Offer of employment in Riyadh - thoughts please?

Hi Vishal,

You are right in believing that compound living in Riyadh is expensive. You'll also find that some compounds are very popular and have long waiting lists.

Have a look at our Accomodation in Riyadh page for more details on compounds in Riyadh.

Expats find that buying a car in Saudi Arabia is relativley cheap. Naturally, being in the Middle East you'll also find that petrol prices are good. It should be possible to find a second hand car for SAR 1000, but lots of expats choose to invest in a good car or 4X4 so they can explore the desert. I would advise you to read this page on Buying a Car in Saudi Arabia for more details. It explains the process and documents needed for purchasing a car in Saudi Arabia.

Finally, take a look at the Expat Arrival's Cost of Living in Saudi Arabia page for a good overview of the expenses you can expect.

Good luck.

Thanks Shantalie - your comments are much appreciated. From your experience do you think the basic salary is sufficent to save a good amount of money for a Westerner? We would be wanting to save at least 8,500 SAR a month to make it worthwhile to move from the UK. Any thoughts would be helpful.

SR5000 as housing allowance is good as the norm is 25% of the basic salary. However, it's not enough to get into a decent compound and hence most companies offer a different housing allowance for westerners who want to live in a compound. For example, they will offer the chance to rent up to SR120,000 on a compound. If you want to buy a car through instalments you will need to have completed 3 months with your company (this is your probation period). A mid range sedan / saloon car is SR2000 per month. Running expenses are very cheap. The main other expense is schooling which most companies provide an allowance towards. All other expenditure is very low and you should easily save your target.