Why is Doha SO EXPENSIVE?

if you want to travel in a limo, eat at five star hotels you need to cough up money. Who said it is cheaper in other five star hotels all over the world???

in Qatar;

HR should be more careful and check lifestyle of a prospective employee prior appointments :)

What this place lacks among many other things are quality mid-priced places,be they shops or restaurants,that's where Dubai scores & always will over Doha,they have something to cater to ALL pockets...here you either eat @ a juice shop or mc'd's or waste your money in a star rated hotel with mostly so-so food where you're paying for the ambience & the hotel service charge more than for the food itself...agreed there are places like Thai snack but that's just one place...

And yes,Doha FEELS expensive even @ times when it's not,know why?...because you don't get value for money here,service is absolutely rubbish in most places because the staff get paid pennies & have to put up with diners who take out their own frustrations on these poor people,simply because they can...it's just a vicious circle,going round & round...

sum,

It seems that:

The "Limo" had a minimum charge of QR100.

Karwa's like QR50 must have included something else other than the 1.6km.

Hotels you're talking about are 5-Star, and the QR180 lunch was probably at that hotel.

$50 lunch? well if u eat at normal fastfood in normal proportions is like 5-10 dollars

LOL ... Thinking in $ ???

to revise your salary or Slavery package :)

only Karwa bus in not expensive. hahaha

Dear Madam! I will be in Washington in june,Name of restaurent is Kababis palace. I will glad to invite you there for Indian lunch or dinner. My last visit was in summer 2006 and I hope there would be not much elevated prices.

awkhan

ranges from 1500 to 3000, living now in qatar is expensive as oppose to say 3-4 years ago as every centavo matters. i just hope there is a price regulatory control here to oversee the prices. softdrinks increased by 50%. rice increased by 3-5 qr depending on the quality of rice. the only thing that doesnt increase is my salary..oh vey..life..

Awkhan: There is no dinner (outside of McDonalds and the like) available in Crystal City for $7. Just isn't possible.

FOR FRIENDS who are interested , New york,34 lex av, nice indian food 7 $,Washington,crystle city(verginia) Afghani food-7$, London, central London 5 &,Paris 6 euro and in Qatar 15 qrs, Baroda 70 rupees, Food have same standard in my opinion and prix you can compair.

awkhan

Hooray for Thai Snack, opens at 10 am Fridays. We did brunch ONCE in a hotel at the urging of friends. 600QR for two! I was so disgusted afterwards, thinking I could have given that money to a much better place, like church or QAWS or QLVG.

Mandi

So, we can conclude that doha really is not that expensive in general. BUT thinking of what it has to offer in comparison to what it costs is not reasonable?

As in NYCity prices in Doha?

Is that what it is?

What comes around, goes around....

Some people going to friday brunch for family treat in the weekend, I personally can not justify paying nearly 300 riyal for 1 meal. We usually ended either Thai Snack or Central Restaurant. Cost 150 riyal and feed the whole family ;)

our manky house in Doha in al mansoura's rent cost alot more than our mortgage in Durham in the UK. Which is by the river Wear, overlook to Durham Cathedral, and in the middle of Durham town centre, walking distance to all the shops.

Yes ... rent in Doha is very expensive ... ;)

Sumazim, you must be comparing the costs of the food at the hotels versus the cost of food elsewhere. I am currently staying at one of the hotels and a cup of coffee was QR30.00!! I about fell over when I saw the bill...that's almost USD$10.00 for a small coffee.

At my employer's cafeteria, the entire lunch was only QR16.00. If venture out, you will find the prices of food are not that bad.

you learn what is and what isn't expensive and adjust. All in all, however, yes it is shockingly expensive. Part of the problem is that EVERYTHING has to be imported.

BTW--my shwarma place is 4QR

Okay, now we're getting somewhere.

So basically, hotels and sit-in restaurants are expensive, but from what I understand if you dine at fast food and sandwich places, it is actually not that bad.

Right?

Yesterday, I came across a segment on Al Jazeera that explained the reason for inflation in Doha and other Persian Gulf countries: it is due to massive flow of oil revenue.

