Is Madi a good place to live?

Hi Bella, welcome to your 2nd home, Maadi is good & safe place to live in, big green areas there, alot of foreigners prefers to live there, and there is subway (Metro) station that is 10 mins far from downtown, flat prices for rent starts from 2500 EGP & up.. if you need any help dont hesitate to ask.

BellaJ wrote:

Hi, I've recently moved to Cairo and am just about settling in, it is very different to what I am used to! I'm flat (I live in Dokki now) hunting and have been told that Madi is a good place to live - what sort of price are the flats there 1/2 bdrm - is it safe for women - is there much to do? - Thanks - Bella

Yes Maadi is a safe place and its the foreigners first choice for living, 1/2 bedrooms flat may cost you from 2000 to 5000 LE depends on the street in maadi. go to the classified section or contact me, i know some people here who rent their apartments..

Well,I live in maadi for years but I do prefer Rehab!

And it depends which area in Maadi you want to rent.

Good luck

Hi Bella, welcome to your 2nd home, Maadi is good & safe place to live in, also its so nice and clean, also it have wide expat commniutey you can join them, i live in Maadi for more than 10 years and really im enjoy it

Don-
My family and I are moving to Cairo this summer. It has been a toss up between Maadi and al Rehab. Why do you prefer Rehab?

bella come to Maadi there are plenty of potential friends here and plenty of things to do

Please can you tell me which things there are to do? Because my son complained last week that they have not so much choice in Egypt, only going to a cafe, cinema etc.

Cranston wrote:

Don-
My family and I are moving to Cairo this summer. It has been a toss up between Maadi and al Rehab. Why do you prefer Rehab?

hope this will help you

some topics talking about rehab

https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=40630https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=142735https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=142227https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=132830

in rehab you will find all what you want from a to z,at least you will never find noisy busses around or bad atmosphere rather than other parts in cairo

i love Maadi, but it was before from 2 or 3 years after building new districts around it near carrefour.... it started to be noisy and busy and not safe like before.

good luck

Maadi is the most preferred area for expat women in Egypt in my opinion. It's safer than even Zamalek, the expat community is large there, when you go to a small supermarket, you wil never get hassled, simply because Egyptians there been raised around visiting tourists for years, so they got used to interact 'a little bit' with the western culture, of course still nothing is perfect.

As for Rehab, if it wasn't that boring that the only entertainment there is to have sheeshaa and turkish coffee in a lame coffee shop, I would have moved there immediately, especially that even driving, everywhere fun is at least an hour away.

Maklad wrote:

Maadi is the most preferred area for expat women in Egypt in my opinion. It's safer than even Zamalek, the expat community is large there, when you go to a small supermarket, you wil never get hassled, simply because Egyptians there been raised around visiting tourists for years, so they got used to interact 'a little bit' with the western culture, of course still nothing is perfect.

As for Rehab, if it wasn't that boring that the only entertainment there is to have sheeshaa and turkish coffee in a lame coffee shop, I would have moved there immediately, especially that even driving, everywhere fun is at least an hour away.

Man u better know rehab some more
Am born in Maadi from 30 years! So I have to say that almost what u wrote is right concerning markets bla bla bla
BUT, zamalek and rehab have now more expats from maadi.
Plus, when we say expats we mean all: men and women not only women.
You are right about that maadi is used to have expats around,but that's the same for zamalek and rehab and now it will start to be in madenty too and we can say more about other high compounds like kattameya heights and palm hills too.
We shall vknow what's happening around us, go see the links I attached above and u will know what's in rehab.

Maadi was safe more before the revolution as ismael el shae( assistant of the mister of interior)r was living there plus others too that's why no one dare to make any thing illegal before or even a simple car ticket!
Now its a jungle without rules for different type of non private cars plus it takes u now around 30 minutes at least to go from a place to other within maadi so imagine how long it will take you to other places!

That's my own opinion although am a maadian and I lived some months in rehab too but due to renting problems I got back to my flat in maadi!

