Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hawalli and Kuwait City

For one person, living is cheaper in Hawalli: $667 a month against $1,460 in Kuwait City, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Hawalli
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Hawalli Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in Kuwait City
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Kuwait City Living Index

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Hawalli

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$667

/mo nomad

Kuwait City

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,460

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hawalli and in Kuwait City

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

A single person spends $667 per month in Hawalli vs $1,460 in Kuwait City, rent included.

Hawalli $667
Kuwait City $1,460

A couple spends around $2,779 per month in Hawalli vs $2,418 in Kuwait City, rent included.

Hawalli $2,779
Kuwait City $2,418

A family of three spends $4,892 per month in Hawalli vs $3,377 in Kuwait City, rent included.

Hawalli $4,892
Kuwait City $3,377

Hawalli is about 54% cheaper than Kuwait City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Hawalli sits 51% below the global median, while Kuwait City is 8% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.89 KWD 1.51

$12.70 KWD 3.91

-61.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.8 KWD 19.97

$64.0 KWD 19.72

1.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.77 KWD 2.70

$8.71 KWD 2.69

0.69%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.16 KWD 0.97

$3.20 KWD 0.99

-1.25%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 KWD 0.97

$4.80 KWD 1.48

-34.38%

Cappuccino

$4.79 KWD 1.48

$5.05 KWD 1.56

-5.15%

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

$0.44 KWD 0.14

$0.69 KWD 0.21

-36.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 KWD 0.09

$0.31 KWD 0.10

-6.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 KWD 0.49

$1.62 KWD 0.50

-2.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 KWD 0.47

$1.51 KWD 0.47

1.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 KWD 0.60

$1.89 KWD 0.58

3.70%

Eggs

$2.08 KWD 0.64

$2.05 KWD 0.63

1.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.14 KWD 0.97

$4.37 KWD 1.35

-28.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.72 KWD 1.45

$6.81 KWD 2.10

-30.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.27 KWD 1.01

$10.13 KWD 3.12

-67.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.47 KWD 0.76

$2.48 KWD 0.76

-0.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 KWD 0.58

$1.91 KWD 0.59

-0.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 KWD 0.54

$1.83 KWD 0.57

-3.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 KWD 0.45

$1.54 KWD 0.48

-4.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.31 KWD 0.40

$1.30 KWD 0.40

0.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 KWD 0.44

$1.47 KWD 0.45

-3.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.35 KWD 0.72

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 KWD 0.16

$0.58 KWD 0.18

-8.62%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.25 KWD 1.00

$3.19 KWD 0.98

1.88%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 KWD 0.31

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 KWD 0.43

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.74 KWD 0.84

$2.78 KWD 0.86

-1.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 KWD 0.26

$0.78 KWD 0.24

6.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.05 KWD 15.11

$49.08 KWD 15.12

-0.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.73 KWD 1.46

$4.72 KWD 1.45

0.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.29 KWD 1.01

$3.25 KWD 1.00

1.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.74 KWD 4.85

$16.28 KWD 5.01

-3.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.35 KWD 0.11

$0.33 KWD 0.10

6.06%

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

$21.0K KWD 6,484

$20.6K KWD 6,339

2.29%

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

$20.3K KWD 6,246

$20.5K KWD 6,312

-1.06%

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

$66.5 KWD 20.49

$66.0 KWD 20.33

0.79%

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

$22.61 KWD 6.97

$22.04 KWD 6.79

2.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.42 KWD 7.83

$30.31 KWD 9.34

-16.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.8 KWD 19.66

$122 KWD 37.70

-47.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$32.40 KWD 9.98

Cinema Ticket

$11.40 KWD 3.51

$11.08 KWD 3.42

2.89%

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

$299 KWD 92.1

$294 KWD 90.7

1.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,529 KWD 2,936

$9,475 KWD 2,919

0.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.80 KWD 9.80

$37.20 KWD 11.46

-14.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.08 KWD 12.04

$39.25 KWD 12.09

-0.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.7 KWD 30.09

$99.0 KWD 30.50

-1.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.1 KWD 27.45

$88.3 KWD 27.21

0.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$934 KWD 288

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$626 KWD 193

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,989 KWD 613

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,238 KWD 998

$1,331 KWD 410

143.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,313 KWD 1,637

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,328 KWD 717

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,865 KWD 575

$2,067 KWD 637

-9.78%

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 Hawalli: October 11, 2026

Last update for Kuwait City: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Hawalli

$151 22.6%

Kuwait City

$187 12.8% 23.9% $36

Eating Out

Hawalli

$126 18.9%

Kuwait City

$192 13.2% 52.8% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Hawalli

$116 17.4%

Kuwait City

$119 8.1% 2.4% $2.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hawalli

$115 17.2%

Kuwait City

$118 8.1% 3.3% $3.8

Sport & Entertainment

Hawalli

$87 13%

Kuwait City

$145 9.9% 66.9% $58

Getting Around

Hawalli

$74 11%

Kuwait City

$73 5% 0.5% $0.4

Accommodation & Living

Hawalli

- * 0%

Kuwait City

$626 42.9%

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 11% higher in Kuwait City, 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 $65.0 in Hawalli versus $64.0 in Kuwait City. Groceries tell a different story – $151 in Hawalli vs $187 in Kuwait City – so Hawalli wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇼 Hawalli

🇰🇼 Kuwait City

🕒 Local time

09:30 9:30 AM

Same time as Hawalli

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

164,212

637,411 Capital

💱 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

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Hawalli Kuwait City 8 km

From you

Hawalli
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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

Hawalli vs Kuwait City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $667 in Hawalli, $1,460 in Kuwait City – roughly 119% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,001 per month in Hawalli and $2,190 in Kuwait City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Groceries cost about 24% more in Kuwait City, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $65.0 in Hawalli and $64.0 in Kuwait City. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Hawalli, where all-in costs run around $667, than in Kuwait City at $1,460. In Hawalli it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kuwait City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Hawalli has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $667 in Hawalli to $1,460 in Kuwait City. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Hawalli. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kuwait City makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.