if not tor, then you could use a decent proxy, you just don't need a vpn if all you need to do is hide your ip, the simplest solution is usually the right one.
And he doesn't have about the internet speed if he uses tor in ksa, i do agree that tor in lebanon sucks, but they have blazing fast internet connection in ksa and pretty much in all the civilized world, i really doubt that he'll notice any serious performance drawback. At least he can give it a try before he buy a vpn.
When i refereed to tor as a web browser, i was telling him to download the
firefox bundle that has tor built it, it is easier than setting up tor for a new user.