Cheers

Am using my bb
So I will have some mistakes

Hi Bella
Its not as safe as everyone makes out. I have been the target of bag snatchers and also had my butt pinched. They always come from behind so you dont see them coming.  Yes,a lot of foreigners live here but mostly in Degla which is expensive.  I have a flat here for 1300 egp.  You can find cheaper if you have the patience. Personally I dont like it here and wish I had chosen to live in Gisa or Dokki which is nice.  There I saw a flat also for around 1500 egp.
Good luck with flat hunting. Take care and get everything in writing and dont be taken in by the flat agent who will ask money just for walking you around the corner.

Aysha.young wrote:

Hi Bella
Its not as safe as everyone makes out. I have been the target of bag snatchers and also had my butt pinched. They always come from behind so you dont see them coming.  Yes,a lot of foreigners live here but mostly in Degla which is expensive.  I have a flat here for 1300 egp.  You can find cheaper if you have the patience. Personally I dont like it here and wish I had chosen to live in Gisa or Dokki which is nice.  There I saw a flat also for around 1500 egp.
Good luck with flat hunting. Take care and get everything in writing and dont be taken in by the flat agent who will ask money just for walking you around the corner.

That's what am saying!

Beside, the price you mentioned is too low comparing to Maadi.

hello for all
just would like that maadi is very good place and Theft is everywhere so u should always take care ..
also u should find place which close to ur work to save ur time , money and health too for sure
if ur work is close to ur apartment , so u will walk for some minutes better that metro or taxi... etc


i stay in maadi , if u need any help plzzzzz let me know
thank u very much

Everyone is entitled to an opinion and I agree that Theft is everywhere, but the thieves target Maadi because they know a lot of foreigners live here.   I am on my third flat already and each time I have lost money because of dishonest scoundrels not to mention other ways too.  My trust has been distroyed. So for those having a great time and meeting nice, honest people, good luck.  I wasnt as lucky.    I am sure there are good people here and for the few I have met, thank you but the good ones are hard to find .......

Aysha.young wrote:

Everyone is entitled to an opinion and I agree that Theft is everywhere, but the thieves target Maadi because they know a lot of foreigners live here.   I am on my third flat already and each time I have lost money because of dishonest scoundrels not to mention other ways too.  My trust has been distroyed. So for those having a great time and meeting nice, honest people, good luck.  I wasnt as lucky.    I am sure there are good people here and for the few I have met, thank you but the good ones are hard to find .......

i like what you wrote , its very true .

Hi Bella,

Just wondering how your search is going? I am looking to move to Maadi too and heard that approaching a bowab and asking them about apartments is the best way? Does anyone have any advice please?

Cheers,
Aynsley

you can find apartments like this but use an egyptian friend (who you trust) to do it. There are lots of apartments empty at the moment. Some landlords are being realistic and dropping the rents, many of the others leave them empty and looking like a bomb has hit it.

oh there is real estate for foreigners in port said square i'm living in maadi it's not very expensive my friend has buliding renting flats for foreigners i will ask him but can you tell me your budget

AynsleyM wrote:

Hi Bella,

Just wondering how your search is going? I am looking to move to Maadi too and heard that approaching a bowab and asking them about apartments is the best way? Does anyone have any advice please?

Cheers,
Aynsley

h

I visited to day maadi

not very safe, not very nice, the roads are very bad, not organized at all, but most expat are there
honestly I dont understand why they love this place

I found Rehaab, really safe with access card in the entry well organized & u have all what u need in this area

till now I am in the hotel but I need to rent some thing very quick
hope this will help u

look my friend which place exactly you visit ? maadi is mixed place you can find very clean place and in other place very dirty this is maadi anyway if you want a flat can you tell me your budget or range so i can recommend you place to stay in my friend in real estate will help you

amarka wrote:

h

I visited to day maadi

not very safe, not very nice, the roads are very bad, not organized at all, but most expat are there
honestly I dont understand why they love this place

I found Rehaab, really safe with access card in the entry well organized & u have all what u need in this area

till now I am in the hotel but I need to rent some thing very quick
hope this will help u

amarka wrote:

not very safe, not very nice, the roads are very bad, not organized at all, but most expat are there
honestly I dont understand why they love this place

I found Rehaab, really safe with access card in the entry well organized & u have all what u need in this area

till now I am in the hotel but I need to rent some thing very quick
hope this will help u

I agree with Amarka

i think its the best after zamalek

Good luck

No.  Not at all.

agree, what will be your advice?

