newcastlelad

Hi All,

i am moving to Dubai next month for 2 months then on to Qatar after that. I was just after some general information about living in Qatar. I will be moving with my wife and 5 month old daughter. My wife's biggest issue is being lonely. Is it easy to socilise and make friends?

I know accomadation is really expensive in Doha, is there any areas that i reasnoabile in price? also is there any areas that i should stay clear of?
How much would i expect to pay on utilities bills ?

I play semi pro football here in England, is there any decent football teams out there?

Any information would be appraciated

thank you

Johnnyboy11

Hi, welcome to the forums!

There are a lot of UK expats in Qatar, some brought their families, and some didn't (like me). A kiddie at school is a great way to meet other expats in similar circumstances. Being on a compound is another good way to meet expats.

Areas to avoid: The Pearl and West Bay (stupidly expensive, say QAR20k for a 2-bed apartment).
Areas to consider: Abu Hamour/ Al Wabb (say QAR18k for a reasonable compounded villa)

Best to plot a triangle between the kiddies school, your work and QDC (booze shop) and minimise the perimeter.

Utilitiy bills are not a major expense. The big ticket items are Rent, School, hire car and flights home, in that order. I pay QAR250/m utilities for a 2-bed apartment which I rent for QAR7750/m, so no big issue.

Football is not a big thing in Qatar, except World Cup 2022/3, which is just business.

If you get half a chance, move your family to Dubai. I would.

Hope that helps.

P18PPS

Just totally contradicting Johnnyboy's post…..
West Bay and The Pearl are premium areas to live, very luxurious and high end (if you've got the cash), if not then look at those other areas mentioned.
Doha is definitely geared towards family's rather than the single blokes.
Get your wife to become a member of "Doha Mums" for a small annual fee you get access to all sorts of meet ups, baby groups etc etc.
Get your child's name down on nurseries asap to ensure you get a place when it suits you.
Depending on why you've come out here a) to make money or b) for a career move ……. if it's a career then suggest you set yourself up for "longevity" and swallow the cost of housing…. if its just a money making exercise then go for cheap as you can get the whole way.
Making friends is easy - as long as you put the effort in - nothing comes to you, you definitely have to go out and make the effort, but once you do it starts being returned and back at you in multiples….

britexpat76

Im going to half agree with Johnnyboy and half agree with P18PPS,

I agree with Johnnyboy about West Bay and The Pearl, The Pearl is a big white elephant and IMHO a waste of money and too far out. West bay is less pricey, certainly better but still a bit pricey. AL Waab, Al Sadd and Abu Hamour are less expensive and more compounds which are better for family life and socialising. There is an thriving Amateur football league here that is a decent standard, get yourself down to Garveys when you arrive but as en Ex Footballer myself I liked the set up. Pi8PPS is right about Doha mums etc there are 10's of different groups for mums/stay at home wives. Doha overall is a good place to live (Ignoring th Middle Eastern nonsense you get anywhere around here) but you do have to work at it - I have always had a very good social life here and whilst its no Dubai its not Saudi either.

newcastlelad

Thank you for the reply.

I worked in Libya a few years ago and there was very little to there (although i did enjoy the more simple things BBQ's, snorkelling etc) so Qatar should be a breeze ha.

Is it best to hire a car in Qatar?

britexpat76

Depends on how long you intend to stay. If longer than a year buy something as a reasonable 4x4 is about 4k a month to rent but will cost far less in interest, servicing and depreciation. If its a new company probably best to rent until you are settled. And there is more to do it Qatar than Libya!

newcastlelad

Hopefully I will be there for a good few years. It is a new company I will be working for. They are established in The UAE and now expanding to Qatar.

The other problem that I face is my wife has a good job in the UK and worried she will not find anything out there.

britexpat76

She will find something, might not be what she wants but there are plenty of opportunities here.