Life on the Spot! Life and Leisure in Doha, Qatar

The offer I got is QR3,000 for the basic, QR5,000 for the housing allowance, QR2,000 as supplementary allowance (they say for the inflation), and QR600 for transportation allowance.  I am planning to have my family follow after I become regular (three months probationary period).  My first question is can I live a decent life and have some savings with the package that I have?

The total package is then QR10,600. Let’s break this down to your actual expenses (cost of living expenses) so we could get a rough estimate of how much are you going to save. But before that, I’m not sure what your job position is but I do feel that your basic salary is on the low side especially if you compare it with how much you’re receiving on the housing alone. I was also expecting Qatar Fuel (WOQOD) to give out higher salaries than most companies here in Qatar.

Anyway, here’s a breakdown of basic cost of living in Qatar. This is the basic cost of living. Some can afford to spend 3 times this amount while others have smaller budgets than this.
 

Housing (2-3) bedrooms:  QR3500-QR6500
Newly-built flats are more expensive than older flats. You can get older flats for 3500++

Food: QR1500 -2500++
I have a 3 year old kid that doesn’t consume that much so our budget is only QR1500 plus we eat out a lot. I know other families of 4 that have a budget of 3000 for food alone.

Bills: electricity & water - 100-150
          Mobile - 100
          Landline - 30
          ADSL – 200

Transportation: Car rental: QR1650
                             Gas:   150-200

Philippine School (400++ x 2) : 800++

Minimum cost of living expenses is QR8030. That is if you live in a QR3500 flat, rent a car monthly and have ADSL connection at home. That doesn’t include furnishing of your flat yet and hoping that WOQOD gives out at least QR20,000 as a one time furnishing allowance. Housing cost has a lot to do with your budget as well as transportation. If you find a 3 bedroom spacious flat, you can probably have someone rent it out to share the cost of the flat with you.

If WOQOD let’s you get a car loan with free interest, then that is better than renting a car.  You would be paying at least QR1000/month for the loaned car and be saving at least QR400-500. If going for public transportation, you may be able to arrange for a taxi to take you to and from work for QR30/day which makes up your QR600/month. If you look at my previous posts about groceries, you can probably calculate the cost of each item and compare it to your budget in the Philippines.

Going back to your question of living a decent life in Qatar while being able to save, it depends on how much you’re earning in the Philippines, what are your spending costs there and how much are your saving. Once you come here, you have 3 months to see how the situation is and then probably decide on what steps to take next.