Rent,electricity,food 4 family of 5,taxi cost,cell phone,abaya costs??

amanda, i'd suggest you re think your worries! the biggest problem right now, although that should change by next year hopefully is school! english language schools are far and few between and pricey. you didn't say how old your boys are, but school here is a problem currently.  costs of groceries are no biggie. the prices in the stores are consistent from one store to the next and at least for the present you need not worry about being a foreigner -- some women wear the whole regalia in terms of black dress but most opt for just a hijab which is a fashion accessory and readily obtainable in all shapes and sizes at the souk. as a foreigner, i don't wear one, and it's also not a problem - although my vegetable man did ask for my phone number. LOL -- but you are not harrassed or touched or followed here the way you are in many countries (that also goes for europe!)

despite the fact you don't want to live in one of those american communities, you also may want to consider that there's not much here for kids to do. so if you have access to a pool and or playground or gated area where kids can ride bikes it's a big plus. i have no children at home anymore and we live in the medina but i would not want to do it with kids --- they'd go stir crazy and so would you.

taxis?? yeah they may try to stiff you a dinar or two, but -- if you haggle you'll both be happy. i look forward to seeing metered taxis, but may regret it, as then haggling goes out the window!!!

Hey working! Lol I wanted to thank you for all your thoughts and help. I forgot to post on here that we are a muslim family looking to move to Libya to give ourselves a better opportunity to live islamically. Our oldest son is three, the second son is 7 months old and I'm pregnant but don't know whether m/f.
So as you can tell, "entertainment" is not what we are interested in, as we have that here in the USA and are not involved with it. We go to the mountains for walking and hiking and do go to parks but nothing more than that. I teach my toddler @ home and take care of the baby.

We plan on coming there to teach POSSIBLY at GKS (global knowledge school) in tripoli on 9/15/2013. Right now, USA is not handing out tourist visas to Libya, so the only way we could come out there is if we teach.  This would be awesome if next year, things opened up for Americans to be able to visit w/o having to work. Then I could just do some English tutoring at home and earn some money. We do have savings but I don't know how long  $15,000.00 would last us.

Im glad you confirmed about how schools were an issue right now out there. My heart breaks for that country. I heard that there are waiting lists for children.

So food as you mentioned is not a biggie :-).

What typically is the cost of a 2 bedroom furnished flat or villa in tripoli with air conditioning,
washer/dryer, dishwasher, etc..? If you don't know, then that's fine.

Thank you for the tip about the taxies :-). What do you pay for a taxie to just go to the food market?


Thank you again
Amanda

Now thats the wierdst thing I ever heard, you wana come and teach and you have 2 kids and pregnant and you want to come and work in libya on a tourst visa if you can get one!

You cannt work on a troust visa the old mess of Qaddahfi is over , if want to work you need a working visa and you need to pay tax. Rent is very expensive in Tripoli even for a small Apt, from 1000LD to 2500 with no dishwasher or dryer, villas from 4000 to 8000 sometimes more with no furniture.

As far as I know English teachers dont get paid very well, unless they work for some kind of international school like GEMS and things like that.

Things must have been really hard in USA!

thanks Mo for reading my mind. if you have never lived overseas before Amanda you are in for a major shock. this is one of the toughest places to live on a day to day basis that i have ever experienced in over 30 years of overseas living. and i've spent a good part of the time in the middle east -- long before it got "citified" lol -- with small kids? i shudder to think about it -- the medical care? everyone i know that can afford it goes outside the country. i don't know where in the US you live, but if i were you, i would search out libyans to talk to who have come back and then gone back to the US. i know ministers here whose families are returning to the US and Canada after spending ramadan here. they don't want to live here now with their kids.  things may change in a year, but you will have no family here, no support system....this is not something to jump into without a lot more info.

Working,
Can you tell me what sort of other things make it "the toughest places to live?" Besides medical care.

I wouldn't know where to find a libyan here in the states. Plus I'm a muslima taking care of 2 kids...we don't just go out and search for a particular kind of people :-)

Thanks
Amanda

Amanda, at the moment the toughest things in Libya are electricity, internet, driving attitude, getting documents issued from governmental sectors, finding supermarkets to do a proper shopping without having to visit 3 or 4 to get all the list, and the feeling that it is not totally safe with the gunshots and killing incidents from time to time. over all the government is not controlling things properly.

