Andrew,

The cost of living in the Middle East depends on your origin. For example, if you are from Europe, your living costs would be double your asian counterparts. That principle applies to your pay, too - you would be getting paid double what your asian counterparts would be getting.

Here are a few general costs in Duabi for your reference (Note - All costs are in AED) -

1. 1-Bedroom flat : 2000-2500 p.m.
2. Water/Electricity : 300-400 p.m.
3. Fuel (Petrol for your Car) : 300-350 p.m.
4.a) Food (if you are cooking, includes groceries) : 800-900 p.m.
4.b) Food (if you are eating outside) : 1000-1500 p.m.
5. Clothing (depends on the frequency of purchase) : Approx. 500 p.m.
6. Telecommunication / Internet : Approx. 500 p.m.
7. Entertaintment - TV (Cable) : 200 p.m.
8. Entertaintment - Movie : 20-50 per head per movie
9. Gym : 200 p.m.
10. Club : 500 p.m.
11. Beer : 20-25 per lager
12. Car Saloon/Sedan (Good 2nd hand Toyota/Nissan/Honda/BMW/Mitsubishi/Merc) : 15,000-20,000 per no. (Excl. Insurance, Registration, etc.)
13. Medical : (Depends on how fit you are!) (Consultation Fees - Approx. 50-75 per time; Medicines, general - 200 per time)
14. Return Air Tickets : 3000-4000 per no.
15. No Taxes!!

I hope the above is useful to you.

Rgds.

This is an interesting subject as salaries/benifits/working conditions are all relevant.

I have often considered working in the Gulf area but have been unable to establish how living costs compare with UK.

Can other PP members advise
1. What living costs are usually encountered with Rent free furnished accommodation.
2. How much would someone living Batch status expect to pay for socila and recreational activities.
3. General living costs food etc.

Regards
Andy

Hi there,
I have recently returned from Qatar which is just east of Bahrain, and have not experienced any problems. I also know quite a few people that have worked in Bahrain, all of who said it was very nice. I have not heard of any problems there.

As a matter of interest, there is a lot of Aussies in Qatar, and even an Aussie Pub in one of the Doha hotels. Further the second Bahrain F1 Grand Prix was recently held in Bahrain. The only thing is the heat, especially from May to Oct, but this is taken care of by all buildings being air conditoned.

Regards,

Since you mentioned KBR and ABB, these are companies together with Fluor, Parsons, Perini, Contract, WGI,working with reconstruction efforts in the Middle East. Usually these companies are working with USA DoD, USAID, or USACE. Salaries paid are within the market average us$40-50/Hr, however due to the critical security conditions in some countries (Afeganistan, Iraq)they pay a 50% uplift (war risk) plus 20 to 40hr overtime per week. Usually you go home every 120 days. Short term assignments are Ok but long term ones can really blow your head off.

Brennan,

Daya is right, in the vast majority of cases reports of unrest have been blown up out of all proportion by newspapers eager to increase their circulation.

If you are at all worried about taking a job in the Middle East, contact your Consul in the area you are considering. You will get impartial advice and an objective assessment of the situation.

You can then make your decision based on facts and not newspaper hype.

Chris Oggham