Saudi Arabia
Day to Day Living in Saudi Arabia
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Day-to-day Living in Saudi Arabia
Transport
This section will be especially important for women - who are not allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia whatsoever. Women may also only travel by car if accompanied by a husband, male relative, or male driver. Most expatriate compounds have a bus service to schools, shops, etc. Woman can use this service freely. Saudi Arabia recently underwent a contemporisation of its road network, and it is now of a very high standard. Buses regularly operate in cities and towns, and is mainly used by locals. Women cannot travel on these city buses.
For travel between Saudi Arabia's main cities, it is not uncommon to take an air flight. Distances can be vast.
Cuisine
No pork. No Booze. Sounds hard, right? Well, it's a sacrifice you have to make in this otherwise inviting food culture. Lamb, chicken, falafel, pitta, sharwarma - that kind of thing all feature heavily, as do spices and marinades.
Cost
The cost of living in Saudi is not dissimilar to most European countries, maybe a little cheaper. Electrical products, food, booze and cigarettes are all less expensive, whereas you'll collect extra costs over the summer on things like air conditioning.
Utilities
It's not unusual to have electricity and water bills included in your rent. Gas is not really available, so canisters are generally employed if needed.
Boiling water for drinking is not uncommon either, although tap water is generally considered safe. The water in Saudi is fluoridated; this can be a good or bad thing, depending on which side of the argument you reside. Alternatively, bottled water is available everywhere.
Sociality
Saudi Arabia adheres strictly to the rules of the Quran: Islam. Therefore the consumption of alcohol and pork is forbidden. Tobacco is allowed, but frowned upon. You can decide whether to adhere to these religious/social rules at your own discretion.
So providing you're not blowing smoke or cooking bacon in front of them, Saudi's, on the whole, are a very affable and altruistic people.
Dress is another social issue: nationals customarily wear long, loose garments. This is based on the hijab custom, which promotes modesty. Men invariably adopt ankle-length, cotton shirts called thwabs. It is accompanied by either a check-shirt which is known as the keffiyeh or a ghutra. For women it is mandatory to wear a niquab; a veil.
Accommodation
Not dissimilar to that of the UK. You're looking at £600 a month for a one bedroom apartment. It is nigh on impossible for a foreigner to buy property in Saudi. Even if you managed it, contracts only have a maximum longevity of a few years, so it hardly seems worthwhile. The sale of property to foreigners used to be prohibited, and even though this is no longer the case, it is still very hard to be sold a house for anything under a million pounds.
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