Is commuting from outside Doha an option?
By RyanCanuck •
When I lived in Dubai, many people drove in every day from neighboring Sharjah. Is there a similar arrangement available in Doha? I'd rather not share an apartment nor would I like to pay 6000 for something small and uncomfortable inside the city (the vibe I get from these forums is 1 bedroom apartments aren't available for less than 6000).
Thanks!
what's the point to save some money on rent and then to spend it (or even more) for the taxi, plus wasting extra time on the road?
hello Ryan and welcome to qatar!
i was in the same boat as you, and ended up finding a wonderful little beachside villa at simaisma for pretty much the same reasons: much lower rent at a very quiet and relaxed little town. simaisma is about 15 kms south of al khor, so it's marginally closer to doha. still, it is a tiny, sleepy village, and much smaller than al khor (1.5 sq. km) so you dont have too many ameneties around. i've been living out of doha for a year now and i love it. I will not go back to the city after being spoilt by the quiet pace of life here.
since the highway's there, the commute is not bad at all (20-35 mins max to anywhere in doha), but you will spend considerably more money if you hire a cab. i would recommend you save that cash and lease a car instead, as that would work out more economical for you.
good luck!
Don't even consider Al Khor..
It's a 45 minute drive on a good day.
Al Khor is a small town with not very much to do.
Your wife won't be happy.
I've seen a nice compound there that mainly caters to people working in Ras Laffan (Oil & Gas fields, north of Al Khor). Don't know what prices are, but I'm sure it's not cheap.
Try areas around Gharafa or Madinat Khalifa. Prices will be cheaper than West Bay and you won't be too far from work.
Good Luck!
and cost 10 times more as well.
A taxi? A lot! It's 40 miles to the north of Doha, then you have to deal with traffic.
Mandi
Al Khor. Noted. Thanks, Charlene! How much do you think a taxi would cost to get into the city from Al-Khor?
I suggest you check out Al-Khor! Small town living, only 35 minutes to Doha. No traffic! Much cheaper rent! Good luck.
I'm cool too, want my pic? :o)
Haha, because Beckham is cool. B-)
Just curious as to why you as a Canuck, have David Beckham as your profile pic and not Sidney Crosby or even Doug Smith for that matter ;-)
Thanks, Colt45. I'll definitely check those out.
More than Safety I think you need to worry about Security in the "cheapest" areas. Al Khor should be cheaper to live in than the West Bay area. But you could also consider living somewhere around the airport, which is cheaper than West Bay and also about a 20-30 mins drive to there.
What areas are cheapest? I don't want to sacrifice safety. In Sharjah, you coud rent an apartment for almost half the price of the same unit in Dubai. Is there some area like this in Doha? Al Khor sounds interesting.
Make sure you live close to your work. Doha is a small city but you can spend lot of time in traffic if you choose to live in wrong area. The area around West Bay, Pearl, landmark mall or villagio mall are most convenient.
goooooooo
But you want to look at the Al Khor area, and not South Doha, because the drive from Al Khor to West Bay is pleasant and should take you about 30mins.
I used to know someone who lived in Al Khor and worked in Westbay so maybe... But yes, from Wakra to Westbay is insane!
If you work in West Bay you probably won't like the commute from Wakra.