Cost of living in Riyadh

hi larigos,

nobody can really add the numbers arbitrary, they will vary according to your life style/family count, but mostly a huge chunck is spent on accomedation and the car, then you have the grocaries/food/communications which is relatively cheaper compared to the UK.

if youd ask more specific questions, it will help you calculate the numbers more accuritaly ..

hope it works out for you.. 

Cheers,

@ larigos

Life down in Saudi Arabia is cheap.

I agree with Captain .. depends on your lifestyle basically .. what is a good offer for once could not be an appealing one for another..

when you said including accommodation .. do you mean you are being offered accommodation as part of the package or you have to arrange it from the stated offer ?

If that is the total lump sum offer.. then it would be a difficult to get a western compound..a good western compound is gonna cost you a minimum like 15 K GBP ..tat too with a waiting list..

accommodation is generally the biggest expense in Riyadh .. rest is kitchen and other entertainment expenses.. which again depends on your lifestyle..considering the amount of limited activities available . spending lavishly ( in my opinion )  is gonna set you back roughly around 1K GBP per month on entertainment..

Ok accomodation is included - there is myself wife and 2 children.  We don't have a lavish lifestyle in the uk so not expecting to live one there either. 

Is a car a necessity?  Also people seem to be saying there's not much to do apart from shopping and eating is this the case?

Also what things should I watch out for?is there anything I should get in place before coming out and what should I expect from my employers.  Also are there any local unspoken rules as such, I know there is alot of restrictions for women. Probably have more questions later on.

@largios: why dont you g through the earlier posts in the forum.. you will find most of what you are looking for already been discussed and some of them very recently..

like everybody else here, accomodation and the vehicle is the main expense and yes, you definitely need a vehicle. If you need any sort of life, you need a vehicle.

Apart from shopping and eating, there are thigns to do, but that all depends upon you. how do you usually spend your time back home in UK? Most of those things you will be able to get to do here as well..

Hi Larigos,

The cost of living is significantly cheaper than UK. Therefore with 45,000 UK sterling salary your standard of living will be much higher than the UK and you should be able to save.

The things you need to check on are:-
1. Accomodation - make sure it is sorted before you arrive; and your accomodation is on a compound.

2.Contract - please get a signed copy of your employment contract before you arrive.

3.Childrens schooling

Vehicle is going to be vital. Public transport is virtually non-existant. Using taxis full-time is an expensive option. (although it is going to take you a few weeks to get used to the traffic here, pre-warning you its horrendous)

good luck!