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EXCLUSIVE Little Britain - in a remote corner of Saudi Arabia! What life is like for expat women living in desert compounds while their husbands help build a futuristic $500 billion city
In the remote, sun-scorched deserts of north-western Saudi Arabia, a curious and distinctly British enclave is quietly flourishing.
Welcome to NEOM – a $500 billion mega-project the size of Belgium that, despite still being under construction, is already attracting a growing wave of expats from across the UK.
Envisioned by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as the centrepiece of his ambitious Vision 2030 plan, NEOM is billed as a revolutionary 'eco-city' promising a sustainable, tech-driven utopia.
But for hundreds of British families now calling it home, it's not futuristic skyscrapers or hyperloops drawing them in – it's the simple comforts of community, convenience, and Starbucks in the middle of the desert.
Among the first to settle in the compounds – temporary residential zones created for international workers – are a group of British influencers who have taken to TikTok and Instagram to document their lives in this improbable Middle Eastern haven.
Samantha Barker, a mother-of-two from the UK, has become a digital ambassador of sorts for NEOM life.
Her social media channels offer a curated look into her everyday routine: school runs, coffee outings, gym sessions, and salon appointments all set against a sunlit desert backdrop.
In one vlog, Samantha shares a typical day – dropping the children off at school, heading to Starbucks with friends, hitting the gym, and later visiting the on-site salon for a massage and pedicure.
'Great' and 'amazing' are words that pepper her descriptions of life in the compound.
She frequently praises the amenities available in what are supposed to be temporary accommodations: swimming pools, spa facilities, playgrounds, football pitches, and even a fully operational Starbucks – comforts that might seem unexpected in a region known for its harsh terrain and traditional conservatism.
But not everything is cheaper under the Saudi sun. In another video, Samantha films herself comparing prices in the local supermarket.
A large pumpkin, she notes, costs nearly 200SAR – around £40 – while punnet of blueberries or strawberries can run between £5 and £10. Still, she insists, 'considering where we are the prices are really really good.'
To help soften the sticker shock, familiar British treats are stocked on the shelves: Celebrations and Roses chocolate boxes among them – small tokens of home for the thousands of UK nationals now living in this futuristic city-in-progress.
And it's not just Samantha painting a glossy portrait of NEOM life. Another British influencer, Samara Abbott, also a mother-of-two, has lived in the camp for over two years.
She describes her time there as 'incredible,' regularly showing off trips to new restaurants, coffee stops at Dunkin Donuts, and children's play areas.
'I can't believe I am saying this,' she admits in one video, 'but it has been nearly 2 years since I packed up my life in the UK and I got on an aeroplane with my then five-week-old baby to move to somewhere that I had never ever been before.
'It was absolutely madness if you ask me but honestly it was the best decision I have ever made in my life and it still is.'
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Can you believe this is 5 minutes from my doorstep! 🥲🥂🫶🏼💫📍🧿 #neom #neomsaudi #turkish #girlsnightout #datenight #mumsoftiktok @Aida McPherson @sarasid @Akdeniz Turkish Cuisine
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She continued: 'I absolutely love the community here, and I just wouldn't change it for the world.'
The utopian lifestyle promoted online paints a rosy image of NEOM – one of safe playgrounds, virtually no traffic, and communal coffee mornings for stay-at-home mums.
Families gather at a central food hall offering buffet-style meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
In one clip, which since appears to have been deleted, South Africa-born Jessica Herman reveals a 'day in the life' in Neom after she and her husband moved there with their two sons in recent months.
In one clip, which since appears to have been deleted, South Africa-born Jessica Herman reveals a 'day in the life' in Neom after she and her husband moved there with their two sons in recent months.
Shots of Neom in its infancy, which is just a camp at present for staff working on the development and their families, show the purpose built homes, cafes and parks
Neom (pictured) is set to cost $500 million and is funded by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, plus domestic and overseas investors
In particular, she focuses on her evening as she gets the children ready to go to dinner, where she meets her husband who has just finished work.
She shows herself walking on what appear to be largely empty roads as she heads to the food hall.
After meeting her husband, Jessica reveals what the brightly-lit dining hall looks like as she surveys the wide selection of food on offer and boasts: 'We have the best fruit here.'
