Cost of Living

It just depends on your own personal standard of living.

I know entire (small) Jordanian families ( 3-4 household #) that live off of  550 JDs a month, both parents work, leave their kids and the grand parents house, and they have a car, and an apartment which THEY furnished for 50-80 JDS a month. SO it depends on LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION. --They live very comfortably.

Those people live in a small village or in Madaba, or Jerash. Or another situation could be this if you really really wanna go cheap:

Rent a normal average home (unfurnished in Jerash) for like 40-100jds/mo -(I'm sure if you are a foreigner they'll charge more but if you're Jordanian from that area you'll usually pay only about 40-80 JDs depending on the exact location ofcourse. In my husbands village we can rent a 2 bedroom house with a kitchen and two baths for like 50JDs/Month.

Fouad and I are going to be doing just that, because otherwise there is just no way.

Furnishing an apartment is going to need like 150 JDs down, and then you pay 40 JDs a month for like 4 -5 years (1800JD loan). And the other stuff like dishes, gas...that's also where it adds up. Dishes (about 30JDs) and then a Gas Tank (a small one cause thats all they use there ) is another 50 JDs.

So I can move into an apartment, furnish it and survive for a year for well under 1500 JDS. But we are probably not going to buy gas, and instead we will by a small electric stove for only like 25JDs. And then furntiture--i'm just going to buy a good fridge, and some arabic furniture, and then a simple guest sitting area. Maybe a cheap rug (30 JDs).

So it's like--if you are looking for a simple lifestyle like the locals ( I mean locals --I mean NORMAL majority LOCALS --not the people of Amman LOCALS --Locals in Amman are known to be wealthy(1500 JDs + /month). And the majority of Jordan IS NOT at all even close to being wealthy.

Native Jordanians are usually very poor and live below the poverty level line. So don't think that everyone is like what you see in Amman. Most of those who are rich in Amman are either
1.Palestinians who sold their land to Israelies for millions and so they brought their riches to Amman for a better life.
2.Iraqis who brought their wealth with them to Jordan to settle down with  or to temporarily live here with.
3.Some are from the Gulf (Saudi's, ect)
4.Some are just people who had relatives in the US who worked and then they came back with all this money saved up after leaving their families behind for years at a time.
5. Private business owners fro Syria, Egypt...ect.

These people only make up about perhaps 15% of the population ( maybe even much less ).

In general, Jordanians struggle to live. They have to usually work very hard some end up selling their own land just to support their kids and get them through college. Native Jordanians are usually the ones who have the hardest time because they have to compete with the wealthy newcomers( usually Iraqis ) to Jordan who spike up rent prices and just the prices in general. LIke I can go to Jerash, and with 10 JDs by an entire months worth of vegetables. But 10JDs in the Waha circle will only get you a weeks worth of fruits and vegetables.

Fouad and I used to get our veggies from Jerash cause they are much much much more cheaper then Amman in general.

People usually eat meat on Fridays. LIke they'll make Mansaf, or Magloubah or Kebsah. And usually those are the days that they spend their money for meat...like (10 JDs for chicken ect.) So that's how Jordanians survive. And they do it quite well. I LOVE their food --it's sooo simple, and just sooo good. There's nothing like sliced tomatoes in corn oil or ghazal...it's just so simple and filling.

Normal  or average Jordanians usually don't go to malls(unless the live in Amman), and go to pubs and stuff like we foreigners are accustomed to doing .  They usually go and have barbecue picnics with family, or a three day weekend in Aqaba, every once in a blue moon -usually that's what they like to do for fun. So there you go. Jordanian Life.