I know that acceptable salary levels are different for everyone so I've decided to ask instead about monthly expenses. I've done some reading and the profile below is what I come up with as a monthly expense profile specific for us (BHD per month). We are a family of 3 (husband, wife, young child). There are a few questions that follow after the breakdown.
Rent - 900
Housing Tax - 90
Utilities - 50
Cable/Internet - 55
Car payments - 250
Car Insurance – included in payments?
Fuel - 25
Nursery School - 220
Mobile phones (2) - 40
Food - 300
Entertainment - 175
Miscellaneous – 175
Total: 2,280
We would want a 2-bedroom apartment (unfurnished), but are not sure of the area where yet. A budget of 900 BHD seems high for some areas, but not enough for others. Right?
What kind of car could we get for 250/mo? I'm thinking a long-term rental is more convenient than buying. Is the figure enough? Would insurance be included?
I know fuel is cheap, but I have no idea on how much we'd use so I completely guessed on that. Also, with no real public transportation system, I wonder if one car is enough? My wife wouldn't plan to work, but she would need a car for to/from school and activities with our child. Unless living very close to work I might need a car too then.
The food and entertainment items are really wildcard items. I have no idea on these! I know what we spend now, but it is not very relevant since we currently live in a very different place. In short, we like to eat well (i.e. good quality foods (including meat, vegetables, and fruits) and an overall pretty healthy diet). As for entertainment, we like to do as many activities for our child as possible (don't need so much for ourselves).
Any specific comments on all of this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Monthly Budget
Halve your rent
Kia Rio brand new BD160 fully inclusive
Fuel BD10 a week if you travel long distances, cost about BD4 for a tank of fuel in the Kia
Cable about 55
Internet 35
Food 200
Rest looks about okay
Just about to run out of the door or I would have been more specific
Unfurnished apartments come very cheap but it's also not so easy to find. Most places are furnished. Car insurance will be included in rent. The rest, I agree with Jo. Unless you want an SUV, you should reduce the budget on your car.
Car in Bahrain very important ,Taxi are expensive . For flat is the best to choose good area like juffair or new Busiteen .
Also agree with Jo but I do think you will end up with 2 cars. Your wife will feel very isolated is she is stuck in an apartment with a small child, it is extremely unlikely that you will find a place to live to fit in with work, school and activities, so in fact you may need to add to the car budget.
Thanks for all the replies so far!
The car seems like an issue. I'd prefer something a little more than a Kia Rio, but it is starting to seem like two cars might be required. Along those lines, are private drivers willing to not work full-time, but rather regularly drive one to work in the morning and take them home at night? If so, any idea on reasonable rates for this? Seems it would be cheaper than a taxi to/from work everyday, right?
About housing - I didn't realize unfurnished is so rare. But let me ask this - what is the local definition of unfurnished and semi-furnished? From the photos I see on the property websites it almost seems unfurnished is without appliances even whereas semi-furnished includes them. Most semi-furnished places seem to have no actual furniture in the photos though. This is what we would want and what we call "unfurnished."
I also understand that utilities are sometimes include in rent. I'm leaving them in my budget, but it would be a bonus if not having to pay them!
200 for food for a family of 3 that doesn't like to skimp on quality food seems a little low to me, but that's why I'm asking those that know! I still think I'll only reduce it to 250 though.
Finally, my combined total of 350 for entertainment and miscellaneous is a big guess. I know it totally depends on what one chooses to do, but any comments on this would be great. For example, any idea what a membership to a private beach runs?
Thanks again.
Yes you could of course employ a private driver to take you to and from work. The prices vary and it will of course depend on distance. My son uses a private driver (to enable his very wonderful social life) and he would charge him 5bd from our home in Janabiya to Manama but that is just an indication.
You are right - semi furnished means white goods; washing machine, fridge freezer, sometimes a dishwasher and microwave, and normally curtains and all light fittings. Furnished means everything. Utilities are sometimes included so if you see "inclusive" that's what it means - you would normally get your municipality tax and electricity (up to a limit) and sometimes internet and tv packages - all worth negotiating for.
Food is not generally expensive here unless you want to shop completely in the "expat" shops where you are paying top price for pretty much the same as everywhere else. We are a family of 5 (3 boys from aged 4-16) and we average about 60-90bd a week on groceries (excluding alcohol!)- we certainly eat well and that includes their school lunches at 2bd each a day.
Entertainment is on the expensive side. Indoor play area's for kids are not the cheapest - can be between 3 and 6bd an hour. You dont say how old your little one is but other activities such as tennis, swimming, football etc are approximately 10-15bd an hour.
Club prices depend on what you are looking for - the usual expat clubs come in about 250bd a year but if you want the ones with beaches such as the Sofitel etc you are looking at in excess of 1000bd a year plus top prices for drinks and food.
Hope that helps.
Articles to help you in your expat project in Bahrain
Opening a local bank account is essential for receiving your salary. The Wage Protection System (WPS) is designed ...
Bahrain allows anyone who resides in the country to get married, irrespective of nationality or religion. The ...
Expats love the freedom and convenience of driving, and many choose to purchase or rent their own car. But ...
One of the decisions to make when relocating to a foreign country is what to do about pets. For many expats, there ...
According to the World Bank Group report for 2019, Bahrain lies 3rd out of 20 nations, for ease of doing business ...
Bahrain draws expats from all over the world, in large part due to its generous taxation laws. Workers in Bahrain ...
