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Britons beginning new lives in
Qatar
have been raving about the savings they are making – as figures suggest it compares favourably to neighbour and rival Dubai.
New arrivals in the income tax-free Middle Eastern state have been itemising their bargain bills online – with teachers said to be among those best placed to cash in.
Now MailOnline has analysed the
cost of living
, pitting
London
against not only Qatar’s capital Doha but also nearby Dubai in the United Arab Emirates which has recently seen
an apparent exodus of UK expats
.
It comes after
MailOnline revealed how increasing numbers of young people have not only been moving over there
, most often settling in Doha, but also enthusiastically sharing their experiences online.
TikTok
videos celebrate the attractions of a nation with a population of 2.6million, just 313,000 of whom are Qatari citizens – at a time when Britons have also been talking about falling out of love with nearby
Dubai
.
British nationals are estimated to number about 20,000 in Qatar, with the majority of the country’s intake being expats or migrant workers from
Asia
.
Human rights groups have been among many raising the alert about Qatar’s treatment of impoverished arrivals from developing countries, who can find themselves tied to employers while subsisting on meagre wages.
But pro-Qatar messaging seems to have helped recruit workers from the UK such as teachers, fashion designers and IT experts.
As well as the tax-free lifestyle, boons promoted include lower property and consumer prices plus ‘amazing healthcare’.
Among the teachers outlining online the advantages of moving to Qatar is TikTok user Sufiyan Sidat, who posts to almost 2,500 followers under the name
@sidxtofficial
.
One of his videos explains how he and his partner spend just £939 a month on expenses, including £313 on groceries, £209 on eating out, the same amount on entertainment, plus £105 apiece on petrol and going to the gym.
Teachers are among the professions who can have their accommodation costs covered by employers.
Mr Sidat’s calculations have suggested that those not eligible for such financial support could typically expect to spend £2,712 per month living in Qatar.
He described his monthly outgoings of £939 as helping provide ‘a very comfortable lifestyle for two of us’.
He has also shared a video
comparing the rival attractions of Qatar and Dubai
– hailing the former as best in the categories ‘low cost of living’, ‘family friendly’, ‘cheap cars and maintenance’ and ‘less traffic’.
He does, however, praise Dubai as being better when it comes to the job market, entertainment plus investment and business.
Another TikTok user has advised viewers on
what £25,000 – or 115,000 Qatari riyals – could buy them
, highlighting value options in the Middle Eastern state.
The TikToker known as
@Mandaxuk
gave examples such as four or five months’ rent in a luxury two-bedroom apartment or a year in a studio at the Al Muntazah Plaza Hotel.
Also touted were second-hand cars such as a 2025 Toyota Camry or a 2013 Mercedes C-Class, as well as annual gym membership and ‘year-round access to luxury hotel beach clubs’.
Meanwhile, fellow TikToker named Destiny, posting as
Dest.lv
, shared
footage of deluxe apartments in Qatar she scouted
on a monthly rental budget of 8,500 Qatari riyals, or £1,800.
She said of one flat within a hotel: ‘I really love the amenities of this place – the gym was huge and it had a beautiful view.’
The posts about spending in the state come as the cost of living in Britain was
discovered to be 34.2 per cent higher than in Qatar, with restaurant prices more expensive by 48 per cent and grocery costs by 41.5 per cent.
Qatar – which was a UK protectorate between 1916 and independence in 1971 – is seven hours away by plane.
Air fares available online currently starting from £122 for one-way flights and £251 for a round trip.
Data from the crowdsourced database Numbeo suggests a three-course meal for two people at a mid-range restaurant is £80 in London
compared to £37.16 in Doha – which is cheaper than the equivalent cost of £57 in neighbouring Dubai
.
An imported 330ml beer is better value in London, at an average of £6 compared to £8.26 in Doha – though a cappuccino is £4 in the UK capital against £3.78 in Qatar’s.
A McDonald’s meal also comes in cheaper in the Middle East, charged at £8 in London but just £5.16 in Doha.
Water and energy utility bills amount to a monthly average of £69.04 in Doha, down from London’s £233.10 – but equivalent internet charges are higher in Qatar, at £65.11 rather than £31.64.
Kitting yourself out in clothes can also see a pair of jeans almost half the UK price in Qatar.
While the price per square metre when buying a city centre apartment in Doha is less than a quarter of options in London, analysts suggested.
MailOnline previously told in March how
doctors have been spearheading an exodus from the NHS in the UK to Dubai
, capital of Qatar’s neighbour and rival the United Arab Emirates.
They have been able to
enjoy tax-free bumper pay packets, while also showing off their new lives on TikTok – y
et other social media posters have also been
talking of moving back to the UK
in the face of such benefits.
Similar income tax-free living is proving a lure towards Doha, along with the lower prices on some goods – all while soaked in sun, with conditions often hitting 45C.
Among those rallying enthusiasm for living in Qatar after moving from London is a teacher and TikTok user using the name
Iqra Inspire
.
One video shared online to her 4,400 followers describes both advantages and disadvantages of her Doha discoveries, titled: ‘Five things that shocked me about Qatar as a British expat.’
In the 49-second clip, she begins by praising the country’s ‘cleanliness’ – including footage of public toilets in Qatar while remarking: ‘How gorgeous are they? I could actually live here, absolutely no problem.’
Iqra goes on to talk about what she calls the ‘extreme, extreme heat’, adding: ‘
Now, I know it is hot here, but I didn’t think it would hit over 50 degrees.
‘Like, you can’t go out without getting heatstroke. Stay at home and literally don’t go anywhere.’
But she expands on the apparent benefits of life in Qatar, continuing by telling viewers: ‘Now we come to my favourite thing, which is the safety – people literally leave their laptops, their phones out.
‘They don’t lock their cars, their houses, the designer bags absolutely everywhere – it’s just, like, so non-violent here, it’s crazy.
‘Then obviously the price of groceries is something that still shocks me – £10 for berries? I will never get used to this.
‘Then we have the insane luxury architecture everywhere you go – it gets me every time.
‘It’s not just hotels – it’s malls, offices, mosques, just everything around you.’
When asked by one follower whether it was ‘easy’ moving from the UK to Dubai, she replied: ‘It takes time to settle for sure but Alhumdullilah [Arabic for ‘praise be to God’] it’s totally worth it.’
MailOnline
revealed last June how British teachers were quitting their jobs in droves
and moving abroad, enjoying less stress, more money and better lifestyles.
Social media has been awash with images of teachers showing exotic lifestyles in Dubai and across the Middle East, as well as in the Far East and Australia.
Meanwhile, back in the UK, the number and rate of teacher vacancies reached its highest level since 2010 when comparable records begin –
hitting
2,800 in November 2023, or six empty posts per 1,000 teachers in service.
People working in other professions are also being tempted by Qatar, other social media users are suggesting.
Another Brit abroad is a TikToker using the profile name
AngInQatar
, whose profile is headed with the words: ‘The Diary of a London Babe Living in Qatar.’
She has told her 2,850 followers on the site of feeling ‘so grateful’ for making the move, with one video describing what she called ‘Things I’ve discovered since relocating to Qatar from the UK three years ago’.
The social media poster
said: ‘Can you tell Qatar is my fave place on earth?
Moving here three years ago was the best decision I ever made. It took a minute to adjust but, once I did, I’ve never been happier.
‘When you live here you’ll experience extremely cold weather but when you tell people back home the temperature, they’ll think you’re exaggerating about it being cold.
‘I’m talking outdoor fireplaces and blankets and restaurants when its 25 degrees Celsius and we’re still shivering. You’ll only understand if you live here.’
She went on to explain the financial benefits proving an attraction, assuring viewers: ‘There is no income tax, meaning what you earn, you get to take home.
‘On top of that, many employers will also cover accommodation and utility bills, transport, food and health insurance – more disposable income to do the things you want, rather than the majority of it going on housing.’
She also offered advice, including how new arrivals might find adjusting to a new place ‘lonely and isolating’ while urging them to ‘allow
friendships to develop organically and do not force them’.
