My accommodation and lunch are provided. Thanks. Thanks to Ramadan & Polaris, that's most useful! I live in the UK. Just one more question please - is it safe to use tapwater for drinking or does one have to stock up on bottled water? How about salad vegetables, are they safe to eat if washed?
Saudi Arabia - 2 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
Saudi Arabia can be very cheap or extremely expensive. It depends on you and how you choose to spend your money. In general, American fast food chains are the same price here as they are in the US. There are many good cheap Saudi restaurants. There are some nice sit-down restaurants too. Groceries are about the same or less than you pay in the US. But, there isn't a lot of prepared or frozen meals, so you have to buy the ingredients and make it yourself. There is a store called Tamimi/Safeway that sells a LOT of American imported groceries. Some of the prices are reasonable, but some are just too much to me...like $10 for a box of cereal is too much for me, but I guess if it's your fav. then you might pay that much. Clothes and shopping...if you want good quality, then you'll pay the same or more than you would when shopping in the US or Europe. It seems they raise the prices above what you would normally pay in the country from which it's imported. But, if you shop when there's a sale, you can find some good deals. But, there aren't sales here all the time like there is in the US. I really think it's best to bring as many clothes as you can from home rather than relying on shopping here. Oh, and stock up on undergarments before you come because it's men working in the shops, and it's not comfortable shopping for them here. _______________________ Drinking water - well, the water in Riyadh isn't salty, and in most places it's clean enough for drinking and cooking. Many places have water delivered in trucks and it's stored in tanks on top of the building/house instead of having water piped in. That water is supposed to be clean and safe. Some places have a separate tap for drinking water. I personally drink the water in my in-laws house in Riyadh. I know other women living in Riyadh who only drink bottled water, but they cook and clean with tap water. I think it's personal choice and what you feel comfortable with. Bottled water is fairly cheap here, so if you want to drink bottled water, the cost isn't going to kill you. Salad veggies - I've never had any problems. All the produce here is good and the prices are generally good. My only complaint is sometimes it's hard to find good fresh produce in some of the supermarkets, but that was in Khobar, not Riyadh, so I'm not sure about all the produce in Riyadh. I know there are some very good shops that sell fresh produce. One that I shopped in sells organic produce grown in Saudi Arabia from the Qasim region. They have a good selection and good prices and everything is very fresh.
2 :
I have visited many countries before but believe me riyadh is different in that there are many choices in living. you will find many different stores everywhere to sell clothes, foods and everything you want with different prices. but the thing you should know where to go. Anyway it depends where you come from (European or Asian country) so you will find the difference between your country and Saudi. nowadays the prices has been grown up especially for accommodation but still there are alot of choices. welcome in Riyadh :)