Burnside wrote:

No.  Not at all.

I think it really depends on where you work.  The last thing anyone wants to do is spend their lives commuting all over Cairo.  they all have a one person to one car policy in this city!!!!

Also, it depends on your lifestyle.  If you are young and want to socialise and meet other young people, you don't want to live in Rehab.

If you have kids, then Maadi is a horrible place!  Like you say, the roads are a manifestation of Hell and there are scum bags in every cm of all of Maadi.  Degla is grim and seems to be becoming more and more dangerous!  I lived there last year. 

I like Zamalek, but I would only live there if I worked around Downtown.  There are pavements.  I'm not sure there are pavements anywhere else in Egypt...anyone know of any?

Zamalek is Cairo's 'best area', but there are lots of grey, ugly buildings, which look like drug dens and garbage or cars on the pavements, so you often can't walk on them.

The sun shines on Egypt and it makes things bearable.  I wonder if one day it will say "khallas!  I'm leaving!" and float up to Scotland for a lovely change of scenery.

Burnside wrote:

I think it really depends on where you work.  The last thing anyone wants to do is spend their lives commuting all over Cairo.  they all have a one person to one car policy in this city!!!!

Also, it depends on your lifestyle.  If you are young and want to socialise and meet other young people, you don't want to live in Rehab.

If you have kids, then Maadi is a horrible place!  Like you say, the roads are a manifestation of Hell and there are scum bags in every cm of all of Maadi.  Degla is grim and seems to be becoming more and more dangerous!  I lived there last year. 

I like Zamalek, but I would only live there if I worked around Downtown.  There are pavements.  I'm not sure there are pavements anywhere else in Egypt...anyone know of any?

Zamalek is Cairo's 'best area', but there are lots of grey, ugly buildings, which look like drug dens and garbage or cars on the pavements, so you often can't walk on them.

The sun shines on Egypt and it makes things bearable.  I wonder if one day it will say "khallas!  I'm leaving!" and float up to Scotland for a lovely change of scenery.

The sun will always shine on Egypt and its people to continue their daily scene of survival, and Scotland will stay cold and bleak forever.

There is 196 countries in this planet, I advice anyone who can't adapt on this environment to search in one of those and am sure you gonna find one with pavements !!

And what you will write about Mohandenseen.Is it io like a district?

Its a part of Cairo

You have Maadi, Mohandessen, Zamalek, Heliopolis, Masr Al Gededa (masaken sheraton included)

New parts Rehab, Kaytameya, Altagamo al awel, Alatagamo el khames, 6th of October , Sheikh Zayed

These are all the parts mainly the new parts are extensions so you have to take hughways to get there.

& I live in Mohandessen so advice

Try to live next to work you don't want to try the traffic

@Zhuzha: something u're missing about Egypt, cannot call them (districts) the distance between Mohandessein and Zamalek is 10 minutes walking and between Mohandessein and Dokki 10 minutes also, and between Dokki and Downtown (tahrir sq) is also 10 minutes, and between zamalek and tahrir 15 minutes, we call it CAIRO!

so don't imagine that Mohandessien is a district and Zamalek is another, one street connects all of them, Cairo and Giza are one place, the only difference u seek for is neighbors, u only wanna good neighbors, trustworthy and well educated ppl whom u can depend on any time, that's why u choose the place...

other wise u should pick up a place like Rehab, or may just stay on peace in Heliopolis. (far away from downtown u gonna suffer if u plan to go there)

and of course i agree with Y30, u won't like to get into traffic

definitely Rehab, it's safer.

ok, thanks a lot

I have a easy answer im now 8 months in maadi and its just nice :-)

sure it is Bella