Baku, Azerbaijan Report of what it's like to live there - 08/22/23
Personal Experiences from Baku, Azerbaijan
Background:
1. Was this post your first expatriate experience? If not, what other cities have you lived in as an expat?
This is my first expat experience.
2. What is your home city/country? How long is the trip to post from there, with what connections? How easy/difficult is it to travel to this city/country?
Home country is the U.S. It took about 25 hours to arrive in Baku.
3. What years did you live here?
2022-2024.
4. How long have you lived here?
Nine long months. 13 months to go
5. What brought you to this city (e.g. diplomatic mission, business, NGO, military, teaching, retirement, etc.)?
Diplomatic Mission
Housing, Groceries & Food:
1. What is your housing like? What are typical housing sizes, locations, and commute times for expatriates?
If you find yourself assigned to live in the Turkish Red Bricks, it's essential to brace yourself for what could be a challenging living situation. If possible, consider requesting an alternative housing community to avoid potential hardships. There is no sense of privacy because you can always hear people that are above you, below you, and adjacent to you. The master bedrooms are adjacent to the neighbor’s kitchen and if we were fluent in Azerbaijani then we would be able to understand what they are talking about. Moreover, the ceaseless construction activities taking place round-the-clock contribute to a perpetual background noise that can make it feel as if the construction is happening right within your own apartment. The acoustics within these buildings seem to amplify every sound, magnifying the disturbance.
From day 1, we’ve had constant issues with our apartment like broken door handles, leaking A/C units, bathroom sinks smelling like sewage every day, and leaking warming racks. We’ve had gray water leak from the apartment above ours into our master bathroom twice. Each time we reached out about it, initially we would be told it was a drainage/sewage pipe leaking and then ten minutes later we were being told it’s not. So, no one can ever give you a solid answer.
If you do have a handyman, come over to fix an issue, make sure you put away all your towels and rags, because they will use them without even asking you, and make sure they clean up after themselves, because they will leave a mess.
One silver lining frequently mentioned in relation to the Turkish Red Bricks is their proximity to the Embassy. However, it's worth noting that these commendations typically come from individuals residing in more favorable housing areas. If you were to approach them about swapping accommodations, chances are they'd swiftly decline, fully aware of the subpar living conditions.
2. What household or grocery items do you wish you had shipped to post?
Honestly you can get everything shipped in from Amazon pretty easily minus a few things, but most the times we are just ordering coffee, flushable wipes and few smaller things.
Daily Life:
1. How do you send and receive your letters and package mail? Are local postal facilities adequate?
We use the DPO.
2. What is the availability and cost of household help, and what types of help are typically employed by expatriates?
Maid services, cooks, and drivers are very affordable here in the Baku.
3. What kinds of gyms or other sports/workout facilities are available? Are they expensive?
There are a lot of gyms here and they cost about the same as you would pay back in the U.S. but their standards of clean and gym etiquette is very poor in my opinion. Another important thing to note about the gyms here are their operating hours. The gym we go to opens at 0700 and closes at 2300, but I’ve heard of other gyms opening at 1000 and closing at 2000-2100, and there are no gyms here are 24 hours.
4. Are credit cards widely accepted and safe to use locally? Are ATMs common and do you recommend using them? Are they safe to use?
Apple pay works pretty well here. US visa cards work a solid 60% of the time, and it you have a AMEX card it is completely useless here.
5. How much of the local language do you need for daily living? Are local language classes/tutors available and affordable?
You definitely need to know or learn the local language to get around. People here primarily speak Azerbaijani and Russian. They speak some English, but they mainly know common words like, “yes, no, thank you, you’re welcome, and bye,” If you live in the Absheron or close to fountain square/downtown area more locals speak better English, but if you leave outside of that area you need to know a basic amount of Azerbaijani or Russian to get you around. Google Translate will become your best friend.
6. Would someone with physical disabilities have difficulties living in this city?
Yes! People with physical disabilities will have a difficult time living in Baku. The side walks have a lot of broken tiles, uneven, and there aren't any wheelchair ramps.
Transportation:
1. Are local buses, trams, trains or taxis safe and affordable?
Bolt is going to be your #1 taxi service. Its pretty cheap and affordable, but I will recommend that you use the Comfort+ and Business options because the Eco rides are not safe. The seatbelts never work except for the drivers, the license plate and vehicle information is never correct majority of the time, and it smells like 50 year-old ashtray.
2. What kind of vehicle(s) including electric ones do you recommend bringing to post, given the terrain, infrastructure, availability of parts, burglary/carjacking risks, etc.? What kind of car or vehicles do you advise not to bring?
We don't really drive a lot because Baku is a very walkable city, plus the driving situation here is pretty terrible, but if you were to bring a car I would say bring a Sedan. Alleyways, streets, and parking garages are very small compared to the U.S. If you have an all electric vehicle I highly recommend you do not bring it. there aren't any charging stations any where in the city and if you live in an apartment complex there is 100% chance that there will not be a charging station or dock, nor will they install one for you.
Phone & Internet:
1. Is high-speed home Internet access available? How long does it typically take to install it after arrival?
In my opinion, internet here is not great compared to what you can get in the U.S, but it is very affordable. The fastest speeds you can get is 100mbps. You will get constant internet outages and most of the times it will occur at the exact same time of every single day and every month it that time will change. If you don't have VPN service I highly recommend you get one before arriving here.
2. Do you have any recommendations regarding mobile phones? Did you keep your home-country plan or use a local provider?
Once you arrive to Baku you have to report your phone with your IMEI number to the government which (to me) is really strange, but it seems to be another way to track your information. I use Bakcell and I got SIM card from them. the plans are super cheap, but nothing is unlimited unless you're using WhatsApp which is common for everyone to use here.
When you pay for your phone plan you have to put cash into kiosks that are all over the city.
Health & Safety:
1. What is the air quality like at post (good/moderate/bad)? Are there seasonal air quality issues? Does the air quality have an impact on health?
Air quality here is constantly bad.
Expat Life:
1. Is this a good city for LGBT expatriates? Why or why not?
If you’re LGBTQI+ then definitely stay as far away from this post as you possibly can. Its not acceptable in Azerbaijan and you can be arrested for showing any PDA. They seem to openly hate the LGBT community.
2. What have been the highlights of your time in this country? Best trips or experiences?
Go out of Azerbaijan if you want to travel.
Words of Wisdom:
1. Knowing what you know now, would you still move to this city?
100% no.
