james1966

I'm looking to move to Doha in January, and would welcome thoughts from people who have knowledge of Qatar.

I'm a financial adviser, do people tend to save plently in Qatar? I discounted other places because folk appeared to spend on having a great time, not a bad thing, but I'm more interested in savers.

Am I correct in my thinking ? I've been wrong plenty of times before, so I can take it if I've got it wrong again.

I'm really looking forward to moving, and I'm sure it'll be a good move for me.

Paracletus

Besides shopping and leaving the country, probably not much else to spend your money on. Have 'fun'.

co durham boy

You'll definitley save money here mate that's for sure . Doha is pretty dull and mundane but it has vastly improved in the last 18 months.
If your single then i'd suggest getting to know as many people as possible quickly and get straight amongst it.

Look at www.timeoutdoha.com and www.qatarhappening.com to have a look at whats going on in town also buy The Explorer Book on Qatar from WH Smiths or Waterstones it's a good decent read and very practical.

It's not going to blow you away this country because it's crap but you've got a decent hub for travelling , a good golf course and some cracking sports facilities. Nights are out are expensive with a pint of Stella rolling in at around 8 quid and single good looking women are very thin on the ground .

Good luck

james1966

Where I live in UK is boring as hell, probably more to do in Doha. I'm married, so I'll be wanting to work/make money rather than party. Time will tell I suppose.
I tend to get on with folk ok, and can mix with all cultures, so that shouldn't be a major problem.
Thanks for the helpful info !!

Oyibopeppeh

Except at the Watering Hole or Cube, where they are generally butt ugly and ask for up to QAR 2,000 for a scratch

abbey08

Doha is pretty quiet and dull as Co Durham Boy has already mentioned. There are a few malls were most people head to on an evening or the weekend and you can find similar shops to that in the UK. Be prepared for a slow down in life generally and a baptism of fire if you head out onto the roads. If you are moving abroad to save then this is the place, as there is very little to spend your money on. Provided your job is quite stimulating then you will be OK, but if not, you might die of boredom. I am here with my family and have a fast pace job so don't really have much spare time outside of that. One of the real advantages of this place is that its only an hour from Dubai and places like the Maldives and Goa are easy to get to. You could do a lot worse than Doha e.g Saudi. Given the options back in the UK at the moment I am actually quite happy to be here. One tip I would give is get your residency permit (RP) sorted as soon as you can as you can do very little without it. Also get yourself an international driving licence if you have the time as you only get a week or two on a UK. Its easy to get a licence here but you will have enough to do on your first few weeks. If you want information on accommodation then just let us know. Co Durham Boy is extremely knowledgable about this place and although what he sometimes says is not what you want to hear it is generally bang on the money

gottheTshirt

Whether or not you save depends on what you earn and what you spend. It is difficult to live here and not spend. A beer is +30 QR, a decent meal Qr 250, but you can eat for QR 15, a big mac Qr 20. A car is QR 2500/month and an apartment QR 8,000 month.

james1966

Sounds like it will suit me fine, where I currently live has nothing apart from fresh air and nice beaches with freezing water, no mcdonalds/burger king for 50 miles. So as boring as you think Doha is, it's only relative to what you are used to.
I'm self employed so I won't get many of the benefits employed expats get, but hopefully I'll make plenty of money to keep me going, and a bit spare.
I have accommodation for 3 months, after that I'm on my own and would value local impartial advice.
I've not got my license from QFC yet, should be beginning of December, fingers crossed. I'll be working for what I see as a reputable company, so by doing the job right business could be good.

co durham boy

Remember it's very expensive here , just be cautious when you get here if you're not on an Expat package , make sure you tick the boxes with officialdom as it can be horrendous and tedious. Doha will suck the money out of you very very quickly.

It's a must to get The Explorer book on Qatar and http://www.marhaba.com.qa/abtus.html will be useful as well .

One word of advice , this is not as open as the U.A.E , doing business here can be very difficult for even International companies and extremely frustrating . Something that seems like normal practice will be alien here and will totally throw you sideways , the place has an archaic social structure that borders on insanity but if you can extract a few quid from it then bravo.

Tread carefully and good luck

bizkitgto

Is Saudi that bad - considering the large amount of expats there? I'm guessing the Aramco camps must be lively at least?

co durham boy

Mate , Saudi is fu**ing horrible , a horrible country with horrid stone age values and heinous laws.

People get by because they make do and adapt and basically play with the hand they are dealt with. The only way you survive is being in a Western compound.

Just because there's a large percentage of expats doesn't automatically make the place paradise.
Some of the most rudest , obnoxious , self centered people i've ever met have been British Gulf based Expatriates.

flares

abbey08

When we talk in the office of places in the GCC to work and someone mentions Saudi the response from those that have worked there is:-

"Saudi.....you must be f*****g mad, the last place you want to go is Saudi"

Stealth Otter

I'm working on the basis that starting off in the Middle East in Saudi, things are only going to get better if I move elsewhere (except Yemen I guess).

Is there a big difference between the cost of living in Qatar and Saudi?

Eg in Saudi:
Decent internet connection 350SAR per month
Ok'ish rental car 3000SAR per month
2 bed compound villa 120k SAR per year

co durham boy

Around the same price