Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuwait City and As-salimiyah

For one person, living is cheaper in As-salimiyah: $1,328 a month against $1,466 in Kuwait City, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

71

Cost of Living Index in Kuwait City
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Kuwait City Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in As-salimiyah
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As-salimiyah Living Index

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Kuwait City

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,466

/mo nomad

As-salimiyah

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,328

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kuwait City and in As-salimiyah

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

A single person spends $1,466 per month in Kuwait City vs $1,328 in As-salimiyah, rent included.

Kuwait City $1,466
As-salimiyah $1,328

A couple spends around $2,441 per month in Kuwait City vs $2,190 in As-salimiyah, rent included.

Kuwait City $2,441
As-salimiyah $2,190

A family of three spends $3,417 per month in Kuwait City vs $3,051 in As-salimiyah, rent included.

Kuwait City $3,417
As-salimiyah $3,051

Kuwait City costs about 10% more than As-salimiyah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Kuwait City sits 8% above the global median, while As-salimiyah is 2% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.12 KWD 4.04

$8.23 KWD 2.54

59.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.3 KWD 19.52

$38.19 KWD 11.77

65.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.01 KWD 2.78

$9.10 KWD 2.81

-0.99%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 KWD 0.98

$3.28 KWD 1.01

-3.05%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.73 KWD 1.46

$1.63 KWD 0.50

190.18%

Cappuccino

$5.29 KWD 1.63

$4.48 KWD 1.38

18.08%

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

$0.75 KWD 0.23

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 KWD 0.10

$0.29 KWD 0.09

6.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 KWD 0.49

$1.31 KWD 0.40

20.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 KWD 0.47

$0.75 KWD 0.23

105.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.99 KWD 0.61

$1.97 KWD 0.61

1.02%

Eggs

$2.16 KWD 0.67

$2.13 KWD 0.66

1.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.23 KWD 1.30

$4.43 KWD 1.36

-4.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.57 KWD 2.03

$5.31 KWD 1.64

23.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.39 KWD 3.20

$9.46 KWD 2.92

9.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 KWD 0.74

$2.14 KWD 0.66

11.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 KWD 0.59

$1.62 KWD 0.50

18.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 KWD 0.57

$1.25 KWD 0.39

47.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 KWD 0.48

$1.47 KWD 0.45

5.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 KWD 0.42

$1.36 KWD 0.42

1.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.44 KWD 0.44

$0.82 KWD 0.25

75.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 KWD 0.71

$1.57 KWD 0.48

46.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 KWD 0.17

$0.50 KWD 0.15

10.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.13 KWD 0.96

$3.23 KWD 1.00

-3.10%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 KWD 0.31

$1.01 KWD 0.31

0.99%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 KWD 0.44

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.78 KWD 0.86

$2.71 KWD 0.84

2.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.78 KWD 0.24

$0.84 KWD 0.26

-7.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.67 KWD 14.69

$48.79 KWD 15.04

-2.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.79 KWD 1.48

$3.31 KWD 1.02

44.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.23 KWD 1.00

$3.31 KWD 1.02

-2.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.99 KWD 4.93

$15.94 KWD 4.91

0.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.33 KWD 0.10

$0.36 KWD 0.11

-8.33%

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

$23.6K KWD 7,282

$23.4K KWD 7,222

0.82%

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

$19.9K KWD 6,120

$20.1K KWD 6,202

-1.31%

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

$66.7 KWD 20.54

$32.30 KWD 9.95

106.35%

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

$22.40 KWD 6.90

$21.28 KWD 6.56

5.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.14 KWD 9.29

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$121 KWD 37.23

$97.8 KWD 30.15

23.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.58 KWD 9.73

$64.0 KWD 19.71

-50.62%

Cinema Ticket

$13.11 KWD 4.04

$11.14 KWD 3.43

17.68%

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

$497 KWD 153

$275 KWD 84.9

80.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,448 KWD 2,912

$6,338 KWD 1,953

49.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.19 KWD 11.77

$36.80 KWD 11.34

3.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.59 KWD 12.20

$39.01 KWD 12.02

1.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 KWD 30.36

$89.2 KWD 27.50

10.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.2 KWD 27.19

$64.7 KWD 19.94

36.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$907 KWD 279

$896 KWD 276

1.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 KWD 192

$642 KWD 198

-2.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,862 KWD 574

$1,771 KWD 546

5.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,357 KWD 418

$1,388 KWD 428

-2.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,290 KWD 1,630

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,323 KWD 716

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,076 KWD 640

$2,815 KWD 867

-26.24%

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 Kuwait City: October 24, 2026

Last update for As-salimiyah: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kuwait City

$624 42.5%

As-salimiyah

$642 48.4% 2.9% $18

Eating Out

Kuwait City

$200 13.6%

As-salimiyah

$151 11.4% 24.4% $49

Groceries & Markets

Kuwait City

$186 12.7%

As-salimiyah

$156 11.7% 16.1% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Kuwait City

$147 10%

As-salimiyah

$120 9% 18.3% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuwait City

$119 8.1%

As-salimiyah

$84 6.3% 29.8% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Kuwait City

$119 8.1%

As-salimiyah

$103 7.8% 13.1% $16

Getting Around

Kuwait City

$72 4.9%

As-salimiyah

$72 5.4% 0.4% $0.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $907 in Kuwait City versus $896 in As-salimiyah. 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 36% higher in As-salimiyah, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $63 in Kuwait City versus $38 in As-salimiyah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $186 vs $156 – making As-salimiyah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇼 Kuwait City

🇰🇼 As-salimiyah

🕒 Local time

20:48 8:48 PM

Same time as Kuwait City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

637,411 Capital

147,649

💱 Currency

Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك

📈 Exchange rate

1 KWD = 3.24 USD

1 KWD = 2.91 EUR

1 KWD = 3.24 USD

1 KWD = 2.91 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Kuwait City As-salimiyah 11 km

From you

Kuwait City
As-salimiyah

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

Kuwait City vs As-salimiyah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Kuwait City is pricier by about 10%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,199 per month in Kuwait City and $1,992 in As-salimiyah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $907 in Kuwait City and $896 in As-salimiyah. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $63 in Kuwait City and $38 in As-salimiyah. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 19% more in Kuwait City, though the gap depends on what you buy.

It depends on your priorities. As-salimiyah has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,328 in As-salimiyah to $1,466 in Kuwait City. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.