Moving to Cairo

i couldn't help
but i would say welcome to Egypt

Hi,
I recommend spending few days first exploring by your eyes real sites and locations.
For some help, feel free to reach me.
Dr. IMIG

Hi ,
Well the best places for foreigners to live in are Maadi,Zamalek and the New Cairo area specially if you want a villa with pool.
Maadi and Zamalek are considered to be close to the center of Cairo with easy transportations access whereas the New Cairo area is far but is also well know of having access to shopping malls,restaurant ,school ,etc....That depends if you will have a car with a driver (it's recommended that you don't drive in Cairo ).
Each residential areas are very unique in Cairo . The best thing will be to check your preferences(villa,apartment,area...)through a real estate agency and do your own search on the net .Good luck.

i think it is depend on many things
where is your work and do you like be close to it or not ( we have traffic problem)
do you need quiet place or not
do you need clean air or you can bear the polution
it is many question you have to answer it and then you have to decide
if you need my help don't hesitate to ask me and i will try to do my best
welcome to cairo

Hey Mr. SND
actually my advice u have to choose the area near ur work
since Cairo is one of the hardest cities concerning Transportation
which Area would u be working so i can Recommend an area near u
but in General good places would be Zamaleck, Garden City ,Maadi, 6 October
make sure to negotiate with the landlord especially if u will have a long term contract

oops!
I've just chosen a location really far away from work, but it has a nice atmosphere and I am happy.  My specifications from UK totally changed when I landed and looked around.

You really need to do the leg work yourself to find out how you feel about an area.  I would suggest choosing 3 locations and spending some time in each. You need to know where to go and where the hubs are, otherwise you'll just get lost in a maze of concrete. 

I'm not experienced enough to be able to suggest nice hang out places to investigate, but if you asked around I'm sure you will find loads of advice.

Good luck!

oops!
I've just chosen a location really far away from work, but it has a nice atmosphere and I am happy.  My specifications from UK totally changed when I landed and looked around.

You really need to do the leg work yourself to find out how you feel about an area.  I would suggest choosing 3 locations and spending some time in each. You need to know where to go and where the hubs are, otherwise you'll just get lost in a maze of concrete. 

I'm not experienced enough to be able to suggest nice hang out places to investigate, but if you asked around I'm sure you will find loads of advice.

Good luck!

All,

Many thanks for you responses, it makes us feel right at home already with not even arriving. I took all the tips posted and gathered having something closer to work woudl be better. I've put the work address below.

Km 12, Ain Sokhna Rd.
El Katameya, Cairo

Based on the above address, if you could advise which communities would be closer.

Thanks,
SND

Sorry not too familiar with the area but I heard that al Katameya is also a well-known residential neighbourhood.Try this web site [moderated: no ads for commercial website]. Good luck !

hi
i know the area of Katameya it is very nice high standard residential area and near you have also a nice city where you will find malls and supermarket and a lot of restaurants and shops it is called El rehab city.My husband is working in an international real estate company here in cairo and they have a lot choices of villas in the area of kattameya and their company is located closed to katameya if you are interesting let me know ok.
good luck.Nathalie

naty27 wrote:

hi
i know the area of Katameya it is very nice high standard residential area and near you have also a nice city where you will find malls and supermarket and a lot of restaurants and shops it is called El rehab city.My husband is working in an international real estate company here in cairo and they have a lot choices of villas in the area of kattameya and their company is located closed to katameya if you are interesting let me know ok.
good luck.Nathalie

Using a real estate professional is a good idea.  As an expat you will usually do a lot better if you have someone who can negotiate on your behalf.  We normally get the best deal if we negotiate a 1 year lease and three months at a time.  We have also found that leasing a vehicle from a company who provides both vehicle and driver is very nice and considering the price of cars here it is less expensive if you will be here 3 years or less (depending on the car you would buy of course).  Everyones situation is different and all of the factors of your situation have to be considered but these are options you may want to explore.  I'd be happy to provide the contact info for the real estate and vehicle companies we use - just let me know and I'll send them to your Expat.com email.  Kattameya is very nice but it is priced accordingly.  The work address you listed is very accessible if you have a car.  If you live nearby then a commute by taxi would be easy (and affordable) too.  I have a friend who owns a taxi company and they have customers that they provide regular transportation for.  They'll have the taxi waiting at your home and your work according to your schedule.  I live in Maadi and work very close to the address you listed.  I plan 40 minutes for my commute and, except for the occasional accident enroute, I always have time for tea or coffee when I get to work.

Oops - 3rd line, meant to say "and pay 3 months at a time".  It's no wonder I can't learn Arabic very well - I can't even do my own language!

HI!!!

I hope I'm not too late to jump in.
All the advice you have been given is great.
Now hear it from someone has lived hear over 19 years.

If you have children and will be doing a lot of entertaining then by all means look for a villa.
The down side to a villa is keeping it clean! Egypt is a desert country and when the wind blows sand/dust will appear every where. April/May is sand storm season in Egypt, so if you plan on living Katameya you are going to get the FULL brunt of it.

You could hire help to keep the house in tip top shape, but don't be surprised if food from the pantry goes missing along with other things too.

You will also need a driver, there is NO walking around the Katameya area, unless it's in a compound, but even then the weather is too hot for that.

If your husband has a contract with a company or a recognized International School then they will assist you in finding a place.

I would suggest living closer to work so that you won't want to hit your head against a brick wall every day when you are faced with TRAFFIC!!

You will be paying expat rates when it comes to rent.
For a villa that could be between 5,000 to 10,000 dollars!

Most Expats live in Zamalek, Maadi and Heliopolis.

Maadi is a lovely charming place, with a well established expat community.

Yup u should definitely live in Maadi, it's the best place to be really, not too much, not too little, just fine,most expats are here and I should know, I'm Trini too can't wait to meet ya!!!!

Hi, as stated earlier its probably best to live close to work. Katemaya is a great place to live with many villas and similar options to what you stated.
I wanted to add, don't be put off to driving here.  It takes some getting used to but is not bad, especially in the area of New Cairo.  The closer you get to downtown, the trickier it gets. 
Also there are many nice neighborhoods in New Cairo close to Katemaya.  Best of luck with your search.