Our living expense plays a big role to know our savings capacity. I believe that you already encounter some people who are earning less but yet they have a lot of savings and on the other hand, there are some who are earning more but yet keep borrowing money from others. With this, you can see how lifestyle affects significantly in one’s life. Given the opportunity to work overseas where they offer a benefit package of accommodation, food, transportation and uniforms I grab that chance even the basic salary is quite low and far from others expectation. As a fresh graduate, of course I know that I need to look first for quality experience rather than big salary. That’s what I have in mind while getting the first opportunity I had in Qatar. Rather than looking in that negative aspect of the offer, I divert my mind on what else it offers which are skills, experience, knowledge and quality of life. In this blog, I will be sharing my personal living expense in my six years working here in Qatar. Since the economy is changing from time to time and our needs differs from each other, expect that my way of living will not be ideal for some. Despite of this, I’ll be sharing you my experiences so that you can get an idea before moving here.
Before we go on with common things that you need to spend on while you’re here in Qatar, let’s just have first some brief background about the living expense in this country. As a Filipino, I can say that the living expense here is much higher compare to Philippines. Like for example, if I’ll be hanging out with my friend on a budget friendly manner, I need to have at least 100 Qar with me. The breakdown of it would be, half of it will be for transportation (maximum) while the rest are for the meals (fast-food/cafeteria/Food stalls). Using that same amount in Philippines which is equal to more or less P1500.00, you can choose to have a buffet meal in a good restaurant or spend that amount hanging out the whole day! That’s why the strategy here of most Filipino’s are not to convert all the amount they see here in Qatar in order for them not to feel bad in buying something. To give you an exact example, the cheapest buffet that me and my partner usually go cost P1335.00/pax while in my country, you can have a buffet meal which only cost P400.00 or even less! Well, everything actually depends on the country’s economy and average income. For us, everything will be expensive but for the locals, this is pretty cheap already for them. I know some who are spending a minimum of 1000 solely for grocery and foods even if their alone here, and compare to my average expense, it is not even a half of it!
Well, like what I mentioned here in this blog, everything will be depending in one’s lifestyle. Whether you are single or not, if you prefer to spend more than you’re allowed to, then most probably you’ll end up saving less or worst part is nothing. That’s why, whenever I meet my fellow Filipino’s who are bread winner of the family, most common thing that they feel bad about is that, they can’t save anything despite of working here in Qatar for quite some time. Their situation restricts them to save up for their own selves because the responsibility is there already. I even knew some of them who are still single but yet carry the responsibility of providing educational assistance to their relatives. Although it was their own decision to do so, I still remind them to at least save something for their own in case of any emergency that may happen to them. That’s why, if you’ll come across with Filipino’s here in Qatar, some of them spent more than a decade here in this country already. This just simply shows how working in Qatar can become a great choice for those who are bread winner or who have family to support to. If you are looking for experience, you can simply start here and move forward to another country.
In this blog, I will state the range of living expense here in Qatar based on my personal experience. I categorized it to Food, Utilities, Grocery, Dine Out and adventures so that you can get an idea how much you need to have for those specific needs.
FOOD ALLOWANCE
Since Qatar is mostly dessert like other middle eastern countries, you’ll expect that most goods are imported from different countries such as India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Turkey, Germany, Philippines and many more. In terms of meat, Qatar mostly imports it from Australia, Spain, Tanzania, Africa etc. Although most of food items are imported, there are still food ingredients that are locally grown here in this country. That’s why you’ll see chicken. camel and lamb farm scattered in the region and some private farms handled by some rich household. If you’re single but loves to cook your own meal, you can have more or less 400 Qar monthly for all of your food expense. This is actually my first budget before and I can say that it is more than enough for me. I started to cut in half last 2021 when I started saving for my business fund. Despite of this, the food that the company provided helped me to get through with this budget. Since I’m also a small eater, eating just an oatmeal at night is ok with me. For you, if you’ll be offered a good salary, then you can have more freedom to adjust your budget for your food. To give you an idea on some of the cost of some basic items, here are the following:
1. Food Essentials. Your food expense will mostly depend on your eating routine. If your company offers food during your work house, then probably you just need to buy items during your off day. Here are some basic items with its price which can serve as your reference:
- Vegetables – .50 – 5 qar/Kilo
- Oil- 15.00-25.00 Qar/ bottle
- Poultry – 8.00-35.00 Qar/ part & kg
- Red Meat 30.00-110.00 Qar/ part & kg
- Eggs- 5.00-23.00 Qar/ 6 Pcs to 30 Pcs
- Milk- 1.50 – 18.00/ 200 ml to 1.75 L
2. LPG. In terms of gas for cooking, it is quite cheap if you already have the cylinder. You’ll just simply ask for a refill which cost a minimum of 8 Qar for 6 kg and 15 Qar for 12 kg. Actually, there are some companies that offers a free refill of LPG for all of their staffs. I experienced that on my third company and it greatly helped us in saving money.
