Mikayla McGhee is a self-proclaimed military brat. Both of her parents are in the U.S. Navy — her mom served 30 years, and her dad is still on active duty after 40 years.
“My life was moving around from military base to military base,” the 29-year-old American tells CNBC Make It.
McGhee spent most of her life living abroad in Japan, which, she says, led her to realize she wanted to make a life for herself outside of the United States.
“I was always working towards freedom, so I never knew exactly what I was going to do but I knew I wanted the freedom to be able to live wherever I wanted to and travel whenever I wanted to,” she says.
“Once you’ve experienced growing up abroad and you’re exposed to that, you continue to search for it. So moving back to the States after living in Japan, I always knew I wanted to live outside of the U.S. I just didn’t know how.”
In 2020, McGhee, who was living in Atlanta, Georgia, visited her parents in Bahrain, which is where her dad was stationed at the time. The country is located in the Persian Gulf and is home to the Naval Support Activity Bahrain, a U.S. military base.
McGhee first visited Bahrain in 2020 before moving fulltime in 2022.
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Before visiting the island for the first time, McGhee admits she had preconceived notions and didn’t actually know what to expect. But was pleasantly surprised, she says.
“The culture shock was that, actually, things were better, not worse. Don’t just believe what you’re told or what you see in the media because it’s nothing like that at all,” she says.
“It’s so calm. It’s so peaceful. There was never a time where I didn’t feel like I fit in or I was standing out as an expat. Every culture shock was a positive one.”
McGhee stayed for three months and says she fell in love with the country.
“I met so many great people. I didn’t want to go home, and as soon as I got home, I started planning how I was going to move because I knew I had to leave,” she says.
McGhee lives in a three-bedroom, four-and-a-half-bathroom home with a pool and one-car garage that rents for $2,200 USD a month.
Prakhar Deep Jain for CNBC Make It
That first trip to Bahrain is what led McGhee to make the full-time move over in December 2022. She lived in her parents’ three-bedroom home for six months before moving out on her own.
Now, McGhee lives near the capital of Bahrain, Manama, in a three-bedroom, four-and-a-half-bathroom home with a pool and one-car garage that rents for $2,200 USD a month.
She says she and her partner split expenses, though he pays the majority, while most of her money goes to savings and to the trips the couple takes together.
McGhee’s expenses also include groceries, which range from 25 to 60 BHD or $66 to $158 USD multiple times a week, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It. She also says she has the following bills:
Nails: 20 BHD or $53 Hair: up to 30 BHD or $79Cellphone: $150 USDStorage unit in Atlanta: $125 a month
Living in Bahrain while working East Coast hours
McGhee works as a senior performance marketing manager at an IT company and earns $140,000 a year, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It.
She works Eastern Standard Time, and her day usually starts at 5 to 6 p.m. local time. She ends her day between midnight and 1 a.m. local time.
“That was my biggest thing when looking for a new role. It was finding a place that would let me live anywhere and gave me the flexibility to work across time zones,” she says.
McGhee works as a senior performance marketing manager for an IT company.
Prakhar Deep Jain for CNBC Make It
Since McGhee earns her salary in USD, she still pays U.S. taxes. McGhee also uses the health insurance offered by her company, which still allows her access to Bahrain’s healthcare system.
When McGhee is free during the day she likes to work out, shop for groceries, and create content. She shares a lot of her life in Bahrain on TikTok to her over 64,000 followers.
“It is my duty to make sure that Americans know how great this country is,” McGhee says.
McGhee lives near the capital of Bahrain now.
Prakhar Deep Jain for CNBC Make It
McGhee says she doesn’t know if she will stay in Bahrain long-term, but she does know she wants to buy property around the country as real estate investments and have a permanent place for herself there, too.
“My life is 10 times better here. My happiness has skyrocketed. Even the weather alone has increased my mood,” she says.
“I will always want to have something that I can come back to, that I could call my home. Bahrain felt like home from the day I got here, so in order for me to leave, another place would need to do the same.”
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