An OK offer, but not great. This is from my perspective--North American expat with a family (but with plenty of single male colleagues from the US and UK) who lived in the UK for ten years.

A decent--and by that a mean a couple of years old and a reasonably safe size (small cars here are a death wish)--car will cost about about 30,000 to run, including loan payment, insurance, maintenance, etc. Leasing costs about 50% more than buying, but includes insurance, maintenance, etc. My car allowance is 2,000 a month, and does not cover the full cost of owning and maintaining a modestly equipped full-size SUV.

In the current downturn in the rental market, 84,000 will get you an OK place, but not great. Top apartments with great amenities and maintenance service (very important here if you plan to spend your time working rather than fixing cracked tiles all day) in good areas will run about 10-15k a month, but will include all utilities, basic satellite, internet, appliances, furniture, etc. Vegas is right that you can go lower and still be safe and comfortable. Best thing to do is to come out for a couple of days and look around at a range of places. It will be well worth the cost of a plane ticket in the end. You can also always opt for a shorter lease a more expensive place and then look around for something cheaper once you are here.

The salary is not bad, and once you sort out the real cost of housing and a car, your expenses will not be much higher than in the UK. Food is roughly the same; petrol is effectively so cheap it is free. Alcohol, while not is plentiful, is roughly the same price, too. So you are really just left with entertainment.

One thing you should also look at is health coverage. The medical system here is not unlike the NHS--good in cases of major emergencies, but overstretched for preventative care, routine procedures, etc. As a result, many companies provide supplemental private insurance (akin to Bupa) for use in the extensive private medical market. I have kids, which means constant visits to doctors for minor things, and I only I end up at the doctor about once a year myself. Anyway, something to think about. My guess is that Al Jazeera offers it to at least some of its employees, and it is probably worth negotiating to ensure you are one of them. I had not given it a great deal of thought before I came to Qatar, but I am forever grateful that my employer had.

Other fairly common perks for Western professionals--travel allowance (usually the cost of a business class ticket for each family member), communications allowance (to cover the cost running a mobile phone, etc.), completion of contract bonus (usually a couple of thousand pounds for each year of the contract period you complete). Not all places offer these (and they are not essential), but it never hurts to ask if you are in a position to negotiate.

Good luck.