Job Discussion Forums

[moneyoriented]

How would you guys rate the following cities as places to live and work? Please list the good points and the bad points of cities you're familiar with.

How nice are they in general (infrastructure, housing, amenities, etc)?
How friendly to Western expats? How good for working and saving money?

Dubai
Abu Dhabi
Muscat, Oman
Manama, Bahrain
Doha, Qatar
Kuwait City
Riyadh
Jiddah
Others(????)

[denise]

Muscat:

*nice, modern roads (but horrible drivers); constant construction but when each individual project is finished you really notice the improvements

*housing: find an employer that provides it! If they offer you a housing allowance, beware... rents are increasing and allowances may not fully cover the costs.

*amenities: some decent shopping centers, but smallish compared to what you'd expect in a big city; movies; some nice bars; liquor stores if you've got a liquor license or have friends who'll buy for you; pretty beaches and generally pretty scenery--well-kept grounds, flowers and gardens in the traffic circles, etc. (just not much greenery)

*friendly to expats? Well, they're fairly tolerant of western culture as long as you're not blatantly disrespectful. They are chatty and welcoming to tourists, but you're not likely to have many close Omani friends.

*savings--well, so far I've only lived out in small-town Oman, but I was easily able to send home half of my salary every month (over $1200) and still live comfortably, which for me meant weekly trips to Muscat for fun and dining, buying a car, etc. I expect to be able to save the same amount when I move to Muscat later this month.

Some people say that Muscat is expensive. I disagree. Compared to what I would spend in the US for groceries, utilities, restaurants, movies, etc., it's quite a bit cheaper on a similar salary.

I think Muscat is an absolute gem of a city. Adorable!

d

[ntropy]

Doha is a collection of bright, shiny boxes with no soul.

[sheikh radlinrol]

I like Manama. The taxi drivers and even the policeman are friendly. However, I've heard that the Bahraini rulers don't like to be criticized.
I've never been to Muscat but want to go. ''Everybody'' speaks so well of the Omanis. Riyadh is ghastly but not nearly as ugly as Kuwait City, the ugliest city on earth apart from Derby. Dubai is paradise.

[Marcoregano]

[moneyoriented]

[Marcoregano]

Maybe, but from what I've read/seen, Dubai is a @%$#hole!!!

[denise]

[moneyoriented]

Interesting... there's a magazine called Monocle ( http://www.monocle.com/Magazine/volume-02/issue-15/ ), and they have a list of the world's "top 25 liveable cities". None of the Middle Eastern cities made it, but there was a small section where they compared GCC cities, and they said Abu Dhabi was the nicest, because it was well-planned, or whatever, whereas Dubai and Doha were too chaotic, etc.

[kaw]

I have only lived in Muscat and Manama so will do my bit there. As for Dubai - have only been there for shopping trips from another Emirate. I personally don't think Dubai is that great - apart from the shops and the typical 'expat' scene there isn't a great deal to do. I would also imagine that saving money there could be quite difficult as there is a lot to spend it on - especially if you're a woman

Moving on....Manama - I used to describe Bahrain as a whole as being an island made up of shopping malls and building sites. It does however provide a fairly easy lifestyle. Apart from the shopping there are a couple of museums (only made it to 1 of them), a water park......the F1 track if you're into that - and a tree if you're not (for more about the tree do a google search on the tree of life - thrilling) There are also some very very good restaurants. Bad things - taxis - the metered ones get booked up quickly and there are always letters in the local paper about taxi drivers ripping people off.
Nightlife is pretty good - a mix of decidedly seedy bars - a few of the regular Oman/Saudi posters I'm sure could exapnd on and some perfectly ok ones, alcohol can be bought in the few shops that are around with little or no problem.


Muscat is nice - very spread out so a car is essential. I found the Omanis the friendliest people in the Gulf. Some nice places to hang out or whatever. Expat living is pretty easy - with the availability of most things you could want

Think one of the biggest issues these days is the cost of housing in all the places mentioned above - make sure you find a company who provide you with something decent or offer a very large housing allowance (in Bahrain you'd probably looking around 400BD a month for something decent in a nice area).

Suggest you have a look on the individual country forums for more specific info.

[Stephen Jones]

The problem with Dubai is that it is crowded and expensive. If you can live with that, then it wins hands down against all other Gulf cities.

[sharter]

I think a bit of perspective is needed here. No matter where you go in the GCC..i........t's only fun for about a week.

Dubai? You'll have more fun in Doncaster.

[kaw]

But it's much colder and rainier in Doncaster!!!