Inside Saudi Arabia

helloinsidesaudi

Before moving to Saudi Arabia, we searched everywhere for a glimpse of what everyday life would be like. Inside Saudi Arabia was born from that search — a podcast exploring culture, family, style, wellness  and life in today’s Kingdom. Hosted by Carly Overman and Vesna Petrovic, each episode blends our personal experiences as expats with the everyday rhythms of a country in transformation. Whether you’re moving here, already living here, or simply curious about life inside Saudi Arabia, we’ll give you our perspective on the trends, shifts and conversations shaping the Kingdom right now.

  1. How Much It Really Costs to Live in Riyadh (2026 Update)

    20h ago

    How Much It Really Costs to Live in Riyadh (2026 Update)

    A year in, Carly and Vesna re-priced their whole life in Riyadh: what's gone up, what surprised them, and what they'd tell someone running the numbers before a move. This is the granular version of the cost conversation, from the two biggest line items down to the ones nobody warns you about. They walk through compounds across four tiers, from the common 300 to 350K range to the half-million luxe end, plus what an off-compound option like Sedra actually trades away. International school fees land near 100K per child once trips, uniforms and deposits are counted, and they're honest about the math that forces real choices: cheaper school or more travel, space or community, save or spend.   They get into the Chinese cars they both bought outright, fuel so cheap it changes how you move around the city, a four-tier map of where to grocery shop, and the beauty, abaya and travel spend that adds up quietly underneath everything.   No invented numbers, just what a year of living it has actually cost them. Follow Inside Saudi so you never miss a Monday episode.   New here? Start with our cost of living and relocation episodes. Follow us: Show: @insidesaudiarabia Carly: @caroverman on insta / @carlyoverman on tiktok Vesna: @vesnapetrovicx Everything in one place: https://linktr.ee/insidesaudi Got a question we didn't cover? Drop it in the comments and we'll get to it in a future episode. Listen wherever you get podcasts   Chapters: 00:00 Cold open 01:01 Welcome and what this episode covers 02:47 The biggest cost: schools vs compounds 03:37 Is Riyadh expensive? London, Sydney, Vancouver 04:27 Housing: compounds and your top-three list 06:47 The common tier: 300 to 350K compounds 09:11 Apartment-style compounds: 150 to 250K 13:53 Off-compound: the community trade-off 14:42 The luxe end: half a million to one million 16:35 Less is more: what a year taught us 17:28 Utilities, electricity and internet 19:17 School fees: roughly 100K per child 20:50 Uniforms, ECAs and the trips that add up 24:40 Visas, exit re-entry and premium residency 25:58 Cars: why we both bought Chinese, outright 28:22 Fuel: the one genuinely cheap thing 29:08 Groceries: weekly spend and where we shop 31:00 The grocery map: Spinneys down to corner shops 34:31 Beauty: nails, Botox, finding someone you trust 39:35 Abayas: 50 riyals to a few thousand 42:30 Clothing and kids' clothes 44:20 Help, nannies and cleaners 45:00 Travel: why living here makes you want to go 46:01 Wrap-up

    48 min
  2. Your Neck Pain Starts In Your Gut? Wellness in Riyadh (Peter, Tonic The Method)

    Jun 22

    Your Neck Pain Starts In Your Gut? Wellness in Riyadh (Peter, Tonic The Method)

    Your neck pain and your gut might be the same problem. This week we sit down with Peter from Tonic The Method on what wellness actually looks like in Riyadh right now.   Peter is a physical therapist and Chinese-medicine specialist who moved here from Lebanon expecting wellness to rank near the bottom of people's priorities. He was wrong. We get into the nerve that connects your neck to your stomach, the breathing fix he reaches for before any machine, which everyday foods are quietly acidic, the exact contrast-therapy order he recommends, and why he reads teeth grinding as a clue to something bigger. Plus the colon-massage story Vesna will never live down.   Hosted by Carly and Vesna. Listen and follow wherever you get podcasts: https://linktr.ee/insidesaudi   Chapters: 00:00 Intro and Teaser Highlights 01:18 Welcome - What This Episode Is About 03:13 Meet Peter and Introducing Tonic 180 06:15 Tonic's Services and Kingdom Tower Launch 11:47 The Wellness Scene in Riyadh 13:21 The Gut and Neck Pain Connection 19:13 Diet: Alkaline vs Acidic Foods 24:21 Pressotherapy Explained 26:33 Infrared Sauna and Cold Plunge 33:58 Red Light Therapy 39:29 Laser Body Remodeling 45:59 EMS (Electromagnetic Muscle Stimulation) 48:19 The Tonic Signature Massage and Colon Cleanse 52:26 PEMF (Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields) 56:10 Dry Needling and Electroacupuncture 59:22 Personalised Protocols and Recommendations

