Cost of living in Doha | ExpatWoman.com
 

Cost of living in Doha

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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 28 March 2012 - 22:49

My husband is traveling to Doha next week for a job interview. Before he goes I thought it would be good to get an idea of the cost of living in Doha in case salary negotiations come up.

We previously moved to Dubai for what seemed like an attractive package but as the price of accommodation and schools kept increasing we hightailed out of there before we got into debt. Don't want to make that mistake again!

Just to give an idea of our situation we are a family of four with two school age children who would need to go to American schools, and preferably have accommodation nearby. How much would we need a month to live comfortably (not extravagantly) including schools, rent, utilities, groceries, etc? And what kind of benefits are usually given with employment in Doha?

Sorry for the rant but don't know where to begin!

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EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 29 March 2012 - 21:03
I don't think you'll find spaces at ASD for those grades - unless the job in question is for one of the companies that has a direct arrangement with the school (in which case your fees would be 100% covered). ACS is expanding its intake for next year so more likely, but still filling fast.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 29 March 2012 - 17:42
They would be in Kindergarten and Pre-K come September. I guess I should contact the schools from now and see if there are places available, if not then it wouldn't be worth considering the offer. Has anyone tried starting their kids off in one curriculum and switching?
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EW GURU
Latest post on 29 March 2012 - 17:25
If you're talking primary ASD v. difficult to get into. I understand ACS less so but getting more difficult - it's new.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 29 March 2012 - 17:21
Thank you all for your responses! It's really given me an idea of what to expect. I guess the deal breaker will be if they cover school fees. Otherwise it won't make sense and although American schools to be really expensive, we'll be moving back to the US in a few years so I would want to keep the kids in the same curriculum. Also two more questions: - Does anyone know if there tends to be waiting lists to get into ASD and other schools? I remember that was a huge problem in Dubai! - Is it easy (and affordable) to find activities for the kids, such as dancing classes, karate, music, etc? Thanks again!
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 29 March 2012 - 15:48
I'm sure I've posted this before In the old thread down below, methinks ;) Thanks GM...these groundhog days make me doubt myself!! I know we wouldn't be here unless DH's employer paid for the schooling & accomm as it's the two most expensive items to consider. Actually getting places at decent schools is an achievement in itself, but that's a whole other thread! Good point about the other 'incidentals' such as rent deposits (not every landlord, but some) and deposits for the school. We had to pay QR10 000 out of our own pocket for our DS's Doha College deposit & that is a lot of money.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 29 March 2012 - 14:05
CC - it's because the fees vary massively depending on school and how old the kids are. ACS starts at 42k (for pre-k). It goes up over 60k for older kids (I think). Plenty of 'good' companies do not pay school fees. Some take the view that why should an employee with kids be paid more than one without for the same job (which I agree with although it works against me!. We cannot get our grocery bill under 600 a week (except as a one-off). It varies from 600-1000 depending on what incidentals there are. We are not big spenders. A lot of people spend a lot more. Car costs depend a lot on what car you have and whether you have a loan or not. Cars are cheaper here (significantly) than the UK but everyone tends to compensate by driving more expensive cars than they would do back home. You're looking at 3000-5000 a month for a car loan on a 4wd and similar for fully comp insurance a year. As a general rule - I think you need to earn 12k ish a month plus housing plus school fees to break even and live a halfway decent life. That's not including saving or people who like to go out drinking a lot. People live on a lot less of course but it's not fun. Anyone disagree? Please note that salaries vary enormously in Doha dependant on industry (and sadly nationality). There's no easy rule of thumb -is no 'if you're on 30k a year back home then you should be on xk a year in Doha'. <em>edited by lalala on 29/03/2012</em>
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EW GURU
Latest post on 29 March 2012 - 12:36
I;m not sure why no one is just saying the school fees...are we not supposed to do that??? I think ASD and ACS (the 2 american schools) are like 50000 right plus or minus depending on age, right????? of course check the www but there you go. It seems the better companies pay 100% and the other companies pay 50% but that is only of tuition I have heard so make sure you add up all those "fees" the school charges because you'll be paying for those!!!!! I was going to comment that no matter what your husband is offered, it would be fine as long as you have housing because everything else is like everywhere else, you can live on a budget if you want and chances are you will still be able to save more here than say US or UK...but the school fees are a different scenario. I think they can be the 'deal breaker'! <em>edited by ccdoha on 29/03/2012</em>
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 29 March 2012 - 10:39
I'm sure I've posted this before, but anyway.... (All per month) We have a 3 bed unfurnished (old) compound villa = QR 16 000 Groceries approx = QR 2500 Petrol for my car only = QR 150 Internet & landline = QR 350 Utilities average = QR 600 Gardener = QR 350 Mobile top-up cards approx QR 60 I do my own housework, so no maid included. Car Insurances = QR 7000 [b'>per year[/b'> Ours cars are paid off, but I seem to remember my DH's 2nd hand LR3 being around QR3500/mnth. My DH's employer (who are very generous) pay all school fees for our son, medical insurance, DH's petrol & phone bills and we also get an annual allowance for air tickets (which works out to 4 economy class tickets). HTH :cool:
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EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 29 March 2012 - 09:48
There are really only 2 American schools in Doha - ASD and ACS. Fees are on their sites, and vary by grade, but they are high, so check them out and factor this in to your negotiations. Spaces are not easy to secure - especially if you are looking for September. Benefits tend to vary widely too. Some get school, housing and international medical. Some get none of these, and some a mix. The key is to be realistic about these expenses and make sure the salary can cover them or the allowances are adequate, whichever the case. Housing for a furnished 3 bed can is likely to range from QR 14-20,000/month, with the opportunity to go much much higher if you want. I don't think we live particularly extravagantly, and for a family of 3 plus maid our expenses are quite a bit higher..we don't have a gardener (live in an apartment) and petrol form1 car seems on par, but for the rest I'd say we spend close to double those figures.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 29 March 2012 - 08:28
hi, School fee info should be on school websites, not sure re nearby accomm and costs. Some ideas based on what we spend per month (2 adults): Car - 2000qr Petrol - 400qr (that's a guess based on 50 per wk for 2 cars,.in reality i think it's less) Water/Elec- 150qr (this is about to rise quite a lot when the ac goes on,.these have been winter bills) TV& internet -400 Mobile phone - 180 (contract) + 30-50 top up for pay as you go phone Groceries - 2000 (this is a guess based on 500 per wk, which i think is an overestimate, I don't really keep track but it always seems to be 300-350 for a shop then various extras thro'out the wk and then less frequent 'big shops') Gardener- 150 Cleaner - 600 I think a lot of stuff here is more expensive than the UK. Can't think what else we spend money on.....!