Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuwait City and Keelung

For one person, living is cheaper in Keelung: $978 a month against $1,460 in Kuwait City, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

71

Cost of Living Index in Kuwait City
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Kuwait City Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Keelung
Learn more

Keelung Living Index

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Kuwait City

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,460

/mo nomad

Keelung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$978

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,460 in Kuwait City versus $978 in Keelung.

Kuwait City $1,460
Keelung $978

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,418 in Kuwait City versus $1,717 in Keelung.

Kuwait City $2,418
Keelung $1,717

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,377 in Kuwait City versus $2,457 in Keelung.

Kuwait City $3,377
Keelung $2,457

Living in Kuwait City is roughly 49% more expensive than in Keelung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kuwait City is 8% above, Keelung is 28% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.70 KWD 3.91

$4.65 NT$151

173.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.0 KWD 19.72

$31.92 NT$1,035

100.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.71 KWD 2.69

$4.85 NT$157

79.59%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 KWD 0.99

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.80 KWD 1.48

Cappuccino

$5.05 KWD 1.56

$2.85 NT$92.4

77.19%

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

$0.69 KWD 0.21

$1.03 NT$33.31

-33.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 KWD 0.10

$0.73 NT$23.60

-57.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.54 NT$50.1

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 NT$91.1

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 KWD 0.50

$3.24 NT$105

-50.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 KWD 0.47

$1.39 NT$45.01

8.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.89 KWD 0.58

$1.12 NT$36.44

68.75%

Eggs

$2.05 KWD 0.63

$2.22 NT$72.1

-7.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.37 KWD 1.35

$29.36 NT$952

-85.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.81 KWD 2.10

$5.83 NT$189

16.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.13 KWD 3.12

$17.08 NT$554

-40.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.48 KWD 0.76

$4.35 NT$141

-42.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 KWD 0.59

$1.89 NT$61.4

1.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 KWD 0.57

$3.02 NT$98.0

-39.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 KWD 0.48

$2.16 NT$70.1

-28.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 KWD 0.40

$1.19 NT$38.69

9.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 KWD 0.45

$1.90 NT$61.6

-22.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.35 KWD 0.72

$2.42 NT$78.5

-2.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 KWD 0.18

$0.91 NT$29.60

-36.26%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.19 KWD 0.98

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)

$2.78 KWD 0.86

$3.76 NT$122

-26.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.24 NT$300

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 NT$35.21

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 NT$83.0

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.78 KWD 0.24

$0.64 NT$20.87

21.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.08 KWD 15.12

$63.7 NT$2,064

-22.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.72 KWD 1.45

$2.61 NT$84.7

80.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 KWD 1.00

$0.96 NT$31.16

238.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.28 KWD 5.01

$9.61 NT$311

69.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.33 KWD 0.10

$1.03 NT$33.31

-67.96%

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

$20.6K KWD 6,339

$33.3K NT$1.1M

-38.23%

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

$20.5K KWD 6,312

$23.0K NT$744.6K

-10.77%

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

$66.0 KWD 20.33

$41.52 NT$1,346

58.91%

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

$22.04 KWD 6.79

$15.14 NT$491

45.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.31 KWD 9.34

$11.07 NT$359

173.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$122 KWD 37.70

$34.14 NT$1,107

258.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$32.40 KWD 9.98

$32.11 NT$1,041

0.90%

Cinema Ticket

$11.08 KWD 3.42

$7.92 NT$257

39.90%

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

$294 KWD 90.7

$336 NT$10.9K

-12.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,475 KWD 2,919

$16.9K NT$546.4K

-43.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.20 KWD 11.46

$73.0 NT$2,368

-49.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.25 KWD 12.09

$36.15 NT$1,172

8.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.0 KWD 30.50

$47.16 NT$1,529

109.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.3 KWD 27.21

$31.66 NT$1,027

178.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$934 KWD 288

$401 NT$13.0K

133.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$626 KWD 193

$254 NT$8,247

146.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,989 KWD 613

$978 NT$31.7K

103.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,331 KWD 410

$731 NT$23.7K

82.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,313 KWD 1,637

$3,385 NT$109.8K

56.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,328 KWD 717

$2,352 NT$76.3K

-0.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,067 KWD 637

$2,436 NT$79.0K

-15.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.53

2.27

187.67%

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

Last update for Kuwait City: October 10, 2026

Last update for Keelung: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kuwait City

$626 42.9%

Keelung

$254 26% 59.4% $372

Eating Out

Kuwait City

$192 13.2%

Keelung

$106 10.9% 44.7% $86

Groceries & Markets

Kuwait City

$187 12.8%

Keelung

$341 34.9% 82.8% $155

Sport & Entertainment

Kuwait City

$145 9.9%

Keelung

$50 5.1% 65.4% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Kuwait City

$119 8.1%

Keelung

$85 8.7% 28.7% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuwait City

$118 8.1%

Keelung

$68 6.9% 42.8% $51

Getting Around

Kuwait City

$73 5%

Keelung

$74 7.5% 0.6% $0.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $934 in Kuwait City and $401 in Keelung. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Keelung pays 18% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $64.0 in Kuwait City vs $32.00 in Keelung. Groceries flip the comparison at $187 vs $341, with Kuwait City cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇼 Kuwait City

🇹🇼 Keelung

🕒 Local time

17:58 5:58 PM

22:58 10:58 PM

5 h ahead of Kuwait City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

637,411 Capital

372,100

💱 Currency

Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

1 KWD = 3.25 USD

1 KWD = 2.89 EUR

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD, EUR to KWD – Kuwaiti Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇼 Kuwaiti Dinar (د.ك)

Kuwaiti Dinar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.308 KWD (1 KWD = 3.25 USD). 1 EUR = 0.346 KWD (1 KWD = 2.89 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

USD to KWD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kuwait City Keelung 7,180 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Kuwait City
Keelung

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 Keelung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kuwait City and Keelung differ by about 49% in total monthly costs ($1,460 vs $978 including rent). Keelung is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 18% lower in Keelung. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $934 in Kuwait City versus $401 in Keelung. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Kuwait City pay roughly 83% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Keelung – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $64.0 in Kuwait City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $978 in Keelung versus $1,460 in Kuwait City, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Keelung but tight or insufficient in Kuwait City. The gap between the two cities makes Keelung 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 Keelung 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 Keelung gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Kuwait City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.