3. Water. Water here in Qatar is quite pricey than the LPG. It is actually opposite to my country Philippines. If you’ll going out, the usual price of one bottle is at least 2 qar. If you’ll buy a gallon, the price of it will range from 15 Qar to 28 Qar.
4. Others. For some items like butter, ice creams, canned goods, frozen items, chips etc. that are not included here in this list, you at least have a minimum of 50 Qar budget for it.
If you are a home buddy then having a fixed budget for your food is a must for you. If 200 qar is more than enough for me, it is because I usually prepare meals during my day off only. If you’ll prefer to cook meals everyday then you need to have atleast a budget of 500 Qar to 1000 Qar depending on the meals that you prefer. If your company will provide you meals, then you will just prepare one meal for each day which will make this budget more than enough for you. Remember that this is only the expenditures that you may encounter in terms of your food concerns. There are still some that you need to consider which will be tackled next.
UTILITIES
In any household, budget for utilities is necessary. Even in my country Philippines, almost half of our expense goes to our utilities. Here in Qatar, it will be depending on your benefit package. There are some companies which will offer accommodation for expats and electricity and water supply are already included. There are even companies which also offers staffs transportation, Internet in the accommodation and work place and even company phone with data and local minutes. If your target is to have these benefit, you need to have a certain position at first like supervisory or higher. In a case that you’re give a living allowance, some real estate properties offer a package where electricity and water supply is included for your monthly payment. The range of an apartment here in Qatar will be around 1500 Qar (cheapest) – 15,000 qar (high-end). If they will give you around 3000+ qar living allowance then you’ll expect to have a decent choice from that amount if you’re single. To give you an idea of how much the cost of each utility per month, her are the following:
1. Electricity & Water Supply. On average, you can expect to pay around 200 qar – 500 qar for a one-bedroom house or a studio type. The amount will vary in terms of season like summer season where cooling equipment will be used most of the time. Other than that, it may still be higher if you’ll be with your family or your friends.
2. Transportation. If you have your own car, fuel price will cost you around a minimum of 2 Qar for 7 Gallon. If you’ll have a company benefit of transportation covered from workplace to your accommodation, then you will only set aside an amount for your leisure transportation. For Uber/Taxi, the starting amount you need to pay is around 10 qar. If you’ll use the metro station, you only need to pay 2 qar for one trip and 6 qar for unlimited whole day trip. That’s why It is ideal to find an apartment closed to metro station so you will save more rather than using uber/taxi.
3. Internet. Some company offers free internet connection on top of your accommodation benefit. If not, you have an option to get it based on what you prefer. The minimum amount for internet connection at home is around 250 Qar/month up to 4,875 Qar /Month. In my opinion, if you spend most of your days at work and stays at your home only to rest, then you can simply just purchase a mobile data plan which is a lot cheaper than this.
3. Mobile Data. Just this year I purchased a plan for myself since I found it more comfortable to have one especially in terms of emergency situation which I need to check something online. Especially for me, I tend to get lost easily so I need to check every now and then where I am. If you plan to get a mobile date package, you can avail it for as low as 30 Qar – 300 Qar depending on the local data you prefer.
Since these above are considered essential, it is important to get to know the budget that you need to have if you decided to stay here in Qatar for quite some time. Just make sure that you’ll prioritized what you really need and adjust your budget accordingly. Since these are all expense, it is your responsibility to balance it.