Mancunian,

Thank you for keeping it real! Do you suppose within a year or so, things will be a little more under control?

Thank you
Amanda

[moderated: aggressive]

Mo_marrakech > your posts aren't helping in any way here. Stop being aggressive or we'll have to intervene

Sister, he's not Libyan for sure. There are plenty of them here who feel lost!

amandaburton1983 wrote:

Mancunian,

Thank you for keeping it real! Do you suppose within a year or so, things will be a little more under control?

Thank you
Amanda

I was really optimistic during the first few months after the liberation, but now most Libyans think that there is a hidden agenda controls the situation in Libya and benefits from the chaotic situation.
For me, I can not predict anything and it could take one month or forever.

Julien,
Thank you kindly for puting out that small fire

Alex, jazakalakhair for your brave encouragement as it means a lot!

Mancunian, thank you again for your true thoughts and reality as to what's going on in Libya.

[Moderated: No free ad on the forum pls]

AMNAALI
whats your facebook information so i can check out your houses.

Hi amandaburton1983
can you please check you inbox  about information  to rent house

       Thank,regards
        yaklef

Amanda
Please allow me to say that you seem to be romanticizing living in Libya, as some well-meanings Americans often do.
And I do not think you have a good understanding of visas, as apparent in your statement:"Right now, USA is not handing out tourist visas to Libya," Visas are "handed out" by the country you want to visit, that has nothing to do with USA.
So if you want to go to Libya, as tourist or as teacher, you need to contact Libyan officials, not USA.

And if you are looking for a muslim way of life that will be welcoming you and your children, that is very VERY unrealistic. Libyans are (at least in Tripoli) very warm and welcoming people, they do that regardless, whether you are muslim or not. But at the same time it is a very tribal society; families take care of their own; they won't take care of you, just because of your religion.
You'll have difficulty getting a visa to enter the country, finding a job and finding a place to live if you don't have close family members or business associates to help and support you. Furniture, taxis and groceries are least of your problems.
Unless maybe, I am misunderstanding you and you have close ties with a Libyan family, then I should shut up.
Otherwise, Libya is a very dangerous place to settle right now, for someone with little children who has no idea what s/he is getting into.
We have grown children, very familiar with Tripoli and love the country. And still we are waiting on the fence to watch and see how things will develop thereby. I am a professional, yet my husband who has been back and forth several times since the fall of Q, categorically refuses to take me there :-( even though I had a very nice social network for over a year.
May I recommend you to read English language Libyan newspapers and make up your mind afterwards.
The place is not a child's game right now.
Lots of respect to all the brave ones over there, expat or local alike.
fk

Bismillah

Fatmakumru,
For sure! I completely understand everything you say.

1.)My intentions are not to go there now, but around this time next year.

2.) When I said, "USA isn't handing out visitor/torist visas", This means that when I called the USA libyan embassy, that's what they told me. So this means Even if I did get a job over there for next year, w/o usa giving tourest visas, I think its highly unlikely that I would get to go whether approved for my libyan job or not.

3.) Muslims don't depend on other muslims to take care of each other lol, so I would not expect this as our sustanence is from God Alone for us. Friendliness is hoped for.


4.) The intention for going over there is to lead the best islamic life for us as much as  possible through giving our children the opportunity (not available in the usa) to understand their deen(religion) and learn Quran in Arabic to its fullest w/o being harassed in such manner as here (USA). This is the better lifestyle for us.

5.) Very thoughtful of your husband not to throw you into a recovering battlefield ;v)

I hope now there may be a better understanding of my original post.
Its a very hard concept to grasp anything I'm saying if one is not a striving revert (Muslim). The struggles are personal and very few can understand. So as the concepts of my wishes and desires may be different, at least the questions in my post may be a little clearer through this response.

Thank you again for questioning and givng your thoughts and strait forward answers
Amanda

Libya is not a dangerous place.. Everything will be settled within few months or year. Libya is not a bad place to live. It is better than many countries on globe.
People here wants to have peace and still waiting for the Govt to review everything. So have patience and leave the rest n God.

naiyersheen wrote:

Libya is not a dangerous place.. Everything will be settled within few months or year.

