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hi there, well i havent been too long either, just moved here about 6 months ago from Dubai..and i shipped all my furniture too..it didnt cost that much either so made sense to ship it, and plus i didnt want to lose out either...yes had a bit of an issue trying to get an apartment unfurnished, but there were also a fair bit of them "semi furnished" (which includes the kitchen appliances only) and i this is what i settled in for.. there really isnt a "big" difference, depends on location but it could be a difference of abt BD 100-300 and nothing more!

i would suggest, if shipping from US all the way to bahrain isnt too expensive then go ahead if thats what you would like to..

what you could also do is when looking for apartments, sometimes the landlords will rent it as fully furnished and if u ask them to take away the furniture a few of them are willing to do so...

so its not really difficult either way...its just more convenient to come with less baggage thats abt it!

hope it helps!

Thanks Shaz for your reply
few more questions, what is the normal lease term in Bahrain..six months or 1 year and how much deposit they ask for when you move in,,one month or two month deposit??  Is  it easier to get a car financed in Bahrain instead of paying cash?

I am just trying to see how much we have to pay upfront when we move in...thanx for your help

Dear american_monk,

To be honest with you, fully furnished flats usually look disgusting, as landlords buy cheap and old furniture... When we arrived here, we had a FF villa and didn't even dare sitting on the sofa!! We ended up buying stuff and still paying for a FF contract. Luckily, we managed to move quickly to a SF villa.

The normal lease term is 2 years, with the possibility of ending it if you leave Bahrain earlier. Be aware that landlords can legally increase the rent every 2 years, maximum up to 10%. Some places will agree on a 1 year contract though. Deposit asked is usually 1 month.

I can't really help about the cars, as I paid mine cash. I think it reallly depends on how long you plan to stay here. If it's only for 2 years or less, I would recommend a leasing. But if you stay longer than that, I guess buying it is cheaper at the end.

Many expats are leaving, due to the recent events. Therefore, you can get a nice car for little money!!

I hope you'll enjoy life here!!

american_monk wrote:

Thanks Shaz for your reply
few more questions, what is the normal lease term in Bahrain..six months or 1 year and how much deposit they ask for when you move in,,one month or two month deposit??  Is  it easier to get a car financed in Bahrain instead of paying cash?

I am just trying to see how much we have to pay upfront when we move in...thanx for your help

well lease depends really, it could be anything from a year to 2 years..most of them are 1 year with 3 months deposit. and then you pay monthly..the contract could be terminated with 1-2 months advance notice etc...depends on the landlords but ive found most of them to be pretty flexible...

well with regards to the car, its pretty easy to get financed with most banks. shouldnt be a problem at all!