    1h 3m
  3. Wedding at the Ritz, Summer Plans & Why We Chose Riyadh

    Jun 15

    Wedding at the Ritz, Summer Plans & Why We Chose Riyadh

    After a run of guest episodes, we did something different.. a live summer Q&A on TikTok, answering your questions in real time, and turned it into this week's episode. No guest, just us catching up before the summer break. We get into what a Saudi wedding at the Ritz-Carlton is actually like, the malls worth your time in Riyadh, the Saudi and Gulf abaya designers we actually buy from, learning Arabic from scratch, and the question that started this whole show: why Saudi, and would we choose Riyadh again. Inside Saudi is the English-language podcast about daily life in Saudi Arabia today, co-hosted by two moms living in Riyadh, made for Saudis, residents, and anyone trying to make sense of the Gulf during Vision 2030. Listen wherever you get podcasts: https://linktr.ee/insidesaudi CHAPTERS 00:00 Cold open 01:42 Welcome — summer catch-up, live on TikTok 02:47 Summer plans: UK, Greece, Macedonia 05:24 The Saudi wedding at the Ritz-Carlton 09:08 Why we chose Saudi 13:44 Our Saudi road trip — Taif, Jeddah, AlUla, the Eastern Province 18:05 Learning Arabic 21:55 What weddings here are really like 26:14 The malls we love in Riyadh 28:45 Abayas and Saudi designers 31:48 Beauty and salons 35:48 Saudi schools 38:10 Riyadh or Jeddah — would we choose it again 38:51 What surprised us most: the hospitality 45:20 What is the podcast about

    47 min

  4. Jun 8

    Everything You Got Wrong About the Saudi Sun

    Saudi Arabia had no sunscreen of its own, in one of the hottest climates on earth. Ghadi Alshehri spent three years fixing that.   Ghadi is the founder of Borderline Beauty, the first homegrown Saudi sunscreen. She sat down with Carly and Vesna in Riyadh to talk about the gap she found, the science most of us were never taught, and what it takes to build something Saudi-made right now.   In this episode: - How she found the gap on an ordinary Tuesday at work - Chemical vs mineral sunscreen, and why it actually matters - Why UV passes through glass, clothes, and cloudy skies - Three years of formulation in Korea, and the "impossible" brief - Growing up between Manchester and Riyadh - Vision 2030, being seen, and building something local - Her advice for the next Saudi founder   Listen anywhere you get your podcasts: pod.link/insidesaudi   Follow Inside Saudi: Instagram @insidesaudiarabia TikTok @insidesaudiarabia Hosts: @caroverman and @vesnapetrovicx Guest: Borderline Beauty @borderlinebeautysa   Chapters 00:00 The country with no sunscreen 00:35 Meet Ghadi and Raghad 02:00 The Tuesday she found the gap 05:00 Chemical vs mineral, explained 09:00 The myths: glass, clothes, cloudy days 13:00 Three years, Korea, and a formula that didn't exist 18:00 Manchester to Riyadh, and coming back 24:00 Vision 2030 and building something Saudi-made 30:00 Advice for the next founder   #SaudiArabia #Vision2030 #MadeInSaudi #SaudiBeauty #Riyadh