The TikToker also raved about public transport being ‘so cheap’ and getting around ‘so easy’, with Uber rides of up to 10 minutes costing £2 or £3, while a day pass on the Doha Metro rapid transit system ‘costs the equivalent of £1.50’.
But she also acclaimed the environmental factors too, saying: ‘
Living by the water is so soothing for my soul.
‘There is honestly nowhere I’d rather be. If I could teleport my entire family and friends to Qatar, the UK would never see me again.
‘I know it sounds cheesy, but it dawned on me while looking at the stars here that I don’t remember the last time I saw a star in the UK.
‘Being here I actually look at the sky and appreciate the sun, the moon and the stars.’
Another British TikToker now based in Qatar, posting under the profile name
Thisisrobynmarie
, is a corporate fashion designer with more than 4,100 followers.
She has shared footage of the scenes surrounding her, with captions such as: ‘POV [point of view]. You left the UK to live in Qatar. Now this is what life looks like.’
In response to a commenter who noted some people’s scepticism about life in Qatar, she posted: ‘I’m hoping my content will change those views on Qatar – it’s a beautiful place with beautiful people.’
And when another raised concerns about air quality, she replied: ‘There is a lot of sand and dust in the air, I agree, but much better than the pollution in London.’
Qatar faced criticism ahead of staging the 2022 World Cup after being granted hosting rights by football’s world governing body FIFA back in 2010.
Research ahead of the tournament found that 6,500 migrant workers had been killed in the Gulf state since it won the right to host the finals.
An Amnesty International report highlighted unsafe conditions for those building stadiums and infrastructure.
Campaigners also challenged progress on promises to abolish the kafala system restricting migrant workers from leaving the country or changing jobs without their employer’s permission.
Ex-Manchester United and England defender Gary Neville, now a TV pundit, has been outspoken on the poor conditions for and deaths of migrant workers building the Qatar World Cup infrastructure, the lack of women’s rights and the nation’s human rights record.
Neville, who worked for Qatari broadcaster beIN SPORTS during the 2022 finals, has been accused of hypocrisy – but
insisted he did ‘not feel conflicted’
about going to the tournament.
He said at the time: ‘In the last few weeks that’s come under huge scrutiny. I accept that position because I’m there to be shot at, and people have criticised me heavily as well as our colleagues over on the BBC who were yesterday.
‘The reality of it is, my view on it quite simply is that I detest workers’ rights abuses, I hate the idea of people not being paid enough money, working in poor conditions, the idea of people not having good accommodation. The women’s rights and human rights abuses. I can’t stand it.
‘But I also have relationships with people in this part of the world and have done for many many years. Those relationships are long standing in our country.
‘The fact that we buy most of our energy from the Middle East, that they own our banks, and the Royal Family have relationships with the Middle East – both sporting and charitable.
‘You think our government and political parties have relationships with the Middle East. They own London Heathrow airport, they own the London Stock Exchange.
‘It’s football that’s brought the scrutiny and football tournaments that have brought the scrutiny on issues that exist in these parts of the world.’
Meanwhile, his former Red Devils and Three Lions team-mate David Beckham
defended his role as ambassador for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar
, saying that ‘engagement is the only way of making change’.
Beckham, who has been celebrating turning 50 last week, was paid £10million to endorse the global footballing showcase that was won by Lionel Messi’s Argentina.
In an interview with
The Athletic
in June 2023, Beckham said: ‘Anything I go into, I do every kind of check to make sure it is the right thing for me, is the right thing for my business and is the right thing morally.’
His links to the nation started when he joined Paris Saint-Germain in 2013, with the French club helmed by Qatari owners.
Beckham said: ‘I wanted to be involved in the World Cup because I’ve always said this game can change lives, can change people’s perceptions, and when you bring a World Cup into any country, it shines a huge spotlight on issues.
‘I saw that as an opportunity. Firstly, to be involved in another World Cup.
‘Secondly, Qatar is a relatively young country, it’s on a journey and there’s change. What comes with hosting a World Cup brings change.’
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