130 CultureShock! Egypt
neighbourhood. Garden City has no private school for
English-speaking children.
Zamalek has some of the best shopping and restaurants
in Cairo. It is located on the northern end of Gezira
Island and is home to the famous Gezira Sporting Club,
public green areas and a new public library (the Greater
Cairo Library). The British International School is located
in Zamalek.
All in all, living in Egypt can be relatively inexpensive, but
the cost can rise rapidly depending on the choices you make.
Prices can range from absurdly low to very high, depending
on what you want. One thing for certain, if you hire a rental
agent to find you a flat, once you tell them how much you
plan to spend (or how much your company has allowed you),
you may be assured that every flat you see will be within
E£ 100 of whatever amount you told the agent, whether it
is worth that amount or not. How do I know this is true?
You guessed it—I learned the hard way! The questions I got
from the agent that set me up to pay a high price for my flat
were: do you have a housing allowance from your employer?
How much? I answered each question truthfully and, funnily
every single flat I visited (big or little) was about the same
price—exactly my housing allowance or more. I am not totallyFinding Housing
You may need your passport for identifi cation.
Find a building in a neighbourhood you like and ask
the doorman (boheb) if anything is available or get a
rental agent to fi nd you a fl at.
A rental agent works on commission and will get a
commission of one or two month’s rent, so the higher
the rent, the more money they make!
Ask if the price includes electricity, water, gas, phone
and trash pick-up (and get it stated in the lease).
Find out from neighbours how much should you tip
the boheb each month.