Setting Home...

Your company isn't arranging housing, but giving you a housing allowance?

I think it would be tough to do on your own...get an agency to do the legwork for you.

Hi hatsoff20, here are my answers for you...

How much do we need in Riyadh to set an apartment, I am not talking about a posh one but a moderate kind of setting.

For a reasonable 3 room appartment thats not too far from downtown you'll need a minimum 25,000 per year, usually you have to pay one installment (half) every six month.

also where to shop for items like living room furniture, bedroom furniture for us and kids.

You can visit Ikea showroom which is located on exit 16, their furniture is good and reasonably priced (with few exceptions) another option is to go to Riyadh Gallery, and if you're looking for something cheap you can visit Faisaliya district (not the tower, its a district close to exit 17).

Also the basic items of Electronics.

You can visit Best showroom, they have one inside Rimal Center on exit 16, or you can go to Extra showroom on King Abdulaziz Road, there are many other places to go as well but these are probably the best.

If we rent an apartment do they give some items with that or do we have to buy each and everything by our ownselves.

You can rent a furnished appartment if you want but if you're staying here for years I really recommend you buy your own furniture, note that the price I gave you above assumes you're looking for an unfurnished appartment.

Hope this helps...

Thanks a lot MadMaz it is really a great help. Misterstrech thanks to you too for taking out time....

hatsoff20 wrote:

Hi to all my freinds. How much do we need in Riyadh to set an apartment, I am not talking about a posh one but a moderate kind of setting. If my company is giving me allowance to set up over there how much do you think is suitable....also where to shop for items like living room furniture, bedroom furniture for us and kids. Also the basic items of Electronics. If we rent an apartment do they give some items with that or do we have to buy each and everything by our ownselves. As everyone knows that it differs from country to country. Many questions.........as shifting from one country to another is a huge thing especially when you have a family. tc

Hi there,

The questions you have asked are quite open ended. You would first have to decide on the location you would like to live in. Usually in Riyadh, the more east you go, the cheaper it gets (Naseem comes to mind). But the commute from there to central Riyadh would be a killer every day.

With regards to furniture, IKEA/ Home center would be a good choice if you were into branded items. But there are other places to get good quality furniture for lesser. Again depends on your budget. You can drop into these places and place an order for what you are looking for and they will bring it over to assemble. For really cheap furniture, Harraj would be the place.

Electronics are quite easy, sometimes Electro has deals going on for household appliances. One package with all kinds of stuff in it, generally works out to be cost effective but you would not have choice of brands. On the other hand, getting individual items from non "popular" brands would be cheaper as well. Last time I checked a 29" flat screen tv from elekta was about 800 SAR but a similar TV from JVC or Sony was easily about 400 SAR more I believe.

Hopefully this gave you a better idea

mirfarali - where is harraj?

MadMaz - Faisaliya district (not the tower, its a district close to exit 17) - any more specific directions? Any particular store you can recommend that's in the center of the district that we can ask about if we get lost?

Dear Mirfarali....can you give me any websites where I can get a rough idea about these things I need to buy...tc

redgems wrote:

mirfarali - where is harraj?

MadMaz - Faisaliya district (not the tower, its a district close to exit 17) - any more specific directions? Any particular store you can recommend that's in the center of the district that we can ask about if we get lost?

If you go south on king Abdulaziz street. u pass through batha and when you come out through the underpass, the area immediately on the right is called harraj. you also can buy second hand furniture there (along with clothes).

@hatsoff:
You can look for second hand prices at expatriates.com. should give you a fair idea of furniture prices

Redgems,

If you wanna go to Faisalyah district, assuming that you're coming from East ring road and driving south you'll reach Hyper Panda at exit 16 then you'll get to exit 17, you take 17 and go right, then comes first traffic light, then second one (only 50 meters from the first) then when you reach 3rd one you drive left into a samll street... you're there, as you drive through that street you'll find many shops selling carpets, office furniture and home furniture, most of them have nothing fancy (chinese mostly) but their prices are just very cheap (with few exceptions).

good luck

Go to Ikea, they do great meat balls. Aprrox J18 on the east ring road.

oh and i forgot to mention kuwaiti market on olaya for furniture and household stuff.

Guys you all are of a great help, one thing I am really worried about it my children's education, they are in the second standard and studying here in an Indian School. I am worried when does the new session start there and if they come and join in Riyadh in Sept will they get addmission easily as I dont want them to spoil their year. I got a better opportunity over there so I thought to wrap up everthing from here in Kuwait, otherwise with the family its not an easy job to move. But thanks to friends like you who have given me much information about the area. Please if anyone could give me some info about an Indian School in the area where four points is, as my work is near that place, are apartments easy to find in that area or is it only commercial...as I have said before so many questions...lol..... God bless you all.

I am not sure about the schools session but I can say for sure that in the area surrounding the indian embassy school (its very adjacent to Khurais Road but i forget the area), rents are very high and it is difficult to find housing there. You have to go further east to find something cheaper.

Maybe someone will correct me if I am wrong.