Quality of life vs cost of living
By Bored to death •
Hi all,
I know this topic comes up every few days, but could some kind family guy or girl please help. We have a comfortable life in the uk, two very young kids.
Fun, safety and new experiences are more important than big cars etc but money does play its part.
Offered 16k per month.
House and utilities paid.
1 flight home for the family.
No car or health care.
Need 2 safe cars, tv, Internet, nice gym, money foluther odd brunch, coffee shop etc. No big nights out but nice home cooked food.
Any good advice about asking for car allowance or health care, or even a little more cash?
Thanks in advance
I'm afraid it's not enough, especially with two kids and no health care or education allowance. I'd stay in the UK if I were you.
'@astrangefruit:' thanks for the wonderful and comprehensive summary of cost of living in qatar. i found your post pretty useful as I am exploring options of moving to qatar (nothing finalized though).
Sorry, I've just noticed a typo on my note above, it should have read QR15,000 to QR30,000 for villa, not QR45,000 to QR30,000!
Do not come if your child's education is not paid for. A good British/American school will cost yearly 40,000-60,000qr a child.
Over half your salary would go towards education costs.
Hi there,
I know what its like when you're trying to figure out what Qatar is like before moving out - there is a lot of confusing or conflicting information as a different rule often applies depending on your country of origin or the company you receive an offer from, as well as your years of experience/position within a company.
Generally speaking, coming from UK all employers will provide either decent fully furnished accomodation, or an allowance to cover same. Many employers also provide a car/travel allowance depending on the position, and medical insurance for you and your family, your move out here including house contents if required etc. Also, if you were to find your own accommodation, many properties cover one or a combination of water, electricity, basic tv or Air Conditioning in the rent.
Initially, a small basic rental car costs QR 1,800-QR 2,200 per month, or QR 2,200 - QR 2,800 for a mid range sedan. You can find purchase costs in these pages, cars are relatively cheap to buy - but be aware that for used cars (without warranty) maintenance and service costs are high here at around QR4,000 - QR10,000 per annum depending of course on car, age, condition, how often you have to change tyres/brakes etc. Petrol is so ridiculously cheap as to not be a factor. Generally, the most economical cars (servicing and resale) include certain models of toyota/honda/nissan/kia etc. I would recommend thoroughly checking all the 'industry review' websites before buying a car, and find out typical service / running costs from the relevant dealership. The insurance options here are not as at home and you can only get fully comp on new cars.
A nice 3 bedroom apartment costs between QR11,000 to QR16,000 depending on which end of the market you go for. You can get many 3 beds cheaper, but you might not want to live in them. A 3/4 bed villa in a compound, or on its own can cost between QR45,000 to QR30,000 - again depending on many different factors. Most apartments or villa complexes have free gyms, pools, BBQ etc - often new, good quality and not oversubscribed. Complexes also oftern have tennis, table tennis, etc..
TV/Internet/Landline bundles cost around QR250 per month combined, but you will want to upgrade tv package to approx QR450 per month.
Food can vary hugely, there is every type and cost range available. Possibly more economical than back home, more choice and if you buy your own food it can save if you can cook local produce rather than only imported. One other point is that depending on where you settle, all incidental costs can vary too depending on local businesses, e.g. shops, restaurants, dry cleaning, etc.
Water and Electricity is good value - approx QR300 combined per month for a 2 bed, (excluding air conditioning which is covered) in my experience..
Flights home can be expensive if you travel often.
QR16,000 seems more than a little on the light side for a family, especially if you need 2 cars, medical, schooling, emergency travel home, etc.. but as mentioned earlier it also depends on position, experience etc..
I would probably try and research any similar job types here to compare. I'm sure you will find plenty of varying views based on peoples individual experiences, but hopefully this is of some use for you.
Meanwhile good luck and hope you find your answers...
People give all vague and irrelevant answers. Honestly, it is not a great salary, but certainly you can have a very decent standard of life and save money too. Please also remember, the income is tax free here.Since housing is taken care, you can atleast save QR 8000 per month. So take a decision based on this. Good luck.
Quality of life v cost of living v total salary is like a triangular fight, one has to learn / manage to win.
The winner gets all equally.
ask for education for kids and health insurance
Sorry, money for the odd brunch