    46 min
  5. The Premium Residency Episode: All 7 Routes

    May 18

    The Premium Residency Episode: All 7 Routes

    There are seven routes to Saudi Premium Residency. Most people only know about one or two of them, and almost everyone thinks Vesna got hers because of Instagram. This week, Carly and Vesna walk through all seven, what each costs, what each unlocks, and what they wish they'd understood before they started navigating it themselves. Vesna holds Premium Residency as a secondary, sponsored by her husband, and she's open about what that actually means in practice: full benefits for him, partial for her, and a learning curve for the whole family. Carly doesn't have it. Together they break down limited-duration, unlimited-duration, special talent, gifted, investor, entrepreneur, and real-estate routes, with the actual SAR figures and the catch on each one. A few things to know up front: this isn't legal advice, the Premium Residency website is the only source you should trust to apply, and the math fact-check halfway through is worth staying for. Part two, on starting a business once you have residency, is coming. Listen wherever you get podcasts: https://linktr.ee/insidesaudi Inside Saudi is the English-language podcast about daily life in Saudi Arabia today, co-hosted by two moms in Riyadh. Follow Inside Saudi: Instagram: @insidesaudiarabia TikTok: @insidesaudiarabia Carly: @caroverman (Instagram) @carlyoverman (TikTok) Vesna: @vesnapetrovicx   Chapters: 00:00 Cold open 00:53 Welcome + why this episode 03:00 Seven routes, overview 07:20 Route 1: Limited duration (100,000 SAR/year) 08:45 Route 2: Unlimited duration (800,000 SAR) 10:39 Route 3: Special talent residency 13:13 Route 4: Gifted residency (culture & sports) 16:10 Route 5: Investor residency (7M SAR + 10 jobs) 16:45 Route 6: Entrepreneur residency (two tiers) 21:02 Route 7: Real estate residency (4M SAR unmortgaged) 22:04 Process, timeline, background checks 24:58 Myths people get wrong 27:31 The big summary

    29 min
  6. He Said No To Saudi Three Times. Then He Stayed 5 Years | Cedric Dahmoun

    May 11

    He Said No To Saudi Three Times. Then He Stayed 5 Years | Cedric Dahmoun

    Cedric Dahmoun said no to Saudi three times before he came. He stayed five years. He's a Belgian-Algerian content creator with 600,000 followers, most of whom found him through TikToks showing what life in Saudi actually looks like. He came during COVID from Dubai, with no Arabic, no plan, and a feeling that he'd run out of versions of himself to try in Europe. In this episode he tells us about the night a stranger followed him through the dark in the south of Saudi and what happened next. He talks about leaving his phone on the coffee table for five years and what that says about the city he chose. He explains what he calls "the imam of TikTok," and why he doesn't argue with them. And he tells us about his next thing: walking from Riyadh to Mecca by camel, one month, the old way, because he wants to feel how the pilgrimage used to be done. Carly and Vesna hosted from the studio in Riyadh. Cedric was in Saudi dress and a Shure mic. Episode 28. Listen wherever you get podcasts. With Carly Overman and Vesna Petrovic.   00:00 Cold open 00:58 Welcome from Carly and Vesna 03:43 Meeting Cedric 05:30 The road to Riyadh 06:25 No three times 07:15 Dubai vs Riyadh 09:42 Going full-time on social 12:14 Converting to Islam 13:42 First viral video 15:07 Taif and the baboons 18:23 By camel to Mecca 22:31 Giving back to Saudi 23:11 His father, and stopping alcohol 25:14 Why he feels safe 27:01 The compound trap 28:38 3am stranger in Fayfa 33:12 Real Islam 34:06 The imam of TikTok 35:21 The phone on the table 38:24 Building 600K 42:50 Handling negativity 45:13 The spy comments 46:16 Media authority call 48:24 Authenticity and respect 53:58 Advice for new creators 01:01:55 Best platforms 01:03:14 Why he deletes his camera roll 01:04:40 Goodbye and Jeddah invite 01:07:21 The Vesna and Alex story 01:08:27 Conflict in Saudi vs Belgium 01:13:20 Serbian content question 01:16:36 Closing

    1h 17m
  7. From Pro Tennis to Saudi: Alex Tashbaeva on Building a Life She Never Planned

