Living in Qatar

Doha, Qatar’s capital city and financial and business centre, has been experiencing relatively strong residential demand for housing, fuelled by the continuing inflow of expatriates as the economy continues to grow.  Several major housing developments have been completed in recent years, including the first phase of Pearl Qatar (www.thepearlqatar.com) in 2009, an artificial island spanning nearly 4 million square metres with up to 15,000 dwellings which represents the first land in Qatar to be available for freehold ownership by foreign nationals.  In addition construction is on-going at Lusail (www.lusail.com), the newest planned city in Qatar, which will provide accommodation for up to 250,000 people.   Further residential development for both sale and rent is expected to keep pace with demand in the coming years.

Qatar offers state-of-the-art healthcare and is the lowest cost when compared to nine other international financial centres including UAE, Dublin, Singapore, Hong Kong, New York and London (Economist Intelligence Unit estimates for 2009 and 2008).   In response to increasing demand from expatriates, three significant healthcare projects are currently underway; The Hamad Medical City project, which will be the second largest healthcare centre in the region with a capacity of 1,500 beds; The cardiology Hospital with 110 beds and an e-Health programme that will connect all public and private health facilities in the country.

As prescribed by the National Vision, the education system is a priority for Qatar, which has been investing significantly in upgrading its primary and secondary schools to deliver one of the world’s best and most modern educational systems.  Education is mostly subsidised by the government with scholarships available for non-Qataris and Qataris.  There is a good choice of international educational facilities in Doha, comprising international, American, French, English and private schools offering all levels of education to a high standard.   In terms of higher education, Education City on the outskirts of Doha is being developed to provide a world class campus environment for leading international educational establishments.  Already branches of six US universities including Carnegie Mellon, Georgetown, Northwestern, Texas A&M, Virginia Commonweath and Weil Cornell have been established there offering graduate and undergraduate courses, while University College London (UCL) is due to set up a branch campus in 2011.  Education City is also home to the Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP) which has attracted a host of international companies including EADS, ExxonMobil Corporation, Microsoft, Royal Dutch Shell, Rolls Royce and Total.

IN THIS SECTION: