Qatar: Preview
We’ve just stayed for 4 days in Qatar and here are my impressions and comparisons to Saudi and Bahrain.
1.) It is a progressing country. It’s not there yet but fast to achieving a status like Dubai. Give it 3-4 more years. The Asian Games is to be held here next year. They already hold professional sports events for golf, tennis, regatta sailing and more. There are a lot of buildings being built. They hold international conferences and delegations a lot. It has the highest per capita income in the world. Saudi will never achieve what Qatar has the potential to achieve as it is restricted by its strict religion and culture. As of now, even Saudi’s economy is stagnant although they have the most oil in the middle east. Bahrain, as the most “open” country of the lot, is doing quite well. A lot of multinational companies are moving their offices there because less operating costs and less traffic than Dubai. But it is a small country that’s why they are reclaiming like crazy.
2.) Public Transportation needs a lot of attention. Karwa taxis will ask you to wait for at least 20 minutes (usually an hour) before they can fetch you or worse, they will never come. They need to increase the number of their fleet soon. Old taxis are really OLD. You’ll have to bear with the smell and condition of the taxi itself. There are no buses available. This forces you to buy a car. In Saudi, you have a lot of available taxis. Some areas have buses. The same goes for Bahrain. Driving wise, Saudis are the worst, Qataris are much better than Saudis, while Bahrainis have educated drivers.
3) Housing is becoming a big issue. As the government can’t control it, owners are having a field day increasing the rental rates for flats, villas and compounds. The minimum you could get, as I’ve heard from people already looking for 2 bedroom flats, is about 4,500 QR per month. A decent compound will cost you for about 12,000 QR minimum. A Villa could cost up to 20,000 – 35,000 a month! Wow, that is a lot. You can get a 2 bedroom flat in Saudi for 10,000 SR a year, a compound/villa for 45,000- 65,000 SR a year, high-end villas for 80,000 SR upwards. In Bahrain, a two bedroom flat would cost you 150 BD (1500SR) to a fully furnished flat of 360 BD upwards a month. A compound/villa would cost you 500 BD upwards.
Will add more as the days pass.
