Doha to Abu Dhabi

I came from Doha last year...and had a friend who lived here for three years, moved to Doha. We both agree, more or less, that Doha is more expensive for food and everyday buying. Petrol slightly more expensive in AD...but still cheap! Housing more expensive in Doha, although prices rising in AD as well. Driving is way easier in AD.....better roads, grid system and driver behaviour is better, possibly because of a more proactive police presence. There is a lot more to do in AD.....and can get away to other places at weekends.....from my experience, people who move to Doha from AD do not like it as much. Having said that, I lived in Doha on and off for 10 years and had no issues.....as always, life is what you make it!

Hi hkhan, tgrlily has given you some great answers. I have just moved from Abu Dhabi to Doha a few months back. Firstly - like you we were only in Abu Dhabi for a "short" period of time (after relocating from another overseas location). Even though we have moved now 3 times with the same company (it was an internal move) there are cost involved with those moves. So that is something to be aware of. Personally we found finding schools for our children harder in Doha then Abu Dhabi. That said it is still tough in Abu Dhabi. Food costs appear to be slightly more expensive here in Doha then in Abu Dhabi. Our spending habits haven't changed (we are still buying similar food over the week and using generally the same supermarket group). But as we have only been here (in Doha) for a few months, we are still stocking up on things etc. Petrol is cheaper in Doha. I might as well mention at this point that driving is far easier in Abu Dhabi then Doha (can't believe I just used the words driving, Abu Dhabi and easy in the same sentence!). Though "generally" drivers are faster in Abu Dhabi. Other bills appear so far to be very similar in cost. I can't really comment on housing too much. We had villa accommodation in both locations but budget was different. We have a slightly higher budget in Doha then Abu Dhabi and personally found that to be because prices seemed higher in Doha. As for which place I prefer.... I don't think I am quite settled enough yet to give an unbiased answer. I loved Abu Dhabi - in comparison to my previous expat location it was a walk in the park! So for me personally it was a great place and I enjoyed my time there. You will speak to many people who will strongly disagree with that statement and to be honest if I had just moved from my home country I may of felt it was hard / difficult. Doha has been a little tougher so far, but in part that was due to us arriving right in the middle of the summer holidays, there was fewer people around and it has only been since the kids have gone back to school that things have started to settle down a bit. Hope some of this information helps!

Hi there, Dunno if you will see this (as your original post is a bit old)... but we've just moved from Doha to Abu Dhabi. We've been here 3 weeks, and so far... tricky adjustment. (But take what I say with a grain of salt--- I'm a bit traumatized by my summer, losing my mom suddenly in July, so I know my own feelings are shaded by grief.) Some things to seriously consider re financially speaking: - the housing package offered to your husband (in either place) - obviously the salary - any other benefits AND the cost of moving! I had to forfeit some of my summer pay due to timing (of my new contract), and well, moving and everything involved can add up. So far, from what I can see- things arent' necessarily more expensive than Doha, but it does depend on what kind of quality of life you want. (Ie, I would much rather prefer to live in a villa than a tall building, like we did for 3 years in Doha, but we can't live in a villa in the city, and I don't want to live super far out). Schools can be super expensive, so also something to consider if your kids are school age. AND if you are coming this year, consider that with timing= I'm still trying to find a school for my 5 year old. Ugh. Our visa over here was delayed... crappy timing. Anyway... not sure if that's much help, but best of luck!