Please enlighten us dear friend, what evidence do you have for this above statement? Aren't you confusing wishful thinking with actual facts of the matter little bit?

yes, we all wish Libya to be a settled place soon. But we don't know how. What do you know that we don't?

fk

I just wonder to know that is the only place to live with Islamic life and can learn Quran Libya?? There are too many countries which have a Islamic religion

September 2013, it's a year ahead???

Hello to all,
I am considering to travel in Lybia for holidays (my husband's father is Lybian) and all family is saying that in Tripoli is safe.

Can you confirm that it is really safe for spending 15 days with kids ? (European standard of safe )

it is safe in general, but depends on the area either, as for EU standards, actually, i donno as i haven't been in any of those countries, take care

Thanks for your reply. And one more question, which low cost carriers fly to Tripoli from Europe ? I found some options via AirItalia but still very expensive (2500 EUR tickets for 2 adults and 2 kids) ...

ah, actually i donno, but as i know airItalia is very expensive and donno the reason, as a friend of mine took a flight from tripoli to italy with 1300 LYD on this airline, weird, try the Austrian!!! sorry that's all i know

Not the european standards, but the libyan standards, we say it safe... and yes it is..

Aurora-s wrote:

Hello to all,
I am considering to travel in Lybia for holidays (my husband's father is Lybian) and all family is saying that in Tripoli is safe.

Can you confirm that it is really safe for spending 15 days with kids ? (European standard of safe )

What do you mean by evidence?and what evidence do you want to have if you dont want to live here. Yes it is safe here. even though we are not safe in Pakistan. the bomb blasts, the taliban etc etc etc.. so shall we quit loving and living in pakistan?
I am born and brought up in Libya. The things are not the same always dear. The people here have faced a hard time and are happy with a great hope. It doesn;t mean they are shooting on roads or entering houses, killing people. So "I" can say it is "SAFE".

fatmakumru wrote:

naiyersheen wrote:

Libya is not a dangerous place.. Everything will be settled within few months or year.

Please enlighten us dear friend, what evidence do you have for this above statement? Aren't you confusing wishful thinking with actual facts of the matter little bit?

yes, we all wish Libya to be a settled place soon. But we don't know how. What do you know that we don't?

fk

Given that you are currently in Denver, there should be plenty of mosques with Islamic schools for the children.  They probably also have classes for the adults.  Muslim women in the US are used to being able to go to classes and even pray in the musalla with the men..... not the case in Libya.  There is not more Islam just because there are more Muslims.  I have been to Libya and have sought out Arabic classes at various places.....the one place in Tripoli that I did find was not really welcoming.  This may all change in the future but Libya has MUCH MORE IMPORTANT things that need to change first.  Unless you have a compelling reason and fantastic social support, Libya is probably not the best option.  I have also been to Alexandria Egypt and they are much more "set up" for what you are trying to accomplish.  You may want to look into it.  As for the visa.... the Libyan embassy in the US has been giving the same song and dance for YEARS... you have to have a contact in Libya get the visa for you.  I thought that would change after the fall of the Gadhafi regime but no luck - same people there = same BS lack of proper procedures.

naiyersheen wrote:

What do you mean by evidence?and what evidence do you want to have if you dont want to live here. Yes it is safe here.

How do you decide that I do not want to live there?

My question is very simple: you said : "Everything will be settled within few months or year."

And I am asking you: how do you know that everything will be settled? For all I see, things are going from bad to worse. What is your evidence that things are improving? Through out the summer foreign missions were attacked and finally the US ambassador was murdered. There you have it, a line from bad to worse.
Now you tell me my friend, something that shows that things are settling.

This is not about loving, not loving, wanting to live or not. How do you know that things are improving, settling?
I hope this is more clear now.
fk

hi everybody, im from portugal, i ve been in 2009 and 2012 in Libia, its my wich to live and work there, the people are very kind, very hospitality, food very good... just love it. I think people talks because don t know the reality or never been there so they dont know how wonderfull the country is, in my country we had the same revolution we had a ditadure and know a democracy, takes time to change the things

I totally agree with you

Bernardete wrote:

hi everybody, im from portugal, i ve been in 2009 and 2012 in Libia, its my wich to live and work there, the people are very kind, very hospitality, food very good... just love it. I think people talks because don t know the reality or never been there so they dont know how wonderfull the country is, in my country we had the same revolution we had a ditadure and know a democracy, takes time to change the things

u r right, thanks though, you're welcome

Who can Help me? I ll need haidresser in tripoli, next december, can informe? And prices please? Os it expensive? And nails? Please ....

