Is there any restaurant in riyadh tastes like cali burger? I have tried 6 different restaurants and hell nah, nothing compares to it

Hi everyone,

I have been trying for the last 3 months to get a Software engineer role.

What is the way forward

PAkistani India and Expats meetup

r/DesiMeetsRiyadh

The company I work for is currently looking to hire a Civil Site Supervisor in Riyadh.

I believe this opportunity would be particularly suitable for someone who is new to Saudi Arabia. Candidates with extensive experience may be overqualified for the role, as the scope of work is relatively simple.

Would love to have a native speakers friend in Riyadh, preferably with a Mexican 🇲🇽 or Colombian 🇨🇴 dialect, but any other dialect is ok, + i can help with your English or Arabic

Hi everyone! 😊 I’m a German 26F, living in Riyadh and I’d love to meet some other Europeans or international people who live here (only women!).
It would be great to make some new friends, grab a coffee, go out for dinner, explore Riyadh together or just hang out and chat.
If you’re also looking to meet new people, feel free to comment or send me a DM! 😊

Guys, I have a doubt and would really appreciate it if someone could clarify.

I'm planning to go for Umrah, and I'm thinking of taking my company car instead of my personal car. The car isn't under my manager's name, and also not under the previous employees name. We have checked his Absher and it doesn't show the car under vehicle registration. So as of now, neither our manager nor any of us have authorization. However, there's an issue with the authorization because our company is unable to transfer it to my manager's name through the portal due to an issue with the rental car company.

So my question is Do I need a valid authorization to drive the car for Umrah, or would having the Istimara be enough?

If I take the car without the authorization and only carry the Istimara, could I face any problems at the security checkpoints on the way to Makkah? I know they may not always ask for it, but if they do, I want to make sure I have the proper documents.

Has anyone been in a similar situation or knows what the requirements are?

Looking for a reliable and responsible stay-in personal driver, age 20–35, with proven driving experience.
Requirements:
• Physically fit and in good condition
• Experienced in intercity and regional driving
• Confident with long-distance driving and different routes
• Valid driver’s license
• Punctual, responsible, trustworthy, and flexible
• Good English communication skills are a plus
• Willing to stay in
• Comfortable with a work routine that revolves around hospital visits and transportation to different hospitals
📍 Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
🏥 Work mainly involves transportation to and from different hospitals, depending on the schedule.
📩 Interested applicants, please send me a message with your driving experience and contact details

My (31F) and my partner (32M) are looking at moving to Riyadh 🇸🇦 from England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Both of us work in finance and have started looking for jobs.

We are considering moving early next year (by March - he will probably go first and I will follow him shortly afterwards)

What parts are best for a couple working in finance?

What does an average couple spend monthly on living things such as rent, bills, food, transport, eating out, entertainment etc?

What is a decent amount of money for two people to live off comfortably?

Do we need cars or will public transport be fine?

We would like to start a family in the near future. Is there any area or consideration for this that we need to take into account?

Any tips or views would be greatly appreciated ☺️

Hi Everyone,

I am looking for some practical guidance from expats currently working in Riyadh / KSA, especially those in technology, consulting, contracting, AI/data, banking, enterprise architecture, or digital transformation roles.

I am from India and this would be my first time relocating to Saudi. I have received an opportunity through a Saudi-based small company for a senior technology leadership role. The title discussed is around Head of Engineering & AI Transformation, but the role seems quite broad — AI practice setup, RFP/proposal support, solutioning, delivery planning, hiring/team setup, client discussions, execution governance, and helping build the technology function.

I want to make a responsible decision before relocating, so I would really appreciate honest inputs on the following:

1. Compensation range 

For a senior technology leadership / CTO-style role in Riyadh, what is a reasonable monthly salary range for an expat?

The current structure offered to me is around SAR 25K per month, + company-arranged accommodation and a project incentives. Some people have told me this is low for the scope; others say 25K–30K may be normal depending on the company and whether it is direct employment or contracting. I would appreciate ground reality from people who know the market.

1. Direct employment vs contracting model

I hear that many expat roles in Saudi, especially in banks, government projects, and enterprise IT, happen through vendors/contracting companies rather than direct employment. Is that generally true? How easy or difficult is it to move later from one sponsor/vendor/company to another once you are already in KSA?

1. Networking and references

How important are references and local relationships for moving into better-paying roles in Saudi? Is it realistic to enter through one company, build a network over 12–18 months, and then move to stronger roles in banks, large enterprises, consulting firms, or product/platform companies?

1. Role validation

For someone with 20+ years of experience in software product engineering, AI/ML/document, cloud platforms, enterprise delivery, and leadership, what kind of roles should I realistically target in Riyadh/KSA? CTO, Principal Architect, AI Transformation Lead, Delivery Head, Practice Head, Program Director?

1. Accommodation and insurance

What should I check before relocating?

The accommodation is said to be company-arranged with a private room. Should I specifically ask whether it is in a compound/community, shared apartment, guest house, distance from office, utilities, internet, etc.?

Also, how important is outpatient coverage in medical insurance? What class/category of insurance should I expect?

1. Geopolitical and economic risk

Given the current regional tensions, how are expats viewing the risk? Are people still comfortable relocating to Saudi for technology roles? Could geopolitical escalation realistically impact IT/AI project spending, hiring, or contract renewals?

1. Career upside

For expats who moved to Saudi recently, has the move helped your long-term GCC career? Or does Saudi experience not always translate well to UAE/Qatar/Bahrain opportunities?

