Base salary benchmark Saudi Arabia

Hi Slackjaw-

Unfortunately there's no easy equation that you can use to calculate an ideal salary working in Saudi Arabia, but what you can do is evaluate your current salary, take into consideration a hardship factor (as you say - the transaction cost of 'sticking it out in the desert'), and then calculate a budget with the aim of arriving at a figure that would be enough of an incentive to pull you out of your old job. After all, moving to Jeddah is not a relocation people make to enhance their cultural outlook or reach a new level of spritituality, it's almost entirely a financial decision. Thus, it must ABSOLUTELY be worth your while to take the plunge. Jeddah is not Dubai or Abu Dhabi even. 

I cannot stress how important it is to try your best to anticipate and calculate you cost of living in the KSA beforehand, especially as most expat packages come with certain perks that may change the value of your base salary. 

For starters, read our "Accommodation in Jeddah" page to get an idea about what will likely be your largest expense - housing.

Hi

Sorry for late reply - work gets in the way from time to time.

I would say no formula but base salary would be similar to that in Europe, may be 20-30% more, but it is tax free so if you want to compare add 40% or so!

The key difference with a position on the level you are looking at is added benefits, you would expect housing, transport, medical, holiday flights, hardship allowance, school fees, annual bonus and maybe a few other things on top, all paid by the company.  This increases the package substantially.

Thanks a lot - this is actually very helpful. Followup question - is it OK to assume that 100% of gross salary = net salary? Or are there various pension contributions, social charges, etc also deducted? Would it be necessary to request tax filing support (employer hiring a Deloitte to do this) or is this silly because tax = 0?

Hi Gross = Net in Saudi They have imdemnity here which may be deducted or added on the top - but you get it back. Because there is no pension they keep money on one side which you get when you leave. If you consider people who work here 20+ years this is like a lump sum pension before repatriation. It is a big thing for factory workers etc. As I say it could be on top or deducted depending on the company. One other thing I should mention is that your home country tax rules may require you to pay tax at home depending on your Nationality. If this is not the case then no advice is needed locally. Pensions are another matter - as an expat you will need to set your own pension up - it will probably need to be off shore because home country pension schemes tend to be linked to being resident and paying taxes, but a quick search on Google will throw up a load of well know companies that provide this service - this is an area where advice might be needed. David

hi there i am a female and have been offered a job as a hair stylist and the contract is for two years. The offer is really good but i have never been to saudi arabia (al khobar) what if i did not like it. What are my exiting rights? is it up until your probation period??? Thankyou

what would be package for assistant manager having 10 years of experience in ksa in big company

Hi I have worked as a Banking branch Manager in Ireland for 5 years and have spent the past 3 years operating as a commercial account manager for a Commercial Insurance Broker. My wife is a clinical nursing manager in a busy Dublin hospital. We are very seriously considering making the move to Saudiin early 2013 and are doing lots of research at present. There are recruitment agencies etc which are helping to give my wife advice re nursing. Does anyone know how to go about gaining employment in the branch banking area and what the potential salaries may be? I currently earn 50k Euro's plus bonus. Many thanks for any advice which would be helpful?

Hi Anonymous, have a look at our page on Comparison of Expat Salaries in the Middle East for information on what you can expect to earn in Saudi Arabia compared to other countries in the region. I suggest also looking at our Cost of Living in Saudi Arabia page for a breakdown of what you can expect to pay for your basics in the Kingdom, and how far your salary would get you. For further general info on the country, check our our comprehensive Saudi Arabia expat guide.

Hi, you have nay information about the salaries of expats working for the government? health care research, the requirement was to have PhD. I would appreciate any insight, Martin