Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with qatar

working in Qatar for young women

whatzit — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 02:37:13 -0800

Expat life in Doha, Qatar: I am likely to relocate in two weeks to a country I have never been to. My biggest concerns are 1) the work environment in general and specifically for a young American woman trying to get things done in an industrial, engineering position and 2) the social life for said young women, who are used to having a lot of guy friends. I am not concerned about alcohol or pork. I am concerned about the seasons, lots of driving, and being surrounded by people who came to get rich (see threads on the Emirates, e.g.). Based on the responses in other AskMes, I am a bit concerned about boredom.

If there is anything like an (international) community of researchers or graduate students, I do want to know about that.

What do they read with their morning coffee in Qatar?

kjars — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 11:17:47 -0800

What's the paper of record in Qatar? I'm trying to determine which Qatar newspaper is the paper of record in the country. I have a list of four dailies (Al Arab, Al-Raya, Al-Sharq, Al-Watan) and I'm unsure of their respective reputations. Which would be considered the New York Times or Wall Street Journal of Qatar, so to speak?

As a bonus, any information on the English-language publications' reputations would be great.

What is the cost of living in Abu Dhabi or Qatar?

thewalrus — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 17:24:37 -0800

What is the cost of living for a single western expatriate in Abu Dhabi (UAE) or Qatar? I have reliable figures on the cost of living in Dubai, which seems to attract the bulk of international attention for native English-language speaking expatriates. However, I'm wondering if anyone has first hand experience with or can point me in the right direction for cost-of-living figures in Abu Dhabi or Qatar. This would be for a relatively modest lifestyle for a single person that is comfortable living in a 650 sq ft 1 bedroom apartment, driving an economy car, etc. Basically the cost of living without taking part in the "bling bling look at me" big-money UAE lifestyle where going to a huge gaudy shopping mall is considered an evening's entertainment. I'm aware that the falling US dollar has caused high inflation in the UAE, which has pegged the Dirham to the USD (15%/year inflation currently...)

I know that the UAE and Qatar have completely different regulations regarding employment/long-term residence visas, a problem that would be taken care of via company sponsorship and an existing process that's in place to handle new hires...

I'm looking for estimates on:
Monthly rent on an average 1BD apartment with a short commute time to the city centre
Electricity / Water / Other utilities
Vehicle registration costs and car insurance, parking permits, etc.
Etisalat/Du residential DSL service.
Food (groceries, relative to North America / European prices?)
Food (mid-range restaurants in Abu Dhabi must be similar to Dubai, right?)

I've also heard the UAE now mandates health insurance for every long term resident western expat, so if anyone could give me an idea of typical monthly costs for basic coverage on a healthy individual, that would also be useful...

Things to do in Doha

oh pollo! — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 03:38:33 -0800

Things to do and see in Doha, Qatar? I'm spending next week in Doha. What should I see or do?

Where in the world should I buy a camera?

MrC — Thu, 20 Jul 2006 20:14:52 -0800

Where is the cheapest place to buy a digital camera? Ebay, London, Dubai, Qatar, or Bangkok I want to buy a Canon EOS 20D, and will be travelling to all of the above in the coming month, I've tried searching online for camera prices but can only find them for London/Ebay. Assuming I don't have to pay VAT (I'm not resident in any of the places listed), where would I get the best deal?