New in Bahrain

Hi Trancemonk,

Welcome to Expat.com and thanks for the introduction.
Have you tried browsing the other forum topics for answers?

Regards
Armand
Expat.com Team

Hi

Adliya and Juffair do get quite congested at certain hours but new roads are being built to help this.
You haven't said where you will be working so we can't really advise you about other issues.
Hiring a car is much more practical than getting taxi's, but if you don't drive then finding a local driver is a lot cheaper than getting a taxi.

Thank you both. I will be working in Seef and currently do not drive. I have heard many drivers offers monthly taxi fares. Do you think it is a good option to commute?

I think if you are working in Seef then it is best to live in Seef. Some lovely apartment blocks there that you can choose from. You can probably then be able to walk to work and back and then just use taxi's to go out and about

Yeah that was my initial idea as well. Apartments around seef appears to be expensive than the ones in Juffiar. Would you happen to know any good real estate agents?

Hi there Fellow Sri Lankan!

Welcome to Bahrain and to the Forum.

I used to live in Juffair. Traffic in and out of Juffair can be bad at peak times. It also gets congested and noisy in and around "Al Shabab Avenue" a.k.a "American Alley" and "the Food Street". Otherwise, Juffair is a convenient area to live in. Getting from Juffair to Seef shouldn't take you more than 20 minutes in the morning.

Until you get your driving licence sorted out, you will have to use the services of a private taxi. Yes some of them operate on a monthly fare. Avoid the official taxis unless it an emergency. They are a band of thieves and ruffians who try to rob their passengers of a few extra Dinars at every possible opportunity. They pretend to be friendly and straightforward but are dishonest. If you wish to use a more regulated and professional taxi service then use either Speedy Motors or Arabian Taxis.

Apartment prices posted in the Bahrain Property World site are negotiable. In fact, anything in Bahrain is negotiable.

The cost of living topic has been beaten to death over the past few weeks and we listed out all the links here in case you wish to read them at leisure: https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=337348

Once again welcome to Bahrain. Let us know if you have more questions.

I live in Seef and if you are working Seef, then it is absolutely recommended to live in Seef. You will have all the shopping malls and the cinemas you need in Seef. Some high-end restaurants and bars are also located in Seef.

If you want to be in the middle of all other bars and restaurants, then you can look at Juffair or Adliya.

You should expect to pay 550+ for a 2-bed flat in Seef. Or 800+ for 3-bed.

Good luck with your move and let us know how you get on.

Thanks Farhaz and Brightonguy. Yeah I am currently looking for a 1BR apartment in Seef and I can tell you it was very exhaustive. Anything in the range of 300 to 400 would work for me, but so far I haven't had any luck. As all of you suggested Seef would be a better option for me until I get my own vehicle and driving license.

In case if you know any good realtors who could help me out finding an apartment around seef, kindly let me know.

I will also keep you posted if I find anything.

Thanks!

Sanabis is quit different than Seef, but it is just across the highway and cheaper.
Have you checked Abraj Al Lulu? It is a complex of three towers and I think you can find a very nice 1-bed flat there within your budget. It is a nice complex of 3 towers and basically right next to the LuLu Hypermarket.

I lived in Juffair for my first couple of months here and Farhaz is spot on. It is very congested at peak hours and it is very noisy at night (lots of motorcycles and muscle cars). But it s a convenient place to live and at peak hours it usually only took me 20-30 minutes to Seef where I also work. A colleague that doesn't drive lives in Juffair and uses a private driver for the daily commute. I understand on a monthly basis it is a reasonable price.

Good luck.