Quick Summary
- Use the two-account system — one Saudi account for living expenses, one home account for savings
- Transfer savings on payday — before spending anything
- Track spending for just one month — awareness alone reduces excess spending by 15–20%
- Set a monthly dining out budget — food delivery is the most common budget leak for Saudi expats
- Review your budget every quarter — not every day. Obsessing daily creates stress, not results
- Use Wise or your bank app for transparent spending visibility — Saudi banking apps are excellent
Why Most Expat Budgets Fail
The number one reason expat budgets fail is not lack of discipline — it is lack of visibility. When money is invisible (sitting in a bank account, being spent on countless small delivery orders) it disappears without conscious decision. The solution is not willpower. It is systems that make your money visible and your savings automatic.
The Two-Account System
The simplest and most effective budgeting structure for Saudi expats:
- Account 1 — Saudi spending account: Your Saudi bank account where salary arrives. This is your monthly spending budget after savings are removed. When it is empty, spending stops.
- Account 2 — Home savings account: Your home country bank account or investment account. Your savings target transfers here on payday — automatically, before you can spend it.
The discipline is setting the right transfer amount once. After that the system runs itself. You spend what is in Account 1. You do not touch Account 2.
Your Monthly Budget in Five Categories
| Category | What It Covers | Budget Target |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed costs | Rent, utilities, internet, insurance, phone | Know exactly — non-negotiable |
| Transport | Fuel, car maintenance, Uber/Careem | Set monthly cap — track |
| Food | Groceries and dining out/delivery | Highest leak — set firm limit |
| Lifestyle | Entertainment, shopping, personal care | Monthly allowance — use it freely within it |
| Savings/remittances | Home transfer, investments, emergency fund | Transfer on payday — non-negotiable |
The One-Month Tracking Exercise
If you have never tracked your spending in Saudi Arabia, do this once — for just one month. Use your Saudi bank app transaction history (all major Saudi bank apps show categorised spending) and record every expense under the five categories above.
Most expats who do this for the first time are genuinely shocked by two things: how much they spend on food delivery and dining, and how many small subscriptions and impulse purchases accumulate invisibly. Awareness alone — without changing anything consciously — reduces spending in these categories by 15–20% in the following month.
The Food Budget — Your Biggest Controllable Cost
After housing the food category is the largest controllable expense for most Saudi expats — and the one with the most savings opportunity:
- Set a monthly dining out budget and treat it like cash — when it is gone, you cook at home. SAR 800–1,200/month allows comfortable social dining without excess.
- Delete delivery apps from your phone during weekdays if food delivery is a problem. Friction reduces impulse orders dramatically.
- Weekly grocery shop on Thursday (start of Saudi weekend) — plan meals for the week, buy ingredients. This one habit consistently saves SAR 600–1,500/month for most single expats.
- Use Tamimi or Lulu loyalty programmes — points accumulate quickly with regular shopping and translate to meaningful discounts.
Useful Budgeting Apps for Saudi Expats
- Your Saudi bank app — Al Rajhi, SNB and Riyad Bank apps all have spending categorisation and transaction history. Start here before downloading anything else.
- YNAB (You Need a Budget) — the gold standard budgeting app. Paid subscription but transforms financial habits for users who engage seriously with it. Based on zero-based budgeting principles.
- Google Sheets or Excel — a simple spreadsheet with five categories and monthly actuals is all most people need. Free and completely customisable.
- Wise app — if you use Wise for remittances the app shows all your transfer history and costs clearly. Useful for tracking the remittance portion of your budget.
Quarterly Budget Review — The Habit That Sustains Results
Rather than stressing about your budget daily, set a quarterly review — once every three months spend 30 minutes reviewing your actual spending against your budget targets:
- How much did I actually save versus my target?
- Which category went over budget and why?
- Has anything changed (rent, salary, family situation) that requires a budget adjustment?
- Am I on track for my annual savings goal?
A quarterly review keeps you honest without the daily anxiety of obsessive tracking. Adjust and continue. The goal is consistent progress over years — not perfection in any single month.
Frequently Asked Questions
I have tried budgeting before and it never sticks. What makes this different?
Most budget attempts fail because they rely on willpower and daily tracking — both exhausting and unsustainable. The two-account system and automatic savings transfer work because they remove the decision. You cannot spend your savings because they are not in your spending account. You do not need to decide not to spend them every day. Start with just the automatic transfer — even SAR 1,000/month — and add more structure gradually as the habit establishes.
My salary arrives irregularly or includes variable bonuses. How do I budget for that?
Base your budget on your guaranteed minimum monthly income — your fixed basic salary and guaranteed allowances only. When bonuses or irregular payments arrive treat 70–80% as additional savings and transfer immediately. Keep only 20–30% for discretionary spending. This approach means your baseline savings are protected even in months when variable income does not arrive, and bonuses genuinely accelerate your savings rather than funding lifestyle inflation.
Want a Personalised Budget Plan?
Book a consultation for a personalised budget review and savings strategy tailored to your salary, family situation and financial goals in Saudi Arabia.