# Expat Areas To Live In Abu Dhabi



## Bristol2AD

Hi everyone,

Hope you're well! I'm new to the forum/site and have had a good look through - and it looks great!

Just wanted a bit of advice though, and apologies if it has been covered a few times before...

My husband has been offered a job on Marina Island and he will be starting in August this year, and both he and I, plus our 16 month old daughter, will be moving over from the UK a couple of weeks before.

We were just looking for advice and suggestions on areas to live, ideally an area with lots of expats, close to shops, parks and amenities, and preferably on-island (close-ish to Marina Island would be perfect, although we know that could be difficult!). We're looking for a 2 bed apartment (or villa if it came up within the price range), ideally within an annual budget of 120-160k AED.

We've done a bit of research, and Khalidiyah, Khalifa, Al-Reef and Al-Reem seem to crop up a lot… Any other suggestions? And which of these areas are best to live in, considering the above criteria?

Many thanks in advance!


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## Stevesolar

Hi,
Reem is mainly apartments - lots of construction.
Khalifa is mainly villas - long way from Marina area.
Reef is behind the airport - about as far away as you can be and still call it Abu Dhabi!
Khalidiya is really the "old" part of town.
You should really look at apartments on Reem island or even the Corniche area.
Cheers
Steve


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## Bristol2AD

Many thanks for your help Steve!

From our research so far, we're probably going to go for Khalidiya - although this isn't definite and could certainly change!

Does anyone else have any advice or suggestions?

Where do most of the forum members live? And does anyone here live in Khalidiyah?


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## The druid

We live in Rihan Heights near Zyed Sports City and the Grand Mosque.....awesome view !! Very nice community feel to place. Carrefour hypermarket 5 mins away.....IKEA abt 20 !!!
Good bus service into city ctr....abt 20 mins to central bus station. 
Drive to Reem Island takes abt 25 mins in rush hour....same to Corniche area
Happy searching

PS....We know some people renting 2 bed apartments in big hotels.... not everyone's cup of tea but def some advantages..... only food to get for example ???


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## Bristol2AD

Many thanks for your reply The druid! Will look into Rihan Heights… 

As for the hotel idea - we were thinking of renting a hotel apartment (possibly a large room if an apartment isn't available) for the first month, whilst we acclimatise, sort things out, take everything in, and get to grips with the city! However, if we managed to find an apartment, in an area where we would want to stay, maybe a longer term hotel apartment rent could be an option? Especially as it would avoid one year's rent upfront and the estate agent fees… Has anyone else done this?


And if anyone has any more advice about areas or lives in Khalidiyah and can share their experience, would love to hear from you.


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## The druid

We stayed in a hotel 2 bed apartment for month too. My boss lives in a 2 bed in Rosewood Hotel on Al Maryah Island near the Galleria Mall


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## g1968g

Hi,

Unless you get your residents permit etc in place, you might need to use a hotel apartment for a while.
Get your company PRO onto it ASAP
Life is a lot easier here with a permit, ID and UAE phone number

Cheers

Geoff


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## Bristol2AD

Thanks The druid and Geoff.

We've had a look at hotel apartments on booking.com, but is there any other sites you can suggest for short term apartment rentals? Or is it best to go through the hotel booking websites?


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## The druid

Think they may be cheapest option....not sure tho sorry


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## BedouGirl

Try Dubizzle, Just Rentals and AirBnB. Possibly, the latter is worth trying first


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## okla

Sorry for high jacking this thread but could someone familiar with Abu Dhabi please comment on what is Khalifa City A is like to live for a single guy.

I’ve checked out Dubizzle the rental ranges between AED 35K to 45K for a Studio. 
With a studio you really can’t go wrong, however, some of the fixtures are not great the Kitchen especially. 

But apart from that what is the area like to live in and more importantly for my car at least is the parking covered? 

Thanking you all in advance.


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## Jordanbasset

If it is short term travelsupermarket.com is probably as good as any booking site, it does include most if not all of the booking companies


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## Bristol2AD

Thanks for all the replies everyone - greatly appreciated. 

Does anyone here live in Khalidiyah, and if so, would you be kind enough to share some advice/your experiences please?

Thanks in advance…


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## Chapperss

Following this thread with interest as will be moving to abu dhabi soon myself. Keep the advice coming peeps


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## Bristol2AD

Can anyone advise roughly how long it may take by car/taxi from Khalidiyah to the Marinal Mall?

Also roughly how much it may cost for a taxi fare to get there?

Thanks in advance.


