Job offer in Kuwait for 4500USD

Hi,
I have a job offer in Kuwait for 4500USD. can anyone advise this is good salary to move to Kuwait?

I will be moving with wife and two kids. 1 school going and 1 not yet schooling.

Replies will be appreciated. My target is saving about 3kUSD per month. Is is possible as i heard Kuwait is a expensive country.

Regards
Abrar

welcome to Expat.com.

your goal seems hugely unrealistic, ur salary is good, but ur proposed saving is unrealistic. if u were moving here alone, maybe.

revise your numbers.

Hello Abrar
I have to agree totally with Legacy.

US$4500 = 1500KD

The accommodation can be quite expensive. With two kids and a wife, you would need at least a 2-bedroomed apartment which could cost you between 350 - 500KD a month. Even so, that's not a luxury apartment. Anything below 350KD will not be a good one.

What will you do with transport? You may need to buy a car. Cars are quite cheap here (compared to US, New Zealand, Australia and Malaysia).

School fees can be quite expensive too. A British or American private school for a primary kid can be ranging from 1800 - 2800KD a year.

I found groceries are reasonable. For a family of four would probably need between 250 - 300KD a month.

I hope that helps and yes you need to revise your numbers.

dear abrar
yr salary is almost equal to 1200-1300 Kuwaiti dinar.
I honestly think yr target can't b achieved because
accommodation of 2 bed = 280 dinar
food                   = 170 dinar
car
                        = cheaper
roughly,yr monthly cash out flow is 750-800 include school fees etc
cash inflow is                     = 1200
1200-800 = 400 saving= 1300 to 1400 usdollar saving.yr target is hard to achieve.
by the way Im Canadian citizen and wanna move to Kuwait,how can I get job offer in there.

I will appreciate any suggestion in this
connection.

was
salam

Khalil ahmed

khalilsakhi wrote:

by the way Im Canadian citizen and wanna move to Kuwait,how can I get job offer in there.

I will appreciate any suggestion in this
connection.


Hello khalilsaki - I suggest you to start a new thread on the Kuwait forum with your questions. This will allow better interaction. ;)

Thank you,
Aurélie

If it is 4500 US dollars a month .You can live very well if your benefit includes housing. You will have to pay tuition in a school and unless your wife works this can be costly.Food is very expensive in Kuwait and it is a struggle .Only teachers have the chance to really save because of tutoring after school. All others have to tighten their purse strings.
Good luck!

Your salary is good but you cant save more than $ 1,500 as per ur situation ;)

Good advice.
Thank you very much.you are very helpful to others.
May the Almighty bless you.

thanks all for your replies. i really appreciate detailed responses from you and it has clear my plan and way forward.....

It depends if the company will assist on housing or will give you company housing. secondly if you want your children will go to which school as the American and British are more expensive. Some companies pay for part of the tutition fees. It is expensive here but if you do proper planning you can save about 1500 to 2000  Kd a month depending on what the company covers. Will furnish you a car? Gas is cheap here.

Hi Lucky

One option that could make living costs cheaper is if your wife gets a TA (Teachers Assistant) job at one of the international schools.  This does not really pay well (KD 300 - KD 400) but it helps, but the real benefit is a discount on school fees, which probably is one of the biggest expenses in Kuwait for an expat family.  Some international schools have pre-KG classes, taking kids from about 2 1/2, so that is also an option, unless your wife would prefer to be at home.  The reality in Kuwait is that due to the lack of any outdoor activities (except in-door shopping!) being "stuck" at home all day long (with or without kids) can be quite a challenge.  Good luck with the move to Kuwait!

:o Kuwait Dinar is the most powerful currency in the world. However, Americans live well if they live like the locals. Living a life comparable to life in the US is quite expensive.

To put it into terms, the average Kuwaiti makes a salary of about KD12000 per year or about KD800-1000 monthly. This is equal to about $40,000 USD. A simply life costs about KD300 per month. Bare in mind, this is a no-frills life consisting of buying cheap food, no splurging, no shopping malls (American brands are super expensive), living in moderate homes, and limiting the use of taxis [that love to overcharges westerners].

Other than that, you should live well. Your salary is about the average salary for here.

Also, going back to back to what I said about Westerners getting overcharged. Be mindful that the Middle East is a bartering culture. Negotiate your ass off and NEVER take anything at listed price unless you're at a shopping center, i.e. a mall. Secondly, try not shop in the same places Americans and affluent Kuwaitis shop. The prices at these places are much higher. For example, a supermarket called The Sultan Center is more expensive in Fahaheel (a place frequented buy Americans) than The Sultan Center in Hawalli (where few Americans hang out). In fact, it's better to have a local friend shop for you because they usually pay a cheaper price.

I hope this help. A lot of these tips, I learned through trial and error. I know it'll work out for you!

Hi Khalil

It depends in which industry you work.  Kuwait is a small place, and connections are often made by word of mouth, so for that to happen, it is best to already be in Kuwait.  However, in certain industries where specifically qualified people are required, like engineers, teachers, retailers & managers, a CV is enough because it can show from a distance that a person would be able to do the job.  Having a Canadian passport helps, because Americans / Canadians often have the highest salaries here, and your name suggest that you are fluent in Arabic, so that would also help in those jobs where being bilingual is a requirement.

Thinking outside of the box, if you have connections in Canada, you could always attempt to start a business in Kuwait, by bringing an American or Canadian brand / service / product to Kuwait. Such western brands often require someone with expertise to make the connection in Kuwait.  Kuwaitis love new products, so if you can find out what the local market needs, then you may have a potential business plan.

In what industry are you?