GROCERY
When it comes to grocery items, 200 qar budget is more than enough for me. This will include everything such as bathroom items, laundry detergents, perfumes, etc. Just to give you an idea, all make up items here are quite expensive. That’s why I rarely buy items here in Qatar and whenever I go for vacation, that’s the time that I’ll buy make up good for the whole year. If you used make-up most of the time, then probably you need to have at least a separate budget for it. To give you an example, mascara here cost around 75 qar/piece, lipstick cost 35 qar/piece and foundation cost around 50 qar/piece. Compare to your needs like foods and utilities, these items are quite expensive already. One factor why most of cosmetics here in Qatar are expensive is that, only well-known brands are the ones which have outlets here. Compare to my country where there’s a lot of options since there’s a local brand which is quite cheaper than the rest, here are only limited to well known brands. If the prices are ok for you, you still have an option to check other store which offers quite cheap makeup items. Mostly you can find it local Filipino stores like in Souq and Al Sadd Area.
1. Monthly Self Essentials. For your monthly essentials, most of the items will vary according to what you usually used. For ladies, it is already given that they will have additional items compare to men. That’s why they mostly spend more than them because of these added things which men rarely used! Well, that’s just makes us woman anyway and as long we can afford it then why not? To give you a quick idea on some items prices here are the following:
- Shampoo – 12.00 – 50.00 Qar/bottle
- Conditioner- 12.00 – 50.00 Qar/bottle
- Soap – 3.00-35.00 Qar/pc or dozen
- Alcohol 11.00-15.00 Qar/ bottle
- Lotion- 9.00-26.00 Qar/ bottle
- Powder- 5.00 – 20.00/ pc or dozen
2. Laundry Items. For detergents, the minimum weight they sell is 1 kg. I usually by around 5-10 kg and that will be good for 1-2 months already. There are also a lot of options you can choose from powder, liquid and capsules. The price will range from 11 Qar to 120 Qar. They also offer sale items in which you can buy it in a cheaper price.
3. Others. For other items not included here, you can secure around 100+ Qar depending on what you still plan to buy. If you’re on a tight budget, you can shop during sale period so you can save more money from discounted price.
DINE OUT
Of course, not all the time you’ll cook food for yourself. There will also be a time when you need to hang out and enjoy this country. With the unlimited dining choices here, you will surely find what’s best for you. During my six years here in Qatar, I fell in love to their middle eastern cuisines. From their staple foods like hummus, moutable, babaganoush and to their grilled items like shish tawook and kebab, everything became one of the highlights of my stay here in this country. In this period, I took the chance to savor all the dining offers from hotels, restaurant and food stalls. Some are quite expensive while some are quite cheaper. Even for us Filipino’s, a lot of hotels are offering Filipino cuisines day to cater all the expats staying in this country. So if you tend to go for something familiar to your taste then, you don’t need to worry because you will have a lot of options here. Now, here are some prices that you can check before deciding on where to eat during your stay here:
1. Ala Carte/Buffet Hotel Restaurant. Any dining options located in a hotel; you’ll expect that it will be quite pricey compare to other restaurants. In this option, you need to have at least 150 Qar to 750 Qar depending if you want to have additional specific beverage on that package. During weekend, they will offer expensive rate so if you’re on a budget and want to enjoy hotel restaurants, you can simply go for weekdays brunch or ala carte. They actually offer a lot of dining options such as BBQ night, Seafood night, Ladies night, Filipino Night etc. You just need to make research on options that will be fit on your budget.
2. Ala Carte/Buffet Regular Restaurant. If hotel options are quite high for you, then you can go for different restaurant which offers budget friendly buffet. Based on my research, you can avail a buffet mean for as low as 40 qar-100 qar! Since this is cheaper than the hotel restaurants, expect that it will be jampacked with people who prefer budgeted buffet options. You’ll commonly find these restaurants in Al Sadd area.
3. Café. You’ll find a café anywhere here in Doha. Whether it’s high end or a budget one, you have an array of options to choose from. For as low as 3 Qar, you can have your Karak tea already. For Coffee and tea shops, the prices will range from 20 Qar – 50+Qar.
