Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuwait City and Hawalli

For one person, living is cheaper in Hawalli: $671 a month against $1,466 in Kuwait City, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

71

Cost of Living Index in Kuwait City
Learn more

Kuwait City Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Hawalli
Learn more

Hawalli Living Index

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Kuwait City

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,466

/mo nomad

Hawalli

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$671

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Hawalli actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,466 per month in Kuwait City vs $671 in Hawalli, rent included.

Kuwait City $1,466
Hawalli $671

A couple spends around $2,441 per month in Kuwait City vs $2,803 in Hawalli, rent included.

Kuwait City $2,441
Hawalli $2,803

A family of three spends $3,417 per month in Kuwait City vs $4,935 in Hawalli, rent included.

Kuwait City $3,417
Hawalli $4,935

Kuwait City costs about 119% more than Hawalli, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.12 KWD 4.04

$4.75 KWD 1.46

176.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.3 KWD 19.52

$64.4 KWD 19.85

-1.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.01 KWD 2.78

$8.79 KWD 2.71

2.50%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 KWD 0.98

$3.17 KWD 0.98

0.32%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.73 KWD 1.46

$3.19 KWD 0.98

48.28%

Cappuccino

$5.29 KWD 1.63

$4.97 KWD 1.53

6.44%

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

$0.75 KWD 0.23

$0.41 KWD 0.13

82.93%

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

$1.55 KWD 0.48

1.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 KWD 0.47

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.99 KWD 0.61

$1.87 KWD 0.58

6.42%

Eggs

$2.16 KWD 0.67

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.23 KWD 1.30

$3.26 KWD 1.00

29.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.57 KWD 2.03

$4.87 KWD 1.50

34.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.39 KWD 3.20

$3.24 KWD 1.00

220.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 KWD 0.74

$2.48 KWD 0.76

-3.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 KWD 0.59

$1.88 KWD 0.58

2.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 KWD 0.57

$1.79 KWD 0.55

2.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 KWD 0.48

$1.47 KWD 0.45

5.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 KWD 0.42

$1.30 KWD 0.40

6.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.44 KWD 0.44

$1.46 KWD 0.45

-1.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 KWD 0.71

$2.26 KWD 0.70

1.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 KWD 0.17

$0.54 KWD 0.17

1.85%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.13 KWD 0.96

$3.24 KWD 1.00

-3.40%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 KWD 0.31

$1.00 KWD 0.31

2.00%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 KWD 0.44

$1.45 KWD 0.45

-1.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.78 KWD 0.86

$2.70 KWD 0.83

2.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.78 KWD 0.24

$0.83 KWD 0.25

-6.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.67 KWD 14.69

$47.44 KWD 14.62

0.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.79 KWD 1.48

$4.87 KWD 1.50

-1.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.23 KWD 1.00

$3.12 KWD 0.96

3.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.99 KWD 4.93

$16.04 KWD 4.94

-0.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.33 KWD 0.10

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

$23.6K KWD 7,282

$23.5K KWD 7,228

0.74%

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

$19.9K KWD 6,120

$19.9K KWD 6,130

-0.15%

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

$66.7 KWD 20.54

$66.4 KWD 20.46

0.41%

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

$22.40 KWD 6.90

$22.73 KWD 7.01

-1.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.14 KWD 9.29

$25.39 KWD 7.83

18.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$121 KWD 37.23

$65.6 KWD 20.22

84.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.58 KWD 9.73

Cinema Ticket

$13.11 KWD 4.04

$12.92 KWD 3.98

1.47%

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

$497 KWD 153

$508 KWD 157

-2.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,448 KWD 2,912

$9,335 KWD 2,877

1.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.19 KWD 11.77

$31.60 KWD 9.74

20.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.59 KWD 12.20

$39.30 KWD 12.11

0.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 KWD 30.36

$97.9 KWD 30.16

0.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.2 KWD 27.19

$88.1 KWD 27.14

0.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$907 KWD 279

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 KWD 192

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,862 KWD 574

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,357 KWD 418

$3,276 KWD 1,010

-58.57%

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

$1,871 KWD 577

10.95%

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 Kuwait City: October 24, 2026

Last update for Hawalli: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kuwait City

$624 42.5%

Hawalli

- * 0% 100%

Eating Out

Kuwait City

$200 13.6%

Hawalli

$127 18.9% 36.5% $73

Groceries & Markets

Kuwait City

$186 12.7%

Hawalli

$151 22.6% 18.6% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Kuwait City

$147 10%

Hawalli

$91 13.6% 37.8% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuwait City

$119 8.1%

Hawalli

$115 17.1% 3.9% $4.7

Clothing & Footwear

Kuwait City

$119 8.1%

Hawalli

$116 17.2% 2.9% $3.5

Getting Around

Kuwait City

$72 4.9%

Hawalli

$71 10.6% 0.7% $0.5

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 $63 in Kuwait City versus $64 in Hawalli. Groceries tell a different story – $186 in Kuwait City vs $151 in Hawalli – so Hawalli wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇼 Kuwait City

🇰🇼 Hawalli

🕒 Local time

06:22 6:22 AM

Same time as Kuwait City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

637,411 Capital

164,212

💱 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

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Kuwait City Hawalli 8 km

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Kuwait City
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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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,466 in Kuwait City, $671 in Hawalli – Hawalli comes out roughly 54% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,199 per month in Kuwait City and $1,006 in Hawalli. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Kindergarten costs $497 per month in Kuwait City and $508 in Hawalli. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,466 in Kuwait City and $671 in Hawalli. That makes Hawalli about 54% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Hawalli, where all-in costs run around $671, than in Kuwait City at $1,466. 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 $671 in Hawalli 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.

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