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scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

Some people have dependants. We have not all taken oaths of celibacy !

bigdurian · Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2014 11:01 am Post subject:

[quote="psychedelicacy"][quote]Assuming that people are spending about $1,000 a month from their salaries: [/quote]

Unlikely you'll spend that much in Saudi. I spend that in Qatar, which is not only a bit more expensive than Saudi but also has bars and nightclubs. If you include holidays and divide those costs by 12 months, then certainly your costs go up, but $1,000 is 3,750 SAR, and I fail to see why someone would spend that much per month in Saudi. Saudi Arabia is likely to be the cheapest place you've ever seen.[/quote]

you're obviously on your own then, not everyone is.

sicklyman · Joined: 02 Feb 2013 Posts: 930

psychedelicacy must be Icelandic to recommend Saudi as the cheapest place we've ever seen. If you want to stay fit and healthy here, eating well will cost you. If you have dependents here, medical insurance and education will cost you. If you want to live somewhere half decent, that will cost you. My rent is just shy of $1000 a month... but then access to a gym and a pool that haven't been trashed by local kids is worth that to me.

What I think psychedelicacy must mean is that it CAN be cheap here. Let's remember that you can also lose your mind here... as can your dependents!

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

And one o0f the ways of losing your mind is to become obsessed with living on the minimum. All these jokes about the "500 Club" have a basis in reality. Some people go crazy in KSA and do not find the road back to Sanity.

johnslat · Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2014 7:12 pm Post subject:

Dear scot47,

What Saudi can do to EFLers runs the gamut: some come as drunks but go home sober, some come sober, and go home drunks.

Some come hot-tempered, but go home patient. Some just the reverse.

I guess a lot depends on what you bring to it - and you may not even know what that is.

Regards,
John

Rostom · Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2014 7:28 pm Post subject:

psychedelicacy · Joined: 05 Oct 2013 Posts: 180 Location: Beijing

bigdurian · Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2014 4:15 am Post subject:

Plenty of countries in Asia far cheaper than Saudi for food and rent. Petrol not as cheap there though!

bigdurian · Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2014 4:17 am Post subject:

[quote="johnslat"]Dear scot47,

What Saudi can do to EFLers runs the gamut: some come as drunks but go home sober, some come sober, and go home drunks.

Some come hot-tempered, but go home patient. Some just the reverse.

I guess a lot depends on what you bring to it - and you may not even know what that is.

Regards,
John[/quote]

All of that is just like anywhere, it's what happens to people in life. There is no magical Saudi effect.

nomad soul · Joined: 31 Jan 2010 Posts: 11454 Location: The real world

naturegirl321 · Joined: 04 May 2003 Posts: 9041 Location: home sweet home

And there are no taxes!

fledex · Joined: 05 Jun 2011 Posts: 342

Things aren't expensive in Saudi. I can live a pretty comfortable life there on about $1,000 a month, including stuff ordered from abroad and a couple vacations out of the kingdom per year. However, I did the same in most other places I've been. So can't say that Saudi is any better or worse for saving. There are definitely better places to live, though. So, I'd say make sure you have a really high paying job before you come to make it worthwhile and still have a bit of a life.

bigdurian · Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2014 7:32 am Post subject:

[quote="nomad soul"][quote="bigdurian"]Plenty of countries in Asia far cheaper than Saudi for food and rent. Petrol not as cheap there though![/quote]
However, housing is covered in Saudi Arabia.[/quote]

This true, but going from my own experience of living in Saudi and Asia I would say that we spend more in a month here than we did there. We probably live on around 5000 SAR a month here which is a bit more than before, and we paid rent before too. The difference is in the disposable income left at the end of each month.

Yasuke · Joined: 10 Jan 2014 Posts: 178

nomad soul · Joined: 31 Jan 2010 Posts: 11454 Location: The real world