4. Food Stalls. Due to the FIFA world cup, there’s a lot of food stalls recently opened. Because of this, everyone can choose a lot of different option anywhere they are in Doha. You can easily have it using drive thru or walk in. The price will be depending on the stall you prefer, but let’s just say 50 qar is more than enough to secure you a meal and a drink.
Even if you’re on a tight budget, you can still have a chance to enjoy eating foods outside once in a while. Don’t restrict yourself because as long as you stay here, you need to make most out of the whole experience. Try something new like once in a month. It will be more than enough. If you’ll go to Souq, there’s a lot of cheap options there which you can enjoy. Other than that, you’ll also have an opportunity to learn their cuisines and discover their rich culture.
ADVENTURES
If you’re an adventure seeker, you will find a lot of activities here in this country. You just need to research on it based on what you prefer. During peak season which is October-March, the price will be quite higher due to the volume of customers. If you want to avail something and secure a reservation, it is much better to book at least two weeks in advance. Most of the adventures that you’ll find here in this country are more on sea activities (scuba diving, kayaking. Jetski, whale watching, city tour by boat, yatch, etc.) and dessert activities (safari tour, in land sea, night in the dessert, Camel ride etc.). Other than that, you can also book a tour in any place you’re interested with. If you’re on a budget, I can advise to have group booking so you can lower down the price.
1. Museum. Some museums here in Qatar are free for Qatar Id Holders. During the pandemic, they made a rule of booking in advance so they can regulate the visitors they’ll be having to practice social distancing. Last November 2022, it was announced that all museums in Qatar will be free for all the residents in Qatar. You just need to present your ID and you can now enjoy all the great offers of each museum. During my six years here, I am happy that I was able to come in Qatar Museum and Museum of Islamic Art. It was a very enjoyable experience before I officially end my adventure here in this country. If you’ll be a resident here in Qatar, rest assured that you will enjoy these perks as well.
2. Other Tours. If you prefer to go in depth information with this country, you can avail different tours offered by different travel agencies here in Qatar. You can choose from group tour package or a private one with your whole family or friends. For now, because of FIFA, the rates are quite expensive which is around 800 Qar -1100 Qar. Some of the packages offered are good for two so you just simply divide the whole price to both of you.
3. Sports & Gym. Sports membership here in Qatar varies in the specific program, company and location. For a month gym membership, the rate will be around 800-1500 qar with a coach that will guide and give you a specific fitness routine. There are times that they will go on sale so you can just check their websites every now and then so you can avail a good discount.
To give you ideas some of the tour package offers here, you can the following websites below:
Living in another country will surely be a very challenging yet fun experience. With the use of digital world, you can simply get the information that you need unlike before wherein you will be very clueless about it. Just like my own experience, I failed to have my research and because of that, it became a big adjustment for me when I first arrived here. Now that I got a chance to checked some information online, I feel like it is too vague and there’s no specific information or guide for expat (OFW). That’s why I ended up working on a blog which tells my personal experience during my stay here in this country. To conclude everything, one’s expense will be depending on one’s lifestyle. If you’re a fresh graduate who look for career growth in this country, you need to start as early as possible in managing your finances. Don’t be overwhelm on what package or benefit that you were offered, rather take that opportunity to gain experiences and at the same time investment during your stay here. Once you’re here, you will realize how fast the time here. That’s why you need to make most out of your day and set target before your career even started.
Although you will have a lot of options in any country that you prefer, I can say that living here in Qatar is suitable for those who aim for career growth and savings. With this guide that I shared in this blog, I hope that it can help you in your worries. To end this blog, I will share some personal advice for you which I learned during my stay here in Qatar:
1. By setting your target and priorities before you start your life here in Qatar, you’ll be able to save a lot of time.
2. You’ll be living in a fast-paced environment, one day you start here, the next day you’ll realized that you worked for so many years already. That’s why it is important to assess your progress every year so you can make sure that you’re on the right path towards your goals.
3. You will meet a lot of people that you’ll learn a lot from. Whether it’s negative nor positive, you need to keep in mind that everyone you meet plays a role in your life. It will help you to be stronger and more powerful version of yourself.
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livingherownlife.wordpress.com 
This is a very comprehensive posts that will help people considering to move to Qatar!
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Thank you. After reading expat stories online, it inspired to do the same as well.
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