# Moving to Alexandria



## Umm Omar (Mar 18, 2012)

Hello everyone,
Can someone help me with information about Alexandria. We are looking to move in the Summer and want to live in Alexandria. Does anyone know how much accomodation costs, say a three bedroom flat unfurnished? What about the cost of living?
Thanking you all in advance
Umm Omar


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

Hello and welcome to the forum

Please do read the various threads that are on the forum, all your questions have been answered at some time and in great detail.

Just asking about a 3 bedroom unfurnished place is really not a question at all..Alex is a big city, where in the city do you want to live? do you want a lift in the building? do you want to be near something in particular... You see the possibilities that you may want are endless.
Summer months are the worse time to try and find accommodation in Alex as Cairienes head for the coast if they can.
Maiden


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## Umm Omar (Mar 18, 2012)

MaidenScotland said:


> Hello and welcome to the forum
> 
> Please do read the various threads that are on the forum, all your questions have been answered at some time and in great detail.
> 
> ...


Thanks Maiden for your prompt reply. Would you know if there is an Al Azhar school in Alexandria starting with Kindergarden level? If there is then an apartment near the school or within a reasonable distance would be perfect. Sorry I didnt know Alexandria was a big city.
As for moving when would you suggest is a good time?


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## txlstewart (Jun 20, 2010)

Do a google search for the school. If there isn't one, then it will help guide you to other options


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## Umm Omar (Mar 18, 2012)

*Alex*



txlstewart said:


> Do a google search for the school. If there isn't one, then it will help guide you to other options


Thanks TXLStewart will do.


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

Umm Omar said:


> Thanks Maiden for your prompt reply. Would you know if there is an Al Azhar school in Alexandria starting with Kindergarden level? If there is then an apartment near the school or within a reasonable distance would be perfect. Sorry I didnt know Alexandria was a big city.
> As for moving when would you suggest is a good time?




Sorry but I do not live in Alex so I am unfamiliar with its layout.
I have no idea what is or what is not a good area.
What is the best time for you to move?
All I know is that in the summer months Alex is very busy so rentals will be at a premium plus of course it is the holy month of Ramadan July/August so getting any business done will be a long and slow process if it is indeed possible.

I am making a wild guess here that the majority of expat who use this forum do not send their children to schools for Arabic/Koran and therefore will not really be the best people to help.. Google schools then email them with your questions.

Maiden


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## CatMandoo (Dec 16, 2011)

Umm Omar said:


> . Would you know if there is an Al Azhar school in Alexandria starting with Kindergarden level??




http://www.expatforum.com/expats/eg...ng-egypt/40091-al-azhar-schools-children.html


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## gillianbrako (Mar 25, 2012)

*moving to Alex*

Hi Umm Omar,
I've been living in Alex for the last 6 years......When i first got here i loved the view of the sea so took an apartment there......with the constant accidents and deaths everyday on that road i decided to move.....best decision ever.....I moved to kafr abdu ....is a lovely quiet residential area with really nice people who never interfere
with you and yet can be friendly if you decide to talk to them......I love it here and there's a huge garden where kids come to play or where i go for my walks....about the school i've not heard of it but all schools have buses and it comes to the door step.....I pay 6000/- LE for my place and its huge....3 bedrooms and the hall and dining is really very big....good furniture and the best landlord ever....since the revolution prices have come down and you can now find a nice place in LE 3500 or 4000/-........the person who found this apartment is a lovely lady and she will not charge you commission she only charges the landlord ....so if you like you could call her give her your budget and she will find you a nice apartment....her name is Kathrine and her number is +2 01001460423.....you could tell her Gillian gave you her number....she's the queen of karf abdu and roushdi the two best places to live in....hope this helps if you would like to clear any doubts feel free to contact me..
Regards
Gillian


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## gillianbrako (Mar 25, 2012)

*Alex*



Umm Omar said:


> Thanks Maiden for your prompt reply. Would you know if there is an Al Azhar school in Alexandria starting with Kindergarden level? If there is then an apartment near the school or within a reasonable distance would be perfect. Sorry I didnt know Alexandria was a big city.
> As for moving when would you suggest is a good time?



I posted about Alex a min ago then saw that you are from Kenya.....I lived in Kenya (Mombasa) for 5 years before moving to Egypt......I left my heart behind in Mombasa....I loved that place and would go back in a heartbeat....


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## Umm Omar (Mar 18, 2012)

gillianbrako said:


> I posted about Alex a min ago then saw that you are from Kenya.....I lived in Kenya (Mombasa) for 5 years before moving to Egypt......I left my heart behind in Mombasa....I loved that place and would go back in a heartbeat....


