posted
How much would it cost in $ or Egyptian pounds to rent an apartment for a month in Cairo or Alexandria?
Posts: 89 | Registered: Jun 2004
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quote:Originally posted by akshar: you are going to have to give a few more details than that. It is likesaying how much to rent in London
where, what size, what facilities, how long, company or private let etc etc etc
Really, just something mid-priced, clean, decent neighborhood, 2 or 3 bedrooms, 1 or 2 bathrooms, safe, kid-friendly (will have my 8-year old son with me), spacious but not cavernous, HOT WATER, HEAT THAT WORKS
I stayed in an apartment in Cairo for a week during the winter and it was very nice with a lovely view, but the heat didn't work well and there was NO hot water I froze lol, but it was great!
posted
It is still a very difficult question to answer. If you want to live around other expats you may choose the Rhousdy area, but that will be expensive, but it will also give you many of those features you mentioned. I would budget no less than $250 per month and expect to pay up to $1500 per month depending on where and what you get. While $1500 may sound crazy to you, you need to remember that most flats/villas are already owned by the owner, meaning they don't have a bank loan (mortgage) on the place to pay for, so they don't really HAVE to rent it for X amount of dollars to cover the loan, like most of us from the west do on our homes. So, given that, and given that until recently USAID was doing quite a bit of work up in Alex and USAID would pay as much as $1800 a month for a flat/villa for their workers, landlords of the better properties got spoiled, as well as rich. Let's say the average contract in Alexandria ran for only 24 months (and most ran much longer) that landlord put over $43K in the bank. That kind of money is going to last quite awhile there.
Anyway, so when looking for a place, expect prices to be all over the board. Especially when they see you are foriegn, a place that was supposed to rent for LE1500 might jump up to LE4000 right in front of you. Tell your realestate person your budget and when/if s/he takes you to places that are much over your budget, ask him/her why this is happening and make it clear you MUST stay within your budget.
Also remember when looking at flats that usually "first asking price" is just that, and it is just the starting point for negotiations. You never have to accept "first asking price".
Regarding your comment on Heat. ??? You are joking right? You want heat here? LOL Actually I do understand where you are coming from on that issue, BUT you will have to adjust basically. The way to get heat here is to run your AC unit on heat. That is the only heat a flat might come with. Other than that you need to go to a store and buy yourself electric/oil heaters to keep yourself warm, AND learn to dress warm. Flats in Egypt are designed to keep the HEAT out in the warm months and it doesn't automatically reverse itself in the winter....it WILL be colder inside than outside in the winter. Bring warm clothes to wear, buy space heaters, or make certain you get a flat with excellent AC units and plan to spend a fortune on electricity.
quote:Originally posted by Debbie: It is still a very difficult question to answer. If you want to live around other expats you may choose the Rhousdy area, but that will be expensive, but it will also give you many of those features you mentioned. I would budget no less than $250 per month and expect to pay up to $1500 per month depending on where and what you get. While $1500 may sound crazy to you, you need to remember that most flats/villas are already owned by the owner, meaning they don't have a bank loan (mortgage) on the place to pay for, so they don't really HAVE to rent it for X amount of dollars to cover the loan, like most of us from the west do on our homes. So, given that, and given that until recently USAID was doing quite a bit of work up in Alex and USAID would pay as much as $1800 a month for a flat/villa for their workers, landlords of the better properties got spoiled, as well as rich. Let's say the average contract in Alexandria ran for only 24 months (and most ran much longer) that landlord put over $43K in the bank. That kind of money is going to last quite awhile there.
Anyway, so when looking for a place, expect prices to be all over the board. Especially when they see you are foriegn, a place that was supposed to rent for LE1500 might jump up to LE4000 right in front of you. Tell your realestate person your budget and when/if s/he takes you to places that are much over your budget, ask him/her why this is happening and make it clear you MUST stay within your budget.
Also remember when looking at flats that usually "first asking price" is just that, and it is just the starting point for negotiations. You never have to accept "first asking price".