    May 4

    From Pro Tennis to Saudi: Alex Tashbaeva on Building a Life She Never Planned

    Alex Tashbaeva stopped going to school at twelve. She'd already been on a tennis court eight hours a day since she was five, and her Uzbek-Soviet parents had decided she was going to be a champion. By sixteen she'd left home; by nineteen she was the only girl on a ten-person coaching team flying to Riyadh to build out the Saudi national tennis programme. She said yes on a phone call. She knew nothing about the country. This week we talk to Alex about what those first years actually looked like — coaching the under-14 boys' national team, building the women's programme alone over the summers when her colleagues went home to Europe, and how the Jeddah Yacht Club years pulled her sideways into hospitality and events. She tells us why she resisted calling herself a content creator long after her TikToks were working, and what she sees in Saudi now that she didn't five years ago. She and Cedric are in Riyadh now and heading back to Jeddah. There's a marketing agency, a YouTube studio, and plans we get into. Listen wherever you get podcasts: pod.link/insidesaudi   00:00:00 Cold open 00:01:00 Welcome and intro 00:02:40 Two fires: living with Cedric 00:05:07 Moving to Saudi: the path through the US and Spain 00:05:57 Tennis from age five and an Uzbek-Soviet upbringing 00:08:16 Leaving home at sixteen 00:10:38 The phone call: only girl on a ten-person team to Riyadh 00:11:13 Arriving in Saudi with no expectations 00:12:42 Coaching the national under-14 boys 00:14:26 The pivot to hospitality at Jeddah Yacht Club 00:17:53 Meeting Cedric 00:18:09 Why she refused to call herself a content creator 00:20:11 Building the women's programme alone 00:24:00 Medina, six months ago 00:26:25 Jeddah vs Riyadh: pace, traffic, and where you actually live 00:31:36 What they're building next 00:34:30 Tips for starting on social in Saudi 00:44:00 Reading the comments and adjusting the content 00:50:51 What's next

    52 min

  8. Apr 27

    From Goldman Sachs & KPMG to Saudi’s Biggest Modest Swim Partnership

    How do you transition from the intense world of derivatives trading at Goldman Sachs and private client tax at KPMG to launching a global luxury swimwear brand? In this episode of Inside Saudi, we sit down with Katleya Nielsen and Ayesha Mahomed, the visionary founders of Lanuuk. They pull back the curtain on the "maternal shift" that led them to leave their 10-year corporate careers to solve a massive gap in the market: fashionable, high-quality modest swimwear. From packing orders on their living room floors to a landmark partnership with Aquarabia—Saudi Arabia's first and largest water theme park—Katleya and Ayesha share how they built a global empire with zero paid marketing. We dive into supply chain secrets, the reality of being "control-freak" founders, and how they are redefining luxury for the modern woman in Riyadh. What you’ll learn: How to pivot from high-finance/accounting into a creative industry. The strategy behind building a global brand through organic growth and zero ad spend. Sourcing sustainable fabrics in Turkey and managing craftsmanship in the Philippines. Identifying the massive retail gap for high-end modest swimwear in Saudi Arabia. Behind the scenes of the Aquarabia x Lanuuk partnership.   Chapters: 00:00 Intro: The Goldman Sachs & KPMG Pivot 01:25 Meet the Founders: Katleya and Ayesha 03:30 The 10-Year Corporate Grind 05:40 The "Maternal Shift": Why We Left 08:45 The Problem: Why Modest Swimwear Didn't Exist 12:15 Manufacturing Secrets: The Philippines & Turkey 17:40 Scoping Riyadh: The Saudi Retail Gap 21:10 The Viral Blow-Up: $0 Ad Spend 32:20 "Control Freaks": Managing a Global Brand 41:10 Aquarabia: Saudi’s Biggest Modest Swim Partnership 47:00 Vogue & Organic PR

    49 min
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Ratings & Reviews

3.8
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

Before moving to Saudi Arabia, we searched everywhere for a glimpse of what everyday life would be like. Inside Saudi Arabia was born from that search — a podcast exploring culture, family, style, wellness  and life in today’s Kingdom. Hosted by Carly Overman and Vesna Petrovic, each episode blends our personal experiences as expats with the everyday rhythms of a country in transformation. Whether you’re moving here, already living here, or simply curious about life inside Saudi Arabia, we’ll give you our perspective on the trends, shifts and conversations shaping the Kingdom right now.

Information

  • Creator
    helloinsidesaudi
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    33
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Inside Saudi Arabia

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