Thanks for insights. I pinged some folks and got same / similar viewpoints.

Someone did mention that there are "Gated Zones / Communities" inside Riyadh for people from America. These do not have the same restrictive issues as Riyadh in general.

I've been told living / residences are very expensive there. Just out of curiosity.. If someone was on a US $ Salary .. what kind of cost could one incur to say live in a 'single guy friendly' area of Dubai?

I am thinking of setting up Dubai as base camp and commuting to Riyadh. Maybe 4/3 split.. of the week Any thoughts?

I have barely started talking to them.. so let's see how it pans out. I'll PM you sir. Thanks for the help.