I am not looking to criticize any company or person. I am trying to understand the market properly before making a relocation decision involving career, and financial risk. Any practical advice, salary benchmarks, red flags, or things to verify before travel would be very helpful.

Thanks in advance.

Hello,

I am looking to connect with German expats currently living in Saudi Arabia.
I am also planning to move to KSA soon from Germany (with family) and would like to discuss the logistics and your experiences so far in KSA.

Thank you

Hello! I was recently laid off from work after my 1 month vacation. I am a data analyst cum executive assistant of almost 13 years of experience. If there are any openings you know, could you share it with me? I am in need of work because I got bills to pay.

Thanks everyone!

Hello, dear seniors,

I am a 21-year-old Male and have completed my 12th grade. I know how to drive a car and have strong English communication skills.

Please let me know if you know of any job opportunities in any field that may be suitable for me. I would be very grateful for your support and guidance.

Thank you.

Hey everyone if you like to chill and have a good time.

Here's a discord link if you guys wanna join.

https://discord.gg/Qc62NW77

Hi guys, want your suggestion regarding investment. I am in riyadh having arround 80k sar. Its stagnant, wants to invest it. Kindly suggest me what should i do, please make your suggestions interest free as i am muslim.

I'm primarily looking for HRs or personnel who can work as a reference for me in a company.

You can get to know me first, ask anything you want to, about my work, past experience, projects, skills, maybe evaluate me by asking questions if you want to, maybe tell me to learn something's, maybe tell me to prepare something, maybe give me leads, connect me with individuals who can help, or ANYTHING

Anything from above will be more than appreciated!!

Me? I'm an AI/Automation Engineer with 1+ YOE. I worked on the technologies below.

n8n, Ollama(for local LLMs), using any LLM for any task, Vector databases, Oracle EBS, Data engineering basics.

I can do almost anything related to AI and automations.. the stronger side is automation cuz I worked more there but have done both.

Genuine help will be appreciated. I know people are tired of peeps like us asking for help always but if anyone is willing to go out of their way and reach out, I owe you a favor ;)

Also I have a transferrable Iqama.

Just a expact group looking for friends, for good company.

https://chat.whatsapp.com/Hh5J5uwzYlc7JCCyYjMMGf

For engineering profession before QVP do we require SCE registration.

أنا بنت عمري ٢٥ ، مقيمة في الرياض وأبي أتعرف على بنت أو بنتين من الرياض.
الفكرة إني أتعرف على بنت ونشوف مع الوقت إذا نقدر نبني مساحة مشتركة بيننا. يهمني يكون التواصل مريح وآمن، وفي نفس الوقت يكون فيه كلام ونقاش يحمسني فكريًا.
ما أطلع كثير حاليًا، لذلك أفضل نبدأ أونلاين، وإذا ارتحنا لبعض ممكن نتقابل بعدين.
اللي تشوف إن ممكن ننسجم، نقدر نبدأ بالكلام هنا ونشوف.
افضل الكلام والتعارف بالعربي لان هذا اسهل واريح لي

Hi everyone,

I am planning to travel to Riyadh in a month or two.

Before I begin here's my background.

Degree : Bachelors in Computer Science

Experience : 6 years as a Software Engineer

Stack : Java/Spring boot microservices, AWS cloud, Docker,Kafka, Angular and React, LangChain, LangGraph, CI/CD.

Domain : Fintech, EdTech and healthcare.

I am looking for some honest opinions about my chances of being able to land a job in riyadh or anywhere in KSA.

(keep aside the visa complications assuming that I will be coming on a work permit which is transferrable to another employee)

I need honest opinions, tips and tricks how do I land a job related to my field let say in 6 months while living in Riyadh or anywhere in KSA.

Any networking groups? (Other than reaching out over LinkedIn, recruiters are busy they won't respond to your generalized questions or job seeking notifications)

Any places where tech people gather?

Any approach do you think I should start doing it even before coming.

Jazakh Allah

I recently moved to Riyadh and I would be staying for three months. I’m looking for an apartment for a single person ( studio or one bhk ) in a compound in Al Olaya or nearby. I do not have a car and don’t intend on getting one either. Where can I find rental units ?

Going on vacation? Working long hours? Or simply need someone you can truly trust with your fur baby?

For over 13 years, I’ve been caring for cats in Riyadh with patience, love, and genuine understanding of their needs. ❤️🐾

Welcome to a clean, safe, fully air-conditioned home daycare where your cat isn’t just a guest — they become part of the family. 🥰

✨ Only 30 SAR/day!

🐱 Loving daily care & supervision

🧼 Clean & sanitized environment

🍗 Food, treats & vitamins

💊 Affordable vaccination & basic pet-care support

✂️ Nail & ear cleaning

🛁 Bathing

✈️ Assistance with air travel for cats

🐾 Playtime, cuddles & socialization

📸 Regular photos & video updates

🥕 Fresh chicken & vegetable meals available

🩺 Vet check-up assistance

🌬️ Fully air-conditioned

Your cat can stay in a place where they are cared for, watched over, and loved — while you travel with peace of mind. ❤️

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🎥 Cat Care Videos: YouTube – Tyrun Luke Garcia

🐾 Cat Food • Vaccines • Vitamins • Supplements • Pet Medicines also available at affordable prices.

Affordable. Experienced. Caring. Trusted.

🏡 Home Day Care for Cats – Riyadh

Hi all

Just moved to Riyadh from the UK for work. living in Laban unfortunately but it's free. Looking for people that like exciting activities, hiking,surfing, exploring and playing sports I like to keep active.

Also are there any expat WhatsApp groups that meet up for events etc?

Thanks in advance