Expatriate

Haha, that is surely a positive - the town that I am based here in Herts has a variety of Barber shops as well...it will make me feel home! :-)

Thanks v much once again..so kind of you

gottheTshirt

We moved from Doha to Muscat 4 months ago . We left a good lifestyle in Qatar and are still trying to find a life in Muscat. We had to move for job reasons but given the same salary pacakage and a job we would have stayed in Qater. The Omanis may be the most friendly in the GCC but they are completly incapable of making decisions. Work is frustrating. Grest place if you want to go camping or if you need a barbers shop. Pointless moving here if you are bald.

Expatriate

Thanks for the update - I guess if we rank Gulf countries in terms of "enteraining lifestyle / things-to-do / developement" then Dubai / Abu Dhabi will surely come first, then Qatar / Bahrain & then Kuwait / Oman..this is what I have found frm my research - It really depends what you want to go for..

Yes :-) if you are bald then you would not need so many barber shops..i will be reaching that stage soon

gottheTshirt

PS I agree with the comments from Debowing and Originalsunshine.

Venezuelan007

Tbh, I find qatar hostile. Locals dont want to mix with expats, they believe they are a superior race. Is not that I need to mix with them, but this superiority complex makes them be as***es and literally put your life in danger (i mean when driving). i dont know if other GCCs are like that.
Ive heard a lot of times Omanies are a little friendlier.
Ive heard the color green exists in Oman, as in leafs and trees...
Ive heard you wont find the "glamour" and "development" you would find in qatar.

gottheTshirt

True - Omanis are not a superior race: they fill 30% of labouring jobs and 90% of admin jobs, in theory, in fact they drive taxis.

miuser2

In my experience Oman is the friendliest country in the region (with the possible exception of Yemen which unfortunately is not really an option for westerners at the moment). It's a beautiful and very historically/culturally interesting country with great people who as others have noted are usually very down-to-earth. The UAE, Qatar and Bahrain are all very livable (unlike KSA/Kuwait) but Oman is in another league altogether.

OriginalSunshine

Jebel Shams - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

No mountain shit in Qatar lol

I love Oman due to the racial diversity of the locals. They still when you get deep into friendships do have racial issues about purity of Arab blood, but the racial mix and the brand of Islam (ibadi) make them a very tolerant folk.

As I've said, if you're into bling, shopping, brunches, coffee mornings then Oman isn't your place. If you're into 10k runs followed by a costa's on the beacht the weekend, then Oman is your place.

We had a beautiful garden, with about half an acre of grass, mature trees, palms, etc in al ilam. We loved the birdsong that came after the call for prayers each morning. The 7 minute commute to work. The honest and reliable postal service, unlike the uk tea leaves.

hnd

I think that, as with many places, it's very much a case of 'horses for courses'. We are both retired so haven't replied before now as we have nothing to offer in the way of advice for salaries, jobs and schools. However, having lived in DXB from 2005 until 2012, and while we thoroughly enjoyed our time there, we far prefer living in Muscat.

We certainly don't feel that it is more expensive than, say, Dubai. In fact our DEWA equivalent monthly bills are (excluding the Dubai municipality charge) appoximately 25% of what we used to pay. Petrol is about 25% or 30% cheaper, too.

We have come across many people since we've been here in Muscat whose first ME experience was here in Muscat. Several have moved to places such as Dubai, Qatar, Abu Dhabi and have returned to Muscat because they prefer it - and they're most definitely not ' old fogeys'.

As i said " horses for courses".

Expatriate

It is just like if you prefer to live in London or want to go for a countryside / small town option...Everyone has their own personal preferences..

Have only received 1 feedback wrt salary expectation (that was 3000 OMR excl housing/flights/schooling) - if anyone wants to shed some light on this aspect as well please? I know Salaries in Oman are much lower than Dubai or Qatar but what would be a "bare minimum" for an engineering professional with ten yrs experience.

gottheTshirt

$5700/month, 15 working days leave, accommodation, car and OMR 50 for utilities is our package for an engineer with 10 years.

OriginalSunshine

15 days?! Sorry but that is shit. 27 working days minimum IMHO, and I got 35 plus public holidays.
And 2100 OMR per month salary?
What on earth industry are you working in?!

Debowing

IMO Muscat is a lot more expensive than Dubai...In Dubai one can live more cheaply or more expensively than Muscat, but at least there one has many choices.

NewCaledonia

I read your comment and I think you will be happier in Oman, given your background. Oman is definitely more laid-back and less bling-bling than Qatar. (That is talking from the perspective of someone who has only been to Qatar and Oman on holiday/trips and have lived in Abu Dhabi). Some expats in this thread prefer Qatar for the "lifestyle" (malls, international hotels, etc.). Given your nickname, you are probably coming from another cultural background than theirs, if you know what I mean (which I think you know what I mean ). If you were talking about Dubai/Abu Dhabi VS Muscat... I would take the UAE though. Much more to do... but Doha? No thanks! The worst of two worlds. No fun and no nature.

Bear in mind that Oman is one of the very few GCC places that sees Western retirees living there... I can't imagine that in Doha. And that is for one reason.

There is definitely green in Salalah (quite far from Muscat though) and even Muscat is not as desertic of most Gulf cities. The natural environment reminded me a bit of Gran Canaria island. On top you are not far from Dubai by car (about 5hrs) which is not bad if you need some city-life.

Don't get me wrong either. Oman is not the Caribbean and Muscat is not Rio de Janeiro, but I definitely believe is nicer to live than Doha.

gottheTshirt

Not my conditions but the conditins we offer to western expats with up to 10 years PG experince. We recruit on this pacakage.