Tahir84

I could not find much on accommodation costs in Dammam, quite a few threads on Riyadh and Jeddah accommodation. Are the costs similar, higher or lower in comparison to Riyadh and Jeddah?


Also, the biggest downside I have found on Dammam (in relative terms) is humidity. and the biggest positive is its proximity to Bahrain. I lived in Jeddah during my childhood/teenage years for a period of 16 years and would take up any offer in Jeddah region however I have waited long enough and now considering eastern region and Riyadh too. As long as Dammam is not too different from Jeddah, I will be as happy as I can be.
the package on the table (currently, as its early days) is 135K per year which includes the accommodation. other standard benefits incl. medical insurance for family, flights back to UK etc.
We have a 21 months son and another baby due in May 2017. Regarding school fees, what should I consider?

Milana2013

Hi,

Dammam is not like Jeddah. Jeddah is full of activities and open minded.
Are they offering you the coumpound? if not accomodation is around 20-25 000 per year for a 2 bedrooms appart
For the school fees, depends if you are looking for an international school with american, british curriculum or something more "local"

Tahir84

I didn't think it would be as good as Jeddah but would it be fair to say that it is better than Riyadh?
Just to confirm that the package is £130 - 135K per year. No additional amount for accommodation i.e. this is including accommodation. Other benefits are additional as per the original post.
Schooling I prefer on British curriculum, what sort of fees am I looking at. Are the prices fixed for reception (if there is such thing out there), nursery, primary or these go higher with the year?

nottmbantam

There is a British School in Dhahran, have you tried a Google search?

Dhahran British Grammar School


Would imagine accommodation is cheaper than Riyadh, compounds are relatively expensive , could be anything from 100k SR a year for 2 bed to 300k for 3 bed.

Tahir84

notmbantam
many thanks for the info on school, gives me a good idea of school fee which I will need to consider from next year. It ain't cheap though.
Would £130K cut it for at least 2/3 years with 1 child starting school next year? Or is it worth asking for more.

Tahir84

Also how much would it cost if I live off compound, are villas rented? if yes what sort of prices these go for.

nottmbantam

Living off compound is way cheaper. You can probably get a very large detached villa for around 80-90k. Apartments tend to be very spacious too, and a good one will be around 40-50k. I know plenty of families (husband/wife+three kids ) who have more than enough room in an apartment.

The downside is that these tend to be unfurnished, so you may have to equip the place with AC units, kitchen appliances and some even do not have kitchen cabinets fitted.

The general concept of 'fully furnished' here in KSA means that the living unit has A/C and kitchen cabinets.

You need to go look at a few to get a feel of what you get for your money, and of course, some will vary in regard to what is supplied.

Bear in mind, the Saudi style of house usually means quite small windows , high walls and very little outdoor space in terms of garden, with apartments having none at all.

All depends on how much you want to spend. There are always people leaving the Kingdom, so most household items can be bought used, or if you're not into that, you can always buy new and then sell once you've done with it.

Compounds have their own lifestyle which of course, come at a (high) cost. If you can manage living off compound, its a different way of life but a lot cheaper.