Having lived in Dubai, Bahrain and here..... I can say this.....
Consumables, such as general food shopping etc....Bahrain is more expensive.
Rent..... Highest WAS Dubai; but now Doha has Squashed all competition. Average 'nice' Villa here is 16,000 QR a month, whereas in Bahrain it's the equivalent of 6,500 QR a month for the same.
Schooling is the same pretty much in all three.
So it all depends on whether a person who takes a post here has EVERYTHING included, then YES you can save. Otherwise, it's more expensive to live here than Europe or the US in general.
Plus, It is VERY difficult to find good quality items here at a good price. Whereas in Europe or the US you can go to Outlets, Overstocks and buy top notch stuff at very reasonable prices. You can find good deals here, but you will notice very quickly the poor quality. It's almost like the world's faulty stuff comes here to be sold at regular price. Consumers beware.
Ideally one should come to the M.E. with a package all inclusive; and be sure to scope it first before signing a contract. One should not take for granted that you can save until they've really done their research.
Having lived in Dubai, Bahrain and here..... I can say this.....
Consumables, such as general food shopping etc....Bahrain is more expensive.
Rent..... Highest WAS Dubai; but now Doha has Squashed all competition. Average 'nice' Villa here is 16,000 QR a month, whereas in Bahrain it's the equivalent of 6,500 QR a month for the same.
Schooling is the same pretty much in all three.
So it all depends on whether a person who takes a post here has EVERYTHING included, then YES you can save. Otherwise, it's more expensive to live here than Europe or the US in general.
Plus, It is VERY difficult to find good quality items here at a good price. Whereas in Europe or the US you can go to Outlets, Overstocks and buy top notch stuff at very reasonable prices. You can find good deals here, but you will notice very quickly the poor quality. It's almost like the world's faulty stuff comes here to be sold at regular price. Consumers beware.
Ideally one should come to the M.E. with a package all inclusive; and be sure to scope it first before signing a contract. One should not take for granted that you can save until they've really done their research.
Good luck to prospective expats. :)