Where is the best place to live in Bahrain?

This is probably the most commonly asked question in the forum. There are many different areas to live in Bahrain and each one of them suits to a different lifestyle. It is best to think whether you would like to be close to your office, the causeway to Saudi or close to all pubs and bars, or something else, and then make your house-hunting based on that. Below are some of the most popular places chosen by expats and their reasons of choosing these places?

Amwaj Islands: Located in the north-east of Bahrain, in Muharraq area, very close to the Airport. Amwaj Islands consists of a number of man-made islands. If you want to be close to the beach and enjoy living as part of a mostly western https://www.expat.community, then Amwaj Islands are for you. Amwaj is also great if you have dogs as they can play on the beach (clean up their mess) and the properties have gardens.In addition to residential areas, Amwaj Islands include number of bars and an up-market grocery store (Waitrose). The rents here are above average. If you are planning to live in Bahrain and work in Saudi Arabia (as most expats do), this place is not for you as it is right at the opposite end of Bahrain (Saudi Arabia is connected to the north-west border of Bahrain by a bridge).

Juffair / Adliya: These 2 places are located in the east of Bahrain and again, mostly occupied by expats. Juffair has more people from the United States while Adliya has more people from the United Kingdom and this has an impact on the culture of both areas. Juffair has the largest United States navy-base in the region. Both Juffair and Adliya has huge number of cafes, bars and restaurants. If you have an active lifestyle and you enjoy going out late in the evening, visiting bars and clubs and enjoy eating out, then these places are for you. The rents in Juffair and Adliya are relatively cheap compared to Amwaj Islands and Seef.

Seef / Reef Island: Seef and nearby Reef Island are one of the latest developments in Bahrain. Mostly consists of tower blocks and skyscrapers, these areas are targeting the high-earners of Bahrain. Some of the known buildings in Seef are Era Tower (the tallest building in Bahrain, residential building made of 50 floors), Abraj Lulu (3 residential towers facing each other), Ritz Carlton hotel and its compound, and the 2 biggest shopping malls (Bahrain City Centre mall and Seef Mall) in Bahrain. Seef used to house the iconic Pearl Roundabout where the centre of uprising and protests happened in 2011. Abraj Lulu towers were once the most expensive buildings in Bahrain but the impact of the protests (which happened right next to these towers, on Pearl Roundabout) can be seen in the rental prices on Abraj Lulu towers. Still, Seef has one of the most expensive rental market in Bahrain, a typical one bedroom flat will cost you somewhere between 450 - 550 and a 2 bedroom flat between 600 - 800 BD, depending on the building you choose to live.

Saar: Saar is close to the Saudi Causeway and is a lovely area to live. The community is very mixed, made up of English, American, Indian and Pakistani. The properties are also varied ranging from huge private villa's to small one bedroom flats. The rent in Saar is very reasonable.

Saar cinema is the centre of the community and plays films in many languages and with subtitles.

Saar has 2 Expat clubs, The Dilmun Club and for the families who love their sports Saar also has the Rugby Football Club. In addition Saar also has many gyms, a dance school and numerous ladies salons.

Written by brightonguy and Josnuggles.