Salam Sis....

All this debate makes me want to say why not Saudia or UAE? Libya no doubt is a very religiously oriented place and for a muslim to re-locate from US and live life practicing Islam is amazing.

What you should also consider is language barrier, in UAE i know for a fact that Sharjah is preferred by alot of muslim and non-muslim families as a choice to stay while the work is in Dubai, you can get if not the best of everything but i can assure you pretty decent standards when it comes to Law & Order, Infrastructure, Education, Healthcare and the rest....

I guess i have clarified my opinion and suggestion enough....I wish you all the best for the move....and best of luck INSHAALLAH!


Regards,
Fahim

amandaburton1983 wrote:

Hi all!!
My family InshaAllah would like to move to Libya in September 2013. I am grateful you all are posting the cost of rent on Expat.com. Rent just AIN'T gonna cut it lol.

These inquiries are all per month.

Specifically speaking, I need an idea of cost of living in a unfurnished 2 bedroom villa or apartment in tripoli(nicer part of tripoli) that has a washer/dryer, dishwasher(not a must), air conditioning, semi quiet neighborhood at night at least(no im not talking about those american neighborhoods they just built in tripoli). I'm not wanting to spend more than $900.00 for electricity and rent. Is this a reasonable amount for what Im looking for?

Cost of necesities(toothpaste, toilet paper, good diapers and wipes for 2 kids, deodorant, clothing for 2 boys, 1 baby girl, one male and one female adult, underwear for all ages, abaya cost, gallabiya cost, cell phone cost per month for 300 minutes just for necesary communication.

Transportation cost. Im really surprised that out of all the blogs, that not one person posted the cost for a taxi after negotiation, how far that will get you in kilometers? I guess i mean from home to the local grocery store or any store to buy clothes or necesities, how much is the taxi cost after negotiation.

Communication/Internet.
How/where can one get a cell phone service and internet serice without paying alot of money? Do the living places have WIFI? Is it cheaper to get a landline?

Food!
I did see many people posting random items for food. Im looking to feed 4-5 people per month. mostly Vegetables and fruits and meat twice a week. Im not looking to eat out at restuarants as that can be expensive. Just main cost of getting these items at the grocery store or where ever they sell them....the streets?

Quick note:  I heard that its illegal in libya and the law..that libyan venders/food sellers are NOT ALLOWED to RAISE prices OF FOOD just because there is a foreigner buying. I know in egypt they raise the prices like 200% upon seeing an american or any foreigner.

...I guess im concerned that getting groceries will be a hardship on me and my family due to being overcharged? please tell me they vendors dont overcharge the foreigners!

Cost of furniture is covered...I read that its really cheap Alhamdolillah....

WHAT ABOUT TRANSPORTATION COST TO MOVE THE FURNITURE TO YOUR HOME!
I mean...how can you get a mattress to your home without a truck right!!

Thank you sooooooo much for reading this post. I hope I can get all my questions answered.

If you have any other ideas for other costs that I may have not inquired about, please feel free to add it!

Thanks
Amanda
Salam

hold on just a minute...lemme pull the number for Saks!!

Bernardete wrote:

Who can Help me? I ll need haidresser in tripoli, next december, can informe? And prices please? Os it expensive? And nails? Please ....

been here all the troubles and have 2 children here while it is not the safest place at the moment i have had no problems at all the people often go out of their way to help with anything you want you just need to ask as for prices it is differcult to tell what prices are as it is not the same from place to place  rent here is expensive but every thing else is the same or cheaper than in europe hope this helps a little

Regarding rent- just heard and confirmed that the houses, i.e villas are rented out pretty cheap these days. For example, our house which was off Gargaresh was 3000 Ldinar before and now the landlord cannot find a decent renter for 800 Ldinar. Two months into the revolution, he had asked us to leave his property if we are not renewing our contract. We begged him to keep the place and offered him to pay as soon as we return, but he had refused. I don't know what he was thinking in the middle of mayhem and chaos then, but now he is offering the same place to us for 800!!!. Unbeliavable!
So, there you are... in terms of the real estate market. What I am hearing is that places like Palm City etc, are still very, if not more expensive. I had never wanted to stay in those places four years ago. But now they are expensive, because they are safer, I guess?
fk