, but if you keep striving to be, you'll have a never-ending positive goal to reach to ^_^
Lol at your HR screwup though. That's HR everywhere bro. (Sadly)
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hahaha...good stuff.
Renamed the driver of my company "Director Logistics" - more influence (wasta)than any of us - we just mere mortals in the scheme of things.
I'd also add - every second person i've met (i.e.indian) has been staying out here for more than 15+ years!!!!!! My pakistani friends father's have settled here since 30+ years!!!!
I'm beginning to like Mr.Whoami - seems he likes to be perfect :-)
We need someone like you specially in HR/Admin - eg.my new employee contract when i shifted to qatar was copy pasted and i had an annual return ticket for my family to and fro from Pakistan. How wonderful considering i'm from India :-)
It is worth noting that although it may be 42 degrees in the shade many workers are out in the sun with no airconditioning where the temperature gets over 50 degrees everyday in the hottest months.
[img_assist|nid=57389|title=|desc=peace|link=none|align=left|width=|height=0] _______________________________________________
www.nfcr.org
@tallg, I agree with you, it's hits 50 on the dot sometimes, but not normally. Since the avg is in the 30s and the high average is in the 40s.
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Click here for info Qatar's safety, events, costs, pics, and so much more I♥Q <-- (Expat, Tourist, and Local I
Wow, sounds expensive, I cant even spell 20,000QR much alone know how much that is...lol
Glad to know everything is well with you there buddy.
tcom - great post, though worth taking on board some of whoami's corrections, however...
whoami - 50 degC may not be a 'normal summer afternoon', but it did reach that figure several times last summer. My understanding is that it's rarely reported because all work is supposed to stop if 50 is reached. I could be wrong, but that's what I was told.
i'm still in the US. will not be in Doha until june. sure, pm me. i also pm'd your wife. very nice..... things are going VERY well with my DH with job. school confirmed, found a really nice place (around QR20,000). any questions just keep in touch.
excellent sum-up with straight forward truth..but, would it fit everyone?..no offense..
its true..theres no place like home..
but the human nature always want more, never satisfied with what they have and what they get..
more is assumed as always better..but me on the other appreciate living in the moment and looking at the future..
so, I would have to re-think my recent offer of working in qatar..
thanks a lot..
This info is of paramount importance to the complex way of life in Qatar. You did say "Gulf," which translates into the abyss--I hope for all our sakes, this would be a place to call our part time homes. I am sincere in saying thanks to your input. Unfortunately, some folks do not have the luxury as others, this decision is a necessary means to an end.
Helenann, Im still here, you are fortunately there, hope everything is well. I have lost contact with you but I hope my hi's and hello's are still welcome in your PM box--if not, I wish you well. Im still lost as usuall, I have 25th of this month for my start date.
i'll be anxious to check this out again, say around December. i'll have formed my own opinion, feelings, ironed and heavy starched budget, etc. we even have three kids, but i think we'll make it. thanks for the encouraging words! ;) does it sum up Everything? for Everyone?
liked the bit about wastas, cleaner boys and watchman.
happy heart
DRIVE SAFE,someone is waiting for you at home
Wow TCOM.... did you write this yourself? It's absolutely brilliant and it sums up everything one needs to know before setting foot here. I will definitely direct future queries from potential employees into the Gulf area to this thread. Many thanks mate!
nice.. amen to that.. ;)