Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuwait City and Janub-as-surrah

For one person, living is cheaper in Janub-as-surrah: $1,266 a month against $1,460 in Kuwait City, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 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 Janub-as-surrah
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Janub-as-surrah Living Index

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Kuwait City

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,460

/mo nomad

Janub-as-surrah

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,266

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kuwait City and in Janub-as-surrah

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 Janub-as-surrah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,460 in Kuwait City versus $1,266 in Janub-as-surrah.

Kuwait City $1,460
Janub-as-surrah $1,266

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,418 in Kuwait City versus $2,141 in Janub-as-surrah.

Kuwait City $2,418
Janub-as-surrah $2,141

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,377 in Kuwait City versus $3,015 in Janub-as-surrah.

Kuwait City $3,377
Janub-as-surrah $3,015

Living in Kuwait City is roughly 15% more expensive than in Janub-as-surrah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kuwait City is 8% above, Janub-as-surrah is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.70 KWD 3.91

$8.80 KWD 2.71

44.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.0 KWD 19.72

$66.2 KWD 20.39

-3.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.71 KWD 2.69

$8.28 KWD 2.55

5.19%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 KWD 0.99

$3.22 KWD 0.99

-0.62%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.80 KWD 1.48

$3.06 KWD 0.94

56.86%

Cappuccino

$5.05 KWD 1.56

$5.56 KWD 1.71

-9.17%

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

$0.69 KWD 0.21

$0.52 KWD 0.16

32.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 KWD 0.10

$0.30 KWD 0.09

3.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 KWD 0.50

$1.29 KWD 0.40

25.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 KWD 0.47

$0.90 KWD 0.28

67.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.89 KWD 0.58

$1.82 KWD 0.56

3.85%

Eggs

$2.05 KWD 0.63

$1.88 KWD 0.58

9.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.37 KWD 1.35

$4.86 KWD 1.50

-10.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.81 KWD 2.10

$6.22 KWD 1.92

9.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.13 KWD 3.12

$9.68 KWD 2.98

4.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.48 KWD 0.76

$2.24 KWD 0.69

10.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 KWD 0.59

$1.90 KWD 0.59

0.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 KWD 0.57

$1.35 KWD 0.42

35.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 KWD 0.48

$1.71 KWD 0.53

-9.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 KWD 0.40

$1.34 KWD 0.41

-2.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 KWD 0.45

$0.86 KWD 0.27

70.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.35 KWD 0.72

$1.42 KWD 0.44

65.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 KWD 0.18

$0.54 KWD 0.17

7.41%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.19 KWD 0.98

$3.08 KWD 0.95

3.57%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 KWD 0.31

$0.92 KWD 0.28

9.78%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 KWD 0.43

$1.30 KWD 0.40

6.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.78 KWD 0.86

$2.39 KWD 0.74

16.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.78 KWD 0.24

$0.80 KWD 0.25

-2.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.08 KWD 15.12

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.72 KWD 1.45

$3.17 KWD 0.98

48.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 KWD 1.00

$3.34 KWD 1.03

-2.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.28 KWD 5.01

$15.85 KWD 4.88

2.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.33 KWD 0.10

$0.34 KWD 0.10

-2.94%

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

$20.6K KWD 6,339

$20.3K KWD 6,249

1.45%

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

$20.5K KWD 6,312

$21.0K KWD 6,469

-2.42%

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

$66.0 KWD 20.33

$71.9 KWD 22.17

-8.28%

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

$22.04 KWD 6.79

$21.29 KWD 6.56

3.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.31 KWD 9.34

$32.26 KWD 9.94

-6.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$122 KWD 37.70

$92.8 KWD 28.58

31.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$32.40 KWD 9.98

Cinema Ticket

$11.08 KWD 3.42

$11.56 KWD 3.56

-4.15%

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

$294 KWD 90.7

$306 KWD 94.2

-3.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,475 KWD 2,919

$6,692 KWD 2,062

41.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.20 KWD 11.46

$42.91 KWD 13.22

-13.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.25 KWD 12.09

$41.90 KWD 12.91

-6.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.0 KWD 30.50

$90.2 KWD 27.79

9.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.3 KWD 27.21

$81.8 KWD 25.21

7.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$934 KWD 288

$760 KWD 234

22.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$626 KWD 193

$555 KWD 171

12.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,989 KWD 613

$1,534 KWD 473

29.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,331 KWD 410

$1,258 KWD 388

5.75%

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)

$2,067 KWD 637

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 10, 2026

Last update for Janub-as-surrah: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kuwait City

$626 42.9%

Janub-as-surrah

$555 43.9% 11.3% $71

Eating Out

Kuwait City

$192 13.2%

Janub-as-surrah

$165 13% 14.1% $27

Groceries & Markets

Kuwait City

$187 12.8%

Janub-as-surrah

$166 13.1% 11.2% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Kuwait City

$145 9.9%

Janub-as-surrah

$116 9.2% 19.8% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Kuwait City

$119 8.1%

Janub-as-surrah

$116 9.1% 2.6% $3.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuwait City

$118 8.1%

Janub-as-surrah

$125 9.9% 6.1% $7.2

Getting Around

Kuwait City

$73 5%

Janub-as-surrah

$23 * 1.8% 68.5% $50

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $934 in Kuwait City and $760 in Janub-as-surrah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $64.0 in Kuwait City vs $66.0 in Janub-as-surrah. Groceries flip the comparison at $187 vs $166, with Janub-as-surrah cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇼 Kuwait City

🇰🇼 Janub-as-surrah

🕒 Local time

09:29 9:29 AM

Same time as Kuwait City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

637,411 Capital

18,496

💱 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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Kuwait City Janub-as-surrah 12 km

From you

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 Janub-as-surrah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Janub-as-surrah wins on cost – living expenses run 15% lower than in Kuwait City. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Janub-as-surrah the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,190 in Kuwait City and $1,900 in Janub-as-surrah to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $934 in Kuwait City versus $760 in Janub-as-surrah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Kuwait City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,460 per month in Kuwait City versus $1,266 in Janub-as-surrah – a 15% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,266 in Janub-as-surrah versus $1,460 in Kuwait City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Janub-as-surrah but tight or insufficient in Kuwait City. The gap between the two cities makes Janub-as-surrah the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Kuwait City and Janub-as-surrah are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Janub-as-surrah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Kuwait City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.