Jeddah often makes me smile...

Only in Jeddah ~!



I love Jeddah. I have been living here since 2003. Except for a brief courting with Dubai, my heart has always been here. As opposed to Dubai, I feel belonged and I do have a few friends from amongst the locals. In Dubai...somehow, no matter how hard I tried, I always felt like a visitor on transit.

I can see myself living here for many more years. It is a city living but with a comforting feeling of a 'kampung' life. No real rush, and no real hurry. Cafes and Restaurants lined up the high streets and are never more than 15 minutes drive away. Schools are of very high standards, and our children are enjoying their studies and social development. Mekah is only an hour drive away and it only takes four hours to drive to Madinah. For six months in a year, there pleasant weather~! During the summer, we tend to spend our time in Malaysia, partly because the schools are closed for year end break and partly to escape the summer heat.

Jeddah provides a viable and excellent alternative for Muslims from anywhere in the world who wish to live away from their homeland. Salary is quite good, and it comes tax free. As a Malaysian, for example, a professional in Engineering or Accounting lines with 10 years of experience can command a monthly remuneration of SAR35,000. I have also seen higher. Cost of living is relatively low. A 3 bedroom apartment of 1500 sq feet size, in a good area, can be rented for SAR30,000 per annum. A Hyundai Sonata sedan car is about SAR70,000.


In order to really enjoy life in Jeddah, one has to develop a healthy sense of humor! When you are mistaken for people from other Asian countries - smile and just say, "I am Malaysian". There is no need to be all uptight just because some ignorant people mistaken you for Indoensian maids, or Pinoy drivers. To the Arabs, all east Asians look alike. Be cool with it lah!

There is another person who loves Jeddah, perhaps even more than I! I discovered her blog and it was a revelation. I wish to share her blog here, and recommend it as a must read for anyone who wants to know about an expat's perspective of living in Saudi.

Welcome to Suzie's big adventure HERE.