So there you have it.

Mc.D in Doha cost next to nothing compare what you paying in the UK ;)

shawarma is now QR 5... only QR 3 up from when you got here:-)

I don't find Doha expensive... seriuously though, if you are eating all your meals at hotels, then yes, you will pay for that, but if you find the cafaterias outside, you will pay far less...

QR 6 for a cheese burger at one of those, is not alot to pay...

visit www.qaws.org

I dont think tat Doha..is costly..i never felt so...

garce:

As I said, there is smart spending and there is stupid spending. I don't like stupid spending, and spending in Doha was really stupid.

Also, so you know, I am back to the US.

Doha is lovely, you can keep it!

Stop shouting please! This is a civilized topic, if you don't like it stay away from it. We don't need your racist comments. WE keep your country going, in case you haven't noticed. I am not gonna go back to discussing this subject which has been hammered and battered a million times!

B4 POINTING OTHERS MAKE SURE UR HANDS R CLEAN !

A VERY OLD PROVERB WHICH FITS 2 THIS SITUATION, THOSE WHO HAVE PROBLEM IN THIS COUNTRY R FREE 2 LEAVE IMMEDIATELY & IF NOT THAN BETTER 2 KEEP THE TRAP SHUT

KEEP SMILING

mandi, our first days arriving in Qatar , the shawarma shop near our house only 2 riyal each ! i doubt it you can guy shawarma nowadays for 2 riyal ;)

I wonder why you complained so much of Doha life. If u really find it expensive here... Go fly back to San Francisco.

You just said yourself that u'r rich and really wouldn't mind spending.... So you should not complain a bit.

Whew!!!!

I agree that Doha is shockingly expensive considering the salaries that people in the service industry are getting. I've lived in New York and really hate paying New York prices for many items. I make it my hobby to find out-of-the-way, inexpensive places in Qatar - with mixed success. My big discoveries are Aspire, Thai Snack, the 80% off and more upstairs department at Emporium and the flat tire-fixing service in Al Gharafa. Oh, and shwarma. Not much, perhaps, but we are thankful for small victories. I just REFUSE to give the big hotels my money.

Mandi

Thank you all for the feedback.

Obviously there are conflicting opinions.

During my stay, breakfast buffet was $20, lunch buffet were anywhere from $40 to even $60 per person. That's insane!

Karwa was not always available.

Back to the price. I saw what I saw. Restaurants in Souq Waqif and surrounding areas were anywhere from $20 per dish or more.

I am wealthy and don't mind spending money. But there is smart spending and stupid spending. Spending in Doha was stupid spending.

...Life would become Dull if there were no such Difficulties...

wow... who wants to buy Doha?

...listen to the sound of silence....

welcome to doha

also check the wifi in sfo airport. it is not free.

what about tax in nyc and sfo?