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## Stevesolar

Bristol2AD said:


> Can anyone advise roughly how long it may take by car/taxi from Khalidiyah to the Marinal Mall?
> 
> Also roughly how much it may cost for a taxi fare to get there?
> 
> Thanks in advance.


Hi,
10-15 minutes and around 20AED
Cheers
Steve


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## okla

Abu Dhabi seems expensive for property, either its cheap which is not to our taste or prices are over the top. 

For example 500 sq ft studio on Reem Island - beautiful! list as AED 75K per year but will forgo the commission and estate agency fees

Is there really a housing shortage?


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## rsinner

I don't know what your definition for "cheap" or "expensive" is - but AD is nowadays cheaper than Dubai in general for renting.
Compared to central London it is cheaper. Compared to less desirable areas of London it is more expensive.

All apartments in Reem have pools and gyms, are new, and the place is not as congested as downtown AD. Apartments are smaller though. 75K for a studio in Reem does seem high but probably would depend on the building. Not too many buildings have studios - rather 1 beds, which would be probably in the 80-100K range.


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## okla

Rsinner, 

I dunno, I'm having trouble finding something for 50K - 60K near the airport, something legal with Tawtheeq. 

Do you think Al Ghadeer will be too far out with the trafiic if work is near the airport?


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## rsinner

okla said:


> Rsinner,
> 
> I dunno, I'm having trouble finding something for 50K - 60K near the airport, something legal with Tawtheeq.
> 
> Do you think Al Ghadeer will be too far out with the trafiic if work is near the airport?


Ghadeer is not close and not sure there will be lots to do for a single guy.
If you are not in AD yet, no point in getting worked up about it - if you will work for EY there will be lots of colleagues in the same situation as you and you can get the lay of the land. The Reem 75K with no commission and 1 month free sounds like fitting into your budget (or close to).
Otherwise there are areas like MBZ City and Al Reef. AD downtown as well. All of these will not be very fancy.
Or the age old, sharing a flat.


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## okla

rsinner, 

Thanks for the solid advice, much appreciated!


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## Bristol2AD

Stevesolar said:


> Hi,
> 10-15 minutes and around 20AED
> Cheers
> Steve


Thank you very much for the advice Steve! 

Can you, or anyone else, help with advice on possible compound living in Khalidiyah or close to this?

Are there any expat compounds in this area, or near the Corniche? If so, do they have 2 bedroom apartments or villas available, or are they usually just larger villas?


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## WTHSMH

*Khalifa City A*

I found a Studio apartment (with pool)in Khalifa City A for 40K AED... I will say make sure when you call or talk to an agent ask them up front how much their fee is...My real estate agent was crooked and initially told me 5K would cover the agent fee and deposit but when he wrote a receipt for 2K AED to hold the apartment he didn't put down deposit just agent fee and 3K still owed then told me 5K was just for the agent fee...Most agent fees for Khalifa City are 2500-3000 AED...found this out after talking with another agent...

I like Khalifa City A compared to other areas...not as much traffic and easier to get to where I have to work...I can still drive downtown which takes about 20-25 minutes depending on traffic.


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## Chapperss

WTHSMH said:


> I found a Studio apartment (with pool)in Khalifa City A for 40K AED... I will say make sure when you call or talk to an agent ask them up front how much their fee is...My real estate agent was crooked and initially told me 5K would cover the agent fee and deposit but when he wrote a receipt for 2K AED to hold the apartment he didn't put down deposit just agent fee and 3K still owed then told me 5K was just for the agent fee...Most agent fees for Khalifa City are 2500-3000 AED...found this out after talking with another agent...
> 
> I like Khalifa City A compared to other areas...not as much traffic and easier to get to where I have to work...I can still drive downtown which takes about 20-25 minutes depending on traffic.



That sounds like a good price. How did you find it dubzizzle or whatever it's called?


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## WTHSMH

*Found it on dubizzle*



Chapperss said:


> That sounds like a good price. How did you find it dubzizzle or whatever it's called?


Initially i found what i thought was an apartment on dubizzle ...But it's pretty much call a Realtor that is posting in dubizzle tell them what you're price range is and have them drive you around and show you whats available. Ask what the agent fee is though and when they put it down in writing make sure it lists what is the agent fee and what is the deposit.


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## WTHSMH

Also you can still try to negotiate the price of the place with the landlord...


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## Bristol2AD

Can anyone suggest/recommend any good estate agents in AD?

Thanks in advance…


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## Chapperss

WTHSMH said:


> Also you can still try to negotiate the price of the place with the landlord...


Thank you for the info. Only two weeks till I move now and knowing this will come in handy!


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