Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al-jahra' and Sabah Al Salem

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-jahra': $1,239 a month against $1,406 in Sabah Al Salem, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

64

Cost of Living Index in Al-jahra'
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Al-jahra' Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Sabah Al Salem
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Sabah Al Salem Living Index

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Al-jahra'

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,239

/mo nomad

Sabah Al Salem

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Al-jahra' and in Sabah Al Salem

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Al-jahra' and in Sabah Al Salem actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,239 per month in Al-jahra' vs $1,406 in Sabah Al Salem, rent included.

Al-jahra' $1,239
Sabah Al Salem $1,406

A couple spends around $2,292 per month in Al-jahra' vs $2,449 in Sabah Al Salem, rent included.

Al-jahra' $2,292
Sabah Al Salem $2,449

A family of three spends $3,344 per month in Al-jahra' vs $3,492 in Sabah Al Salem, rent included.

Al-jahra' $3,344
Sabah Al Salem $3,492

Al-jahra' is about 12% cheaper than Sabah Al Salem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Al-jahra' sits 8% below the global median, while Sabah Al Salem is 4% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.85 KWD 3.96

$7.94 KWD 2.45

61.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.9 KWD 19.69

$70.6 KWD 21.75

-9.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.99 KWD 2.77

$9.09 KWD 2.80

-1.10%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.14 KWD 0.97

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.92 KWD 1.51

$3.14 KWD 0.97

56.69%

Cappuccino

$5.33 KWD 1.64

$6.50 KWD 2.00

-18.00%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 KWD 0.23

$0.47 KWD 0.14

57.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 KWD 0.10

$0.47 KWD 0.14

-34.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 KWD 0.50

$1.93 KWD 0.60

-15.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 KWD 0.45

$1.31 KWD 0.40

11.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 KWD 0.60

$2.15 KWD 0.66

-8.84%

Eggs

$2.11 KWD 0.65

$3.00 KWD 0.93

-29.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.24 KWD 1.31

$7.36 KWD 2.27

-42.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.79 KWD 2.09

$5.35 KWD 1.65

26.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.00 KWD 3.08

$10.28 KWD 3.17

-2.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.42 KWD 0.75

$2.49 KWD 0.77

-2.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 KWD 0.59

$1.92 KWD 0.59

0.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 KWD 0.57

$1.29 KWD 0.40

43.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 KWD 0.48

$1.49 KWD 0.46

4.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.31 KWD 0.40

$1.37 KWD 0.42

-4.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.41 KWD 0.44

$0.94 KWD 0.29

50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.37 KWD 0.73

$1.58 KWD 0.49

50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 KWD 0.18

$0.50 KWD 0.15

16.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.19 KWD 0.98

$2.85 KWD 0.88

11.93%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 KWD 0.32

$0.88 KWD 0.27

19.32%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.37 KWD 0.42

$1.25 KWD 0.38

9.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.69 KWD 0.83

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 KWD 0.23

$0.82 KWD 0.25

-7.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$113 KWD 34.93

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.79 KWD 1.47

$3.34 KWD 1.03

43.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.17 KWD 0.98

$2.79 KWD 0.86

13.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.36 KWD 5.04

$17.68 KWD 5.45

-7.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.33 KWD 0.10

$0.35 KWD 0.11

-5.71%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$21.3K KWD 6,548

$21.4K KWD 6,587

-0.58%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$20.6K KWD 6,335

$18.4K KWD 5,667

11.79%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$20.20 KWD 6.22

$38.41 KWD 11.83

-47.41%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$22.31 KWD 6.87

$23.71 KWD 7.31

-5.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.02 KWD 9.25

$39.51 KWD 12.17

-24.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$98.2 KWD 30.25

$131 KWD 40.25

-24.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.15 KWD 12.06

Cinema Ticket

$11.08 KWD 3.41

$11.39 KWD 3.51

-2.72%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$296 KWD 91.1

$270 KWD 83.3

9.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,351 KWD 2,881

$7,430 KWD 2,289

25.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.34 KWD 11.51

$37.61 KWD 11.59

-0.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.13 KWD 12.05

$39.45 KWD 12.16

-0.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.5 KWD 29.43

$99.2 KWD 30.56

-3.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.1 KWD 26.84

$87.6 KWD 27.00

-0.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$771 KWD 237

$798 KWD 246

-3.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$522 KWD 161

$538 KWD 166

-2.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,693 KWD 522

$1,737 KWD 535

-2.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,520 KWD 468

$1,326 KWD 409

14.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,909 KWD 896

$2,997 KWD 923

-2.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.53

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Al-jahra': October 11, 2026

Last update for Sabah Al Salem: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Al-jahra'

$522 42.2%

Sabah Al Salem

$538 38.3% 3.1% $16

Eating Out

Al-jahra'

$198 16%

Sabah Al Salem

$172 12.3% 12.9% $25

Groceries & Markets

Al-jahra'

$186 15%

Sabah Al Salem

$188 13.3% 0.9% $1.7

Sport & Entertainment

Al-jahra'

$120 9.7%

Sabah Al Salem

$153 10.9% 27.5% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Al-jahra'

$117 9.4%

Sabah Al Salem

$119 8.5% 1.8% $2.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al-jahra'

$73 5.9%

Sabah Al Salem

$102 7.2% 40.1% $29

Getting Around

Al-jahra'

$24 * 1.9%

Sabah Al Salem

$134 9.5% 466% $110

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $771 in Al-jahra' versus $798 in Sabah Al Salem. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 3% higher in Sabah Al Salem, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $64.0 in Al-jahra' versus $71.0 in Sabah Al Salem. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $186 vs $188 – making Al-jahra' the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇼 Al-jahra'

🇰🇼 Sabah Al Salem

🕒 Local time

15:51 3:51 PM

Same time as Al-jahra'

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

393,432

92,818

💱 Currency

Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك

📈 Exchange rate

1 KWD = 3.25 USD

1 KWD = 2.89 EUR

1 KWD = 3.25 USD

1 KWD = 2.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Al-jahra' Sabah Al Salem 40 km

From you

Al-jahra'
Sabah Al Salem

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Al-jahra' vs Sabah Al Salem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sabah Al Salem is pricier by about 13%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,859 per month in Al-jahra' and $2,109 in Sabah Al Salem. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Al-jahra', especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $64.0 in Al-jahra' and $71.0 in Sabah Al Salem. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 1% more in Sabah Al Salem, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Al-jahra', where all-in costs run around $1,239, than in Sabah Al Salem at $1,406. In Al-jahra' it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sabah Al Salem it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Al-jahra' – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Al-jahra'. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sabah Al Salem makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.