TO ALL MY FRIENDS WHO COMPLAIN ABT THE TRANSPORT FOR THEM THERE IS AN UPDATE REGARDING THE FREE TRANSPORT AND TIMINGS

TRANSPORT IS AVAILABLE 24/7

AVAILABLE FOR ALL THE DESTINATIONS IN DOHA

TOLL FREE NUMBER - DIAL UR OWN NUMBER

TRANSPORT NAME - 11

USE UR 2 LEGS AND SAVE THE MONEY AND SHOW THE WORLD HOW UR SAVING THE MONEY AND BECOME MILLIONAIRE

NO HARD FEELINGS

I AGREE WITH NOVITA REGARDING THIS ``ISSUE``

WHY ON EARTH PPL HAVE TO COMPARE THE CITIES AND CURRENCY

THEY SHOULD GET USE 2 WHERE THEY LIVE

AND

AT LAST I`LL SUGGEST 1 SIMPLE RULE OF LIFE

```LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT```

you should consider to ride a bike ....

buy a cycle.

Didnt you read recently in the forum that there was too much money floating around Doha. That could be the reason. who knows.

Even with Airport Taxis, the fair isn't that high. They start at 20 QR, Approx 5.2 $.

i guess you have taken an airport taxi for a mile, coz the started price is like that. but if your distance is long $12 is outrageous. Doha if for both rich and poor. you can survive with $5 if you live with kuboos and salad. or $25 for a days decent meal. so its all in deal. welcome to Doha.

Doha is cheap. Even the quality of things and services is cheap.

It varies person to person & their life styles.

Some people use Karwa buses to reach Al-Khor form Doha and they have to pay less than QR.5/- that's only a single buck!

Can you imagine this somewhere else in the world?

A bar-B-Q for 2 with fresh juices in a restaurant or a buffet lunch/dinner costs around QR.100/- that's around 25 dollars only :)

that's quite reasonable.

its the effect of Inflation.Inflation is too many dollars chasing too few goods.

Qatar and the UAE had one of the highest inflation rate in 2008 (13% -15%). on a bright note, according to latest data, Qatar is experiencing a deflation (the opposite of deflation) in recent months. lets hope that the govt makes sure that the effect of this felt by the ordinary people like you and me.

hope this helps

I don't think Doha is expensive.

I think your making your Doha life expensive! Why do u have to take a limo if u can take karwa taxi? If karwa taxi is still expensive for you --- then...take karwa bus! At least you'll get the chance to roam the some places in Doha for only QR3.

Sometimes it's how we manage and use our money wisely...

And we have several options to choose from.

Obviously, you're quite extravagant and it's precisely the reason why your Doha life is expensive.

You should not convert the amount your paying in riyals to dollars, most especially if you're being paid in riyals. The monetary unit here is riyals..not dollars..When you buy goods..do you pay in dollars?

When you take taxi, do you pay in dollars? It's riyals, right?

It's always our choice to have an inexpensive and simple living ---after all.

The Easy Way Is To Rent A Car Or If You Live Here Buy A Car, Otherwise Karwa Is Damn Expensive. If You Call Karwa AT Home They Will Charge 4 Riyals Extra.

So Your Own Car Is The Best Option

Saad Masood

Cadet Pilot

Etihad Airways

Abudhabi International Airport ( Terminal 1 )

Flight Operations

Abudhabi, UAE

someone took you for a ride in taxi ..lol..for $12 per mile

*********************

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are small compared to what lies within us."

Oliver Wendell Holmes

If you really want to save your transportation money and you do not have a car,i suggest you travel around doha by karwa bus,you save a lot of money,albeit the waiting time of the bus,but it is a better alternative.

sumazim: Why did you pay that much for such a short taxi ride? You should probably consider asking the price of the ride upfront before getting in the car. Additionally, the so-called limousine services (and I agree with you on that point, it shouldn't be called a limo if it's really a Honda or whatever!) are quite pricey and not very scrupulous. Karwa is no better. But there are deals to be had, if you learn to play the game. I can get from Villaggio to the Intercon for less than 40 riyals.

I'm sure that the Taxi here is cheap.

Lots of money sloshing around, when that happens you get inflation hence all the high prices. Well except petrol that's cheaper than water

Karwa Taxi is VERY CHEAP.

Cost 15 QR for a trip from Citicenter to the airport.

In Australia it will cost you like 20 Dollar.

A Big Mac Meal is only 16 QR, cheap. A burger from local (Indian) restaurant is 6 QR. Try to beat that in US or Europe.

Second hand car is much cheaper than elsewhere. And in QL classified you still get a BRAND NEW car even when it is 3 year old and 100000 km milleage... its a bad joke....

karwa doesn't charge that much.

Funny you didn't mention the prices of gas in Doha and New york.

WAKE UP

jack i dunt care San Francisco or New York City!! :)

Limo is QR 40...per hour...which means you spent some 2 hrs (ride +waiting charges)....Alumnar....thats ok Price.

TIG

Looks like you just got up from a sleep.

too much for a mile

-=soul meets soul on lover's lips=-

... if you paid those taxi prices. A mile in a karwa is around 1 dollar!

in here, be ready to spend your money...

-=soul meets soul on lover's lips=-