Thank you so much for all the info. I am from Mombasa, like yourself my heart is there but unfortunately livivg in my country is a constant battle with just the basics. Presently I live in England where I work as a nurse, but looking to move for the sake of my grand daughter. Incidentally, she was actually born in Cairo, but my son and his family had to leave. Alexandria is so appealing to us but its just a case of finding the right info and of course as my son is a student he is on a tight budget. I will get in touch with Katherine to find out info on accomodation. I'm sure there must be something much cheaper.
Are you a student or working?


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## gillianbrako (Mar 25, 2012)

*Alex*



Umm Omar said:


> Thank you so much for all the info. I am from Mombasa, like yourself my heart is there but unfortunately livivg in my country is a constant battle with just the basics. Presently I live in England where I work as a nurse, but looking to move for the sake of my grand daughter. Incidentally, she was actually born in Cairo, but my son and his family had to leave. Alexandria is so appealing to us but its just a case of finding the right info and of course as my son is a student he is on a tight budget. I will get in touch with Katherine to find out info on accomodation. I'm sure there must be something much cheaper.
> Are you a student or working?


I'm at home my husband work's here and I have 2 kids living in Cairo.... 1 in uni and the other working.......you can get cheaper places speak to Kathrine..


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## bellzii (Oct 6, 2011)

Salam Alekom Umm Omar, 

Just read your thread today, I'm actually from alexandria ... its a bit late now , but I'll get back to you as soon as I can


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## expatagogo (May 31, 2010)

Umm Omar said:


> Hello everyone,
> Can someone help me with information about Alexandria. We are looking to move in the Summer and want to live in Alexandria. Does anyone know how much accomodation costs, say a three bedroom flat unfurnished? What about the cost of living?
> Thanking you all in advance
> Umm Omar


If you're going to move during the summer months, either do it before the first of June or as close to the end of August as possible because rents triple during the summer, as others have said.

I looked at the other thread, and it appears the school you're looking for is located in Smouha (although there's a long waiting list?), which is, by and large decent, however it did take a beating during the revolution, probably because people with money live there and that's where the expensive mall is so there was better pickings.

As for cost of living, if you eat local food (which I do), it's not expensive. Just tonight I bought 1/2 kilo of tangerines, 1/2 kilo of bananas, and a cantaloupe for 3.5 LE. To me this is inexpensive, but in the US right now oranges are almost $1.00 each in places, so I'm sure you can understand why. In my opinion, the healthy stuff costs less than the unhealthy foods. A liter of Pepsi is around 8 LE, depending on where you buy it, but a kilo of fresh oranges is 2 - 2.5 LE and there is always a great selection of fresh fruits, no matter the season. There are a couple of Metro supermarkets if you're looking for western products. Fathalla has a couple of locations, although (in my opinion) they're sufficient only for canned and dry goods and soaps as they're too dirty for meats and fresh items.

You will want to live as close to the school as possible as commuting while everyone is rushing to work or getting their children to school is horrid and it can, honestly, take hours to get from one side of town to the other during the peak periods. Imagine putting your children on a bus at 6:30 in the morning so they can be to school for the first bell because that's what it's like. I don't know about the school you're interested in, but most schools provide bus service - for an additional charge.

There is a tram service that goes most of the way across Alexandria. The cost is .25 LE per person (small children ride free) and there is a car for women only. There are also a lot of buses and microbuses that run selected routes. I don't take them because I don't read Arabic so I don't know which bus is which route, nor have I figured out the hand signals people use to tell a bus/microbus driver which bus they're looking for. But the service is there and I believe it's around 1 - 1.5 LE per trip. Taxis are plentiful and not difficult to find. The revolution has created thousands of new jobs, those being jobs driving tuk-tuks, which are extremely illegal but everywhere. I'm convinced the only qualification necessary to operate one is to be younger than 12. They are insane drivers and I refuse to consider riding in one, no matter how little the cost is. So, unless you have a car, those are your transportation choices.

Since there's not much of a government, illegal construction has been going on non-stop. In fact, I'm pretty sure Egypt's housing crisis will be solved by the time a full government is in place because they're been building at such a frantic pace. The result is there's constant moving in and out as people are buying, rentals are abundant, and rents have gone way down. Finding something at a reasonable price shouldn't be difficult at all - but summer isn't here yet and, who knows, a tourist may just show up after all.

If there's anything you need, let me know. I don't have children in school here, but I do live in Alexandria and I'm happy to help where I can.


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## UmMaryam (May 4, 2012)

Please umm Omar contakt Me. Im from Sweden and i move to Alex to soon.


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