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Life as an Expat in Saudi Arabia - Your Guide to Thriving in 2025

By Ovalaute · 09 Dec ,2025 · Life at Home


Key Takeaways

  • Saudi Arabia in 2025 is a thrilling destination and dynamic place to live, blending bold adventures with rich cultural heritage. For the adventurous, diving the Red Sea’s coral reefs or camping under the vast Empty Quarter sky offers unforgettable experiences. Cultural festivals like AlUla’s Winter at Tantora and Riyadh Season draw millions, showcasing music, heritage, and international events including Formula 1. Golf enthusiasts find world-class courses in places like Sindalah and Aramco compounds.
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Epic Stuff to Do:

This place is a blast if you’ve got guts. Dive the Red Sea off Jeddah—SAR 300 (£65) bags you coral reefs that’d make Nemo jealous, per Saudi Press Agency. Camp the Empty Quarter—SAR 500 (£109) for a weekend under a star-soaked sky that’ll shut you up fast. Hit AlUla’s Winter at Tantora—rock tombs meet live music, pulling 2 million yearly, per Gulf News. Riyadh Season’s got concerts and Formula 1—30 million visitors aren’t here for the sand.Golf nut? Sindalah’s your jam, and compounds like Saudi Aramco’s Dhahran pack courses—11,000 residents can’t be wrong, per X buzz. Food’s a riot—SAR 5 (£1) shawarma’s a steal, or splash SAR 150 (£33) on Diriyah’s heritage feasts. It’s not a to-do list; it’s a dare.

Must-See Spots:

Saudi’s a time machine. Al Rajajil’s standing stones in Al Jawf—think Stonehenge with sunburn—are eerie as hell. Diriyah’s mud-brick UNESCO vibe, per UN Tourism, mixes old-school with luxe villas. Jeddah’s Al-Balad is a coral-stone maze—haggle for gold, dodge donkey carts. Riyadh’s Kingdom Centre Tower—SAR 69 (£15) to the Sky Bridge—shows a city clawing skyward. NEOM’s beaches and ambition, per its site, scream future. You’re not sightseeing—you’re time-traveling.

Top Experiences:

Saudi’s got soul. Sip cardamom coffee, free if a local offers; say yes. Crash a desert majlis for SAR 100 (£22) for tea and tales on cushions. Snag rose perfume in Taif SAR 50 (£11), or watch falcons rip the sky for SAR 200 (£44). Sail the Red Sea at dusk—pure gold. Ramadan’s magic—iftar feasts are communal joy; compounds tweak it with expat BBQs. It’s not touristy—it’s human, if you dive in.

Work Life:

Jobs here are a jackpot with grit. Oil, healthcare, tourism SAR 277,500 (£60,533) yearly’s average, tax-free, per X data. The Red Sea Project’s 8,000-room sprint, per U.S. Trade Administration, needs you yesterday. Expect 48-hour weeks, overtime on megaprojects—prayer breaks (five daily) pace it out. English flies, Arabic wins hearts.

The Cost of Living:

Here’s the math—Saudi’s kind if you’re clever. A family of four runs SAR 10,214 (£2,228) monthly sans rent, per X threads. Break it down:

Housing:Compounds rock—SAR 120,000 (£26,000) yearly for a Riyadh villa, bills in. Solo flat outside? SAR 40,000 (£8,700)—grittier, doable. Buying’s open since 2023, per Gulf News—cash rules, mortgages crawl.

Transport::Petrol’s SAR 2.33 (£0.51) a litre—SAR 50,000 (£10,900) car’s smart. Careem’s SAR 20 (£4) a ride; buses lag.

Healthcare: Private’s elite—Kingdom Hospital’s Western-grade, per AGBI—insurance’s SAR 5,000 (£1,090) yearly.

Schooling: British School Riyadh’s SAR 100,000 (£21,800) per kid—pricey but ace.

Utilities: Summer AC’s SAR 500 (£109) monthly—heat’s no joke.

No booze saves cash—coffee’s SAR 15 (£3). Live lean, save heaps—SAR 5,000 (£1,090) monthly stacks fast.

Day-to-Day:

Compounds are your cheat code—pools, gyms, expat vibes. Dhahran’s Aramco camp’s a city—11,000 strong, per X. Outside’s real—traffic’s a snarl, 45°C summers roast, but souqs buzz. Cars rule—SAR 50,000 (£10,900) buys freedom; public transport’s a ghost. Socially, it’s expat-powered—30,000 Brits grill and chill, per estimates. Locals? Warm if you try—“sala” (hi) breaks ice. It’s not dull—it’s yours to crack.

Ride the Wave:

That 30 million visitor flood—$2.65 billion in hotel cash for 2025, per Statista—sparks a property rush. Stays hit 6.3 nights, per Times Aerospace—rentals boom. Tourism’s 1.6 million jobs need homes—compounds grow, options multiply. You’re not just housed—you’re in a hot market.

Insider Tips:

Haggle at souqs—half-off’s fair. Sip camel milk—SAR 10 (£2), weirdly good. Desert camp with Bedouins—SAR 300 (£65), unreal. Skip peak heat—May to September’s a furnace. Ramadan? Stock snacks—iftar’s late. It’s not in the guidebook—it’s gold from the ground.

Saudi Arabia’s a beast—big wins, big quirks. You’ll bank cash, chase dunes, and live a story—100 million tourists in 2024 say it’s real, per UN Tourism. Costs? Manageable—SAR 10,000 (£2,181) monthly builds a fortune. Heat bites, rules pinch, but the rush? Unmatched. In 2025, it’s wide open—a desert stage for bold moves. Grab it.

 

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