Is QAR 2500 Monthly Salary in Qatar Enough to Survive?

Let’s say that you have just received a job offer from a company in Qatar. Your future employer is offering a monthly salary of QAR 2,500. Will you take the job?

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Before signing the contract, why not make a budget of your projected expenditures? Then you can compare the expenses with what you will earn. You can then decide if you will take the job offered to you.

Take Note of Expenses

Take Note of Your Expenses

For the working budget of QAR 2500, how will you allocate this to meet your monthly expenses? If your job offer is all in, then you will have to spend on everything including your apartment and transportation.

Here is a typical monthly expense for someone who works in the field:

Meals                                500 QAR

Transportation                  1,100 QAR

Gas                                  250 QAR

House Rent                        800 QAR

Toiletries                           200 QAR

Phone Credit                     100 QAR

Miscellaneous                   100 QAR

Total                             3,050 QAR

From this list, we can see right away that the offer will not be enough to cover the expenses. However, the amount listed here can still be adjusted depending on the preference of the expat. For instance, the meal expenses can be reduced to 300 QAR if there will be no eating out or if the company will provide free lunch. Or cooking expenses can be shared with your other flatmates.

Transportation expenses can also be reduced to about 500 QAR. This can be achieved by taking the bus and Metro. The fares here are lower compared with taking the taxi or limousine. However, the travel time will be a bit longer because they follow a route and a schedule. Be sure to allow longer travel time when taking these.

There are some apartments available for 600 QAR a month. But at times, the Kahramaa and WI-FI bills are not yet included. So while the rent is lower, you will have to allot a budget for these utilities.

Another factor to be considered when looking for a lower-priced apartment is the number of occupants. If you comfortable with sharing the apartment with more people, then this should not be a problem. Make sure to ask if the ventilation and air-conditioning in the apartment work even if it is summer.

Expenses on toiletries and miscellaneous can also be reduced by 50 QAR.  This could work for those who are low maintenance and do not need a lot of accessories. However, for those who need to look good, this might not work.

Phone credits can also be lessened to about 10 QAR if you would like to avail of the WI-FI in the office or at home.

With the adjustment, the monthly expense is now 1,610 QAR. While this might seem enough, you would benefit by setting aside a modest budget for contingencies. Or you could start paying off some loans you took in order to get to Qatar.

In the end, it all depends on whether you would take any job offer and live a frugal lifestyle abroad. Or you could ask for a higher salary and live more comfortably.

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