d0ub1ed

Where's Phil and Kirsty when you need them...

So, I'm likely gonna be moving to Doha in 3 weeks, just ironing out the contract now, and if they give in to my insistance of a car, I'm gonna sign on the dotted line...

I was wondering if you someone could provide some advice on where a single young bachelor should be living. The package includes a housing allowance of 7500, so lets use that as our budget...

what can i be expecting for that kind of money. top of a skyscraper with an infinity pool would be super.

Thanks!

scrubbedexpat141

A car is make or break?!

DohaLady

For 7500 you'll be looking at a nice 1 bed or maybe a 2 bed in Al Sadd area. If you want to put a bit towards it yourself you could look to get a studio on the pearl or possibly a 1 bed in West Bay. Which area are you going to be working in? Traffic can be a nightmare so it's preferable for many to live close by to work.

Hope you enjoy Doha.

soukie

Oh dear I think you will be disappointed!

DOHDUBMAN

Housing prices are very high here mate

Try propertyfinder.qa & qatarcl.qa for rough ideas on how much you should be paying. These are a very rough guide though

Im not sure if you will get a 1 bed in westbay/the pearl for less than 10000QAR anymore. If you wanted something like that you would have to put money towards that. Then you have to ask yourself if the deal is worth it

Im a young lad and have only been in Qatar since december. Any questions though feel free to drop me a mail and ill answer as best i can

Take what you read about Qatar with a pinch of salt at times. I could probaly contradict every nasty thing that people like to say about the place a hundred times over but thats starting to get a little boring

If i was you though i would be concentrating trying to get all documents together and arranging on making your life a little easier before you get out here. Dont rush into renting a place the minute you land. Are you being provided accomadation until you find somewhere?

dragonladyoz

That type of allowance is not going to get you too much, you will have to put money in, or you could find another person to share with - you would get a nice 2 or maybe 3 bd place for 15K easily.

co durham boy

You'll get a decent flat for that price range , obviously you'll not be living on The Pearl but there's nothing there to get excited about in any case in my opinion.

Just get your bearings when you get here and take a bit of time getting round the city and see what fits in with your budget and what type of commute you'll have .

The city is expanding rapidly and every road in Doha will be ripped up at some point so there's no ideal place to pitch .
I think your allowance is adequate for a single lad . Don't belive everyone is on mega money and mega deals here , there's enough in there for your needs .

Renting property here is a pain in the arse as it's pure ball ache dealing with numpty's , stick at it though as you'll only get out what you put into Qatar .

Doha is no holiday resort but there's a decent quality of life for those who put the effort in . The city is changing rapidly for the better which has even surprised an old battle hardened cynic like me .

Good luck

The_Citizen

If a car is make or break I would seriously be looking twice at the package. Will you ultimately be better of in Qatar or in the UK?

d0ub1ed

Thanks for the responses guys. Just to clear up the car situation - No, it's not make or break, but I am (was) in a strong negotiating position and wanted to play my hand wisely... Turns out I'm not getting the car anyway, so maybe my position wasn't that strong anyway, but i'm still going.

The company provides a hotel for a week, which might not be that long to find a place. Does anyone have any information about serviced apartments? might fill the gap whilst I find something more permanent...

And I hear what you all say about Doha. I think I've heard it all from all angles, but my feeling is it's quite an exciting opportunity in a rapidly developing city, and as everyone says, you get what you give.

Theseus

I think the cheapest option for serviced apartments in Doha is Ezdan Towers, pretty rubbish but ok for a short stint. I think mine was 9000 for a month in a studio but that was a year ago i'm not sure if they have gone up.

You might want to look at Holiday Villas too, i'm not sure about prices there though.

d0ub1ed

They're putting me up in a serviced apartment for a couple of months. Very nice of them...

So is there anything going on around Doha at the moment? or is it all subdued for Ramadan?

Theseus

Loads going on if you like shopping, and eating but not drinking.

Mogs

amended slightly

DOHDUBMAN

Not drinking?? You sure about that

d0ub1ed

I like eating but shopping I can't tolerate unless I'm drunk. I think i already know the answer, but it's impossible to get a beer for a month now right? And i guess that would impact on (western) social outings somewhat...