When the family has finished dinner, Jessica shows her oldest son running around and says: 'Now it's time for [him] to run around and go crazy until he gets completely exhausted.'
The 'day in the life' clips, many of which have been deleted since they went viral, show mothers spending their time going shopping and having lunch in the food hall
Elsewhere, a vlogger named Aida McPherson, who describes herself as an 'expat' living in Saudi Arabia, has revealed her daily life in Neom which includes going to Starbucks in the morning for an iced coffee, before sitting with 'the girls' for a catch up.
She also visits the communal food hall for breakfast, which runs for a certain time period in the morning.
In one video, she describes her visit to the Tabuk Park Mall, one of her 'favourite places', via a coach.
Aida films herself folding down her pram to put it in the coach, where she takes a seat with her friends as they travel to the mall.
Once there, she visits a supermarket called Lulus where she buys dried fruit. A glimpse inside the mall reveals some well-known brands including Timberland and H&M have shops there.
She visits McDonald's for lunch before doing some shopping for her children. As she heads home, the coach passes a sign which says: 'I [heart] Neom.'
In a comment underneath her video, Aida explains that the city is currently a 'construction camp only for employees'.
She explains: 'You need to work for Neom in order to stay in the camp.'
Elsewhere she adds that her husband was offered a job in Neom, which was why she and the family decided to move there.
In another clip, Aida shows herself visiting the supermarket after feeling 'bored', before later going to a friend's apartment block for a visit.
She appears to travel to her friend's home on the back of a motorcycle-style taxi service, which drives through largely empty streets.
Another expat, who goes by the TikTok handle GGNEOM, posts clips of herself living in the Saudi compound while also quizzing her friends on what they enjoy about living there.
In one clip, she asks people to finish the sentence: 'If you live in Neom...' and shows different people's responses to the prompt.
One woman says: 'You have a lot of support to self heal', while another says: 'You enjoy a lot of sports.'
One of the women asked the question is Aida, who replies: 'You will have the best community and lots of food.'
Elsewhere another mother Sara Sid, who appears to be friends with some of the other mumfluencers, showed followers what her average day looks like - including two visits to Starbucks.
Sara Sid, who appears to be friends with other mothers who live in Neom, has also posted vlogs about living in the Saudi city
It's a seemingly idyllic world, meticulously designed for comfort and cohesion. But scratch beneath the polished surface, and a different picture begins to emerge.
Despite its sleek branding and glowing endorsements from TikTok stars, NEOM has been dogged by controversy.
Human Rights Watch has reported serious concerns over labor abuses, particularly among the migrant workforce that is physically building the city.
Some workers describe overcrowded, squalid housing 'packed like sheep,' plagued by leaking ceilings, bed bugs, and poor ventilation.
Safety is another major concern. According to reports in The Wall Street Journal, there have been alarming incidents on-site, including gang rapes, suicides, attempted murders, and reckless driving, with inadequate emergency services compounding the issues.
Even more troubling are claims that entire indigenous communities have been forcibly removed to make way for the mega-city.
Former CIA agent Col Rabih Alenezi, now living in exile in the UK, told the BBC he was ordered to evict members of the Huwaitat tribe – a group with deep historical roots in the area.
An artist's impression of what The Line will look like. While working on the construction site 21,000 workers have died in the last eight years
He claims that one protester was shot and killed during the evictions. The Saudi government has refused to comment.
Despite these revelations, construction surges ahead. NEOM's developers have secured $5.6 billion in housing deals to expand residential compounds to eventually accommodate more than 100,000 people.
According to NEOM's website, the city's vision is to become a 'global hub for business' powered by sustainability and innovation, backed by the Kingdom's sovereign wealth fund and international investors.
The centerpiece of the project, The Line, is a planned 170km linear city intended to house 9 million residents, where daily essentials are promised to be 'within a five-minute walk.'
Renderings depict sleek, mirrored skyscrapers stretching across the desert – a stark contrast to the modest but modern compounds where expats like Samantha and Samara live today.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has said: 'We cannot ignore the livability and environmental crises facing our world's cities, and NEOM is at the forefront of delivering new and imaginative solutions to address these issues.'
Whether NEOM becomes the beacon of innovation it claims to be or a cautionary tale of overreach and erasure remains to be seen.
