Job Discussion Forums

[Jim Bigelow]

How much should I expect to pay for rent in Kuwait for something similar to what I have in Saudi?

At present I have an apartment in a reasonable area.
Brand new, 3 Bedroom,kitchen,guest room, 4 bathrooms.

So what would something like that set you back in Kuwait?

[veiledsentiments]

Jim

Well, I wouldn't really be able to give you an exact number, but for something following that description, I would suspect that it might be more than an EFL teacher's monthly salary in Kuwait. But, I am hopefully kidding ---

I lived in a very small modest totally unfurnished 2 bdrm, one bath, kitchen, small living/dining room in Salmiya. The cost in '98 was 250 KD (Appr US$830) including rent and utilities and a basic satellite system. I just searched my old papers from Kuwait and didn't find the lease - yes, I usually keep such things, but have moved 4 times since then. I can't remember exactly how much was rent - but I had calculated that my 250 housing allowance did cover my total housing costs.

VS

[M@tt]

Yeah, but you were paying for the view.

Ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[veiledsentiments]

M@tt,

Were you referring to the empty garbage strewn lot from my bedroom window, or from the living room - where I could have held hands with the folks on their balcony in the next building.

At least I was only about two blocks from the beach and it was nice to go over every evening about call-to-prayer time and walk a mile up and then back home --- not that Salmiya has a scenic beach. You have to be a devotee of construction rubble - since that is what it is built on. Nothing like a rebar sticking up here and there---

VS

[Jim Bigelow]

Well it sounds like housing is alot more expensive than KSA!
In KSA I 'live amongst the locals' in a decent area that's about a 10 min drive from the city centre!
I'm paying Sr2500 per month for my little palace but sounds as though I'd be paying alot more if I was in Kuwait?

VS: Your place was a little over Sr3000 and that was a few years ago...

[veiledsentiments]

Wow Jim,

Big price difference there!! The reason may be that Kuwait is pretty much just one big spread out city. I suspect that if you went way out from the main city, you could also get much more for your money. There are some bedu 'suburbs' and areas connected to the oil business. It would be nice if there was someone lurking on here that had lived out in those hinterlands.

But, traffic is horrendous there. Not only do they drive with the same excess speed, aggressiveness, and abandon as they do in Saudi, the roads are jam packed at 'rush hours' if your hours are regular. You would be significantly more than 10 minutes from the city centre. I did look at one place, but it would have been a 30 minute commute. There was no way that I wanted to spend that much time on those roads every day.

I guess I'm just a coward.

VS