What he says is true, but he only gives half the story.
You come in as a contractor, so you don't have a igama (residence permit) but you still have your passport.
You may not have a car (can't buy it anyway) and depending on where in Dhahran they put you, it could be 5km to get to the commissary/dining hall. But there is a crappy bus schedule (about every 2-3 hours or so) or you can call a taxi (cost is SR10 each way). You can also rent a car on a montly basis (actually not that expensive compared to other places). There are also Aramco busses that take you into Khobar and a taxi ride is less SR30 or less (Thats less than $10. There is no way you can enter a taxi in the west for less than that). The only reason you can complain about transport is if you are cheap.
As for internet, the paperwork for getting Aramco internet is daunting, but the local dial up is cheap these days. And all you have to do is buy a card in Khobar and you just dial up.
As for TV, you have to buy one, but they you have to buy over priced sattelite service as there is virtualy nothing you can see over the air, if you are lucky to have the reception. You have to pay over $500/year for the most basic of satellite service.