Regarding your comment on Heat. ??? You are joking right? You want heat here? LOL Actually I do understand where you are coming from on that issue, BUT you will have to adjust basically. The way to get heat here is to run your AC unit on heat. That is the only heat a flat might come with. Other than that you need to go to a store and buy yourself electric/oil heaters to keep yourself warm, AND learn to dress warm. Flats in Egypt are designed to keep the HEAT out in the warm months and it doesn't automatically reverse itself in the winter....it WILL be colder inside than outside in the winter. Bring warm clothes to wear, buy space heaters, or make certain you get a flat with excellent AC units and plan to spend a fortune on electricity.
Debbie, thanks for your detailed reply...I can say its only for 1 month.....its just for a visit........we won't stay Right now I'm gathering information just to see how much money I'll need.....I'll ask today which area we stayed in before and what was paid.......our building had alot of foreigners and actors........is that good or bad? Lol. There is an area called Maadi I think that is good for families......I want to be very careful and stay someplace respectable...by this I surely don't mean expensive I don't want anyone bothering my son in a bad area of the city. I"m sure he is less likely to be bothered there than here, but nevertheless I'm cautious.
In general, is rent higher in Alexandria than Cairo? I am thinking we'll rent the apartment in Cairo then travel to Alexandria for a few days to let him see the sea and the historical areas. I'll try to make the whole trip as educational for him as possible.
Last time I went I paid the first price on the apartment.....live and learn I guess lol. No use crying about it now In a way, it seems fair to charge foreigners more. Kind of like a sliding-scale. Charge folks based upon their income........its fair is it not? Sure I'll try to pay less, but with understanding that really its not cheating.
I think we'll manage to stay warm. The main thing is having hot water. I swear that water felt like it had ice in it!
Oh I just thought of another thing. I've never used a gas (with a flame) stove. I lost a Dearly Loved One in a horrible fire and I really can't stand to be around any fire inside a home. Everything must be electric.
This is getting more complicated! Wedi
[This message has been edited by wedi (edited 07 July 2004).]
posted
I missed that you were considering Cairo as well as Alexandria, but the situation is similar in both areas...however, if you are only looking for a ONE month lease you don't have much, if any, barganing power. You will be given a rent value to pay, and you an pretty much take it or leave it. Now for short term rentals that are decent, you'll be paying more than $250, no doubt. A good friend (she is from America, but her family lives here in Luxor) just rented a nice place over in Agouza for a month to be close to the British Council for the kids to take English and computer classes at. While the location is nice for that, and she tells me it is directly across the street from the Cairo Circus (they can hear the lions roar) they are paying LE5000 for the month. And, that was Egyptian price. The landlord didn't know that a woman from America was going to be paying the rent...it probably would have gone up to LE7000 if he'd known that. Now, more infomation and logic about why a place is that expensive for only one month: The place has air conditioners in all rooms. That means for you that you'd have a heating source in all rooms that conceivably you could run 24/7. That gets expensive. If you are only going to be here ONE month, you won't see an electric bill. The landlord will be stuck with YOUR electric bill and YOUR telephone bill. Both of which might be fairly high. He is going to take enough money from you to make certain he doesn't get burned in the end over that.
Now as for your electric stove. Forget it. They are few and far between. I think if you were to find an American service man that would allow you to stay in his 100% 110V flat that the American embassy owns, MAYBE, and I emphasize MAYBE then you might find an electric oven and stove. Otherwise, get used to gas. That's the way it is here. Sorry.
Regarding the hot water heater... my bet is that it was just turned off and when you moved in no one remembered to turn it on. When you look at a place, turn on the hot water while you are viewing the place. If HOT and I mean scalding water doesn't come out of the tap, then ask why. The landlord will either turn on the hot water tank so it can then heat up the water, or you will ALL know then that there is something wrong with the hot water heater. It is easy for him to fix the heater (get a new element) or buy a new one, so if you are going to rent the place, insist that it be done quickly. Also know that there will be a different hot water heater for the bathroom and the kitchen probably unless they happen to be right next door to each other. Check them both or you may be doing dishes in the bathtub or sponge bathing from the kitchen sink.
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I froze lol, but it was great!
In a way, it seems fair to charge foreigners more. Kind of like a sliding-scale. Charge folks based upon their income........its fair is it not? Sure I'll try to pay less, but with understanding that really its not cheating. 
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