Why More Expats Are Choosing to Call Saudi Home

When Frankie Hilton moved to Saudi nearly a decade ago from the United Kingdom, she expected it to be temporary chapter in her family’s life. Today, she struggles to imagine living anywhere else.

“We came for my husband’s work, like many people do,” she says. “But at some point, without really noticing, it stopped feeling temporary. It just became our life.”

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“I love waking up to the sunshine every day,” she adds. “We’ve really embraced life here — and for our children, this is home.” Today, Hilton and her husband are raising their two children in Riyadh, a city they now consider home.Hilton’s experience is one she has seen repeated, not only among friends and colleagues, but through her work as co-founder and co-host with Lily Moffat of Saudi Life: Unpacked, a podcast exploring the realities of living in Saudi. “It comes up in almost every conversation,” she says. “People don’t necessarily come here expecting to build a long-term life, but then they do.”
Everyday life, shaped by ease and routine

For Hilton, life in Riyadh is defined less by standout moments and more by a consistent sense of ease. “There’s a rhythm to daily life that works,” she explains. “Once you settle into it, everything from work, family life, social life feels very manageable.”

Beyond work and family life, Hilton points to the convenience of everyday living as one of the reasons many expats choose to stay. From modern infrastructure and digital services to international schools, healthcare, dining, and entertainment options, she believes daily life is often easier than people expect.

A lot of it comes down to how things are set up,” she says. “You can organize almost everything from your phone, and services are reliable, which removes a lot of the day-to-day friction people might be used toelsewhere, and the quality of services available makes everyday life very convenient. It allows you to focus on enjoying your life rather than constantly managing it.”

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Among the people she speaks to, one point is raised repeatedly: the sense of reassurance in everyday environments.

“It’s something people mention often,” she says. It’s something we’ve always wanted to demystify,” she says. “Day to day, we feel incredibly safe, actually safer than in many major cities globally.”
Hilton echoes the experience of many expats living in Saudi, pointing to how that sense of comfort is felt in everyday moments, from families feeling at ease in their routines to women travelling and exploring independently, and communities that feel open, welcoming and supportive.

“Whether it’s Riyadh, Jeddah or AlUla, I’ve never had a moment where I felt uncomfortable,” she says. “It gives you a level of confidence in how you move around day to day.”
Hilton has travelled across Saudi with groups of women, visiting destinations including Jeddah and AlUla, and describes those experiences as straightforward and smooth. “You quickly realize how easy it is to move around, explore different places and just enjoy the experience.”

At home, the impact is felt most clearly in family life. “My children are incredibly happy here,” she says. “That stability and sense of normality is a big part of why it works so well.”

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A culture experienced through everyday moments

While Saudi continues to evolve, Hilton says it is the continuity of culture that stands out most over time.
“There’s a depth to the culture that you experience very naturally,” she says. “It’s not something separate from your life, it becomes part of it.”

Saudi hospitality, in particular, is something she describes as consistent rather than occasional. Through friendships and everyday interactions, moments of generosity tend to feel informal and unplanned.

“It often happens in the simplest situations,” she says, recalling a short visit to a friend’s home that turned into a full afternoon spent together. “There’s a thoughtfulness to how people host and spend time that feels very genuine.”

She recalls visiting a friend briefly one morning, only for it to turn into something more. “I arrived expecting a quick hello, and she had baked her mother’s favorite lavender cake and prepared a full afternoon tea,” she says. “Everything had a story behind it. That sense of pride in culture and hospitality really stays with you.”

For Hilton, that generosity is one of the defining characteristics of life in Saudi and something many expatsremark on after living in the country.

Experiencing Saudi with increasing accessibility

Hilton highlights how easy it has become to experience different parts of Saudi, an aspect of life many expatsactively embrace.
“One of the things people really value is the variety,” she says. “You can have completely different experiences across the country without needing complicated travel.”

For her, Riyadh offers pace and energy, while Jeddah provides a more relaxed, coastal setting.

And on the outskirts of Riyadh, she notes experiences like visiting UNESCO World Heritage Site, At-Turaif , in Diriyah offer a different kind of journey, bringing Saudi’s heritage to life in a way that feels both accessible and deeply rooted in place.

“Jeddah has a lighter, more social atmosphere. It’s somewhere people naturally spend time. It’s relaxed, warm, and welcoming,” she adds. “It has a very different feel, and it’s somewhere a lot of people, myself included, feel very drawn to.”

Further afield, locations such as AlUla offer another experience altogether. “It’s quieter, more expansive,” she says, pointing to stays at places like Habitas or Banyan Tree. “You approach your time there differently. evenings under the stars, it’s more about switching off.” Across her own travels, and those of the people around her, she points to growing connectivity between destinations as something that has noticeably changed how expatsengage with the country.

“It’s very easy now to plan trips and explore, which means people actually do it more,” she says.

From a temporary move to something more permanent

Over time, Hilton has seen how often initial plans evolve into something longer-term.

“There’s a shift that happens once you build a routine,” she says. “You form friendships, you get to know your surroundings, and it starts to feel like a place you can genuinely live, not just stay for a while.”

She also points to the momentum she has seen in professional opportunities, particularly among women building careers and businesses.

“Some of the most inspiring women I’ve met are here, entrepreneurs, business owners, people building something meaningful, there’s a strong sense of ambition,” she says. “You’re surrounded by people who are building something, and that energy is very visible.”

“For us, and for many people we know, it’s the balance of everything,” she says. “Work, lifestyle, community. It all fits together in a way that feels sustainable.”

What began as a clearly defined chapter has gradually become something more grounded.

“Saudi just becomes your home over time,” Hilton adds. “And once it does,” Hilton adds, “you stop thinking about how long you will stay. You just get on with living your life.”