Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuwait City and Mangaf

For one person, living is cheaper in Mangaf: $1,064 a month against $1,466 in Kuwait City, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

71

Cost of Living Index in Kuwait City
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Kuwait City Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Mangaf
Learn more

Mangaf Living Index

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Kuwait City

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,466

/mo nomad

Mangaf

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,064

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,466 in Kuwait City versus $1,064 in Mangaf.

Kuwait City $1,466
Mangaf $1,064

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,441 in Kuwait City versus $1,346 in Mangaf.

Kuwait City $2,441
Mangaf $1,346

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,417 in Kuwait City versus $1,629 in Mangaf.

Kuwait City $3,417
Mangaf $1,629

Living in Kuwait City is roughly 38% more expensive than in Mangaf, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kuwait City is 8% above, Mangaf is 22% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.12 KWD 4.04

$6.46 KWD 1.99

103.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.3 KWD 19.52

$65.5 KWD 20.20

-3.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.01 KWD 2.78

$6.49 KWD 2.00

38.83%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 KWD 0.98

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.73 KWD 1.46

$4.80 KWD 1.48

-1.46%

Cappuccino

$5.29 KWD 1.63

$4.70 KWD 1.45

12.55%

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

$0.75 KWD 0.23

$0.32 KWD 0.10

134.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 KWD 0.10

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 KWD 0.49

$1.64 KWD 0.51

-3.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 KWD 0.47

$1.51 KWD 0.47

1.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.99 KWD 0.61

$1.91 KWD 0.59

4.19%

Eggs

$2.16 KWD 0.67

$2.11 KWD 0.65

2.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.23 KWD 1.30

$4.28 KWD 1.32

-1.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.57 KWD 2.03

$6.50 KWD 2.00

1.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.39 KWD 3.20

$10.25 KWD 3.16

1.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 KWD 0.74

$2.40 KWD 0.74

-0.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 KWD 0.59

$1.84 KWD 0.57

4.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 KWD 0.57

$1.85 KWD 0.57

-0.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 KWD 0.48

$1.54 KWD 0.48

0.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 KWD 0.42

$1.37 KWD 0.42

0.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.44 KWD 0.44

$1.47 KWD 0.45

-2.04%

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

$0.47 KWD 0.14

17.02%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.13 KWD 0.96

$3.15 KWD 0.97

-0.63%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 KWD 0.31

$1.05 KWD 0.32

-2.86%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 KWD 0.44

$1.38 KWD 0.42

3.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.78 KWD 0.86

$2.76 KWD 0.85

0.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.78 KWD 0.24

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.67 KWD 14.69

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.79 KWD 1.48

$4.97 KWD 1.53

-3.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.23 KWD 1.00

$3.16 KWD 0.97

2.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.99 KWD 4.93

$16.39 KWD 5.05

-2.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.33 KWD 0.10

$0.32 KWD 0.10

3.13%

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

$23.6K KWD 7,282

$22.9K KWD 7,073

2.95%

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

$19.9K KWD 6,120

$19.4K KWD 5,972

2.48%

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

$66.7 KWD 20.54

$64.3 KWD 19.82

3.62%

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

$22.40 KWD 6.90

$22.96 KWD 7.07

-2.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.14 KWD 9.29

$30.05 KWD 9.26

0.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$121 KWD 37.23

$48.05 KWD 14.81

151.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.58 KWD 9.73

Cinema Ticket

$13.11 KWD 4.04

$12.64 KWD 3.90

3.72%

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

$497 KWD 153

$504 KWD 155

-1.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,448 KWD 2,912

$9,376 KWD 2,890

0.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.19 KWD 11.77

$38.27 KWD 11.80

-0.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.59 KWD 12.20

$38.75 KWD 11.94

2.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 KWD 30.36

$96.5 KWD 29.75

2.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.2 KWD 27.19

$87.3 KWD 26.89

1.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$907 KWD 279

$242 KWD 74.5

275.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 KWD 192

$422 KWD 130

47.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,862 KWD 574

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,357 KWD 418

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

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 Mangaf: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kuwait City

$624 42.5%

Mangaf

$422 39.6% 32.4% $202

Eating Out

Kuwait City

$200 13.6%

Mangaf

$130 12.2% 34.9% $70

Groceries & Markets

Kuwait City

$186 12.7%

Mangaf

$184 17.3% 1.3% $2.4

Sport & Entertainment

Kuwait City

$147 10%

Mangaf

$73 6.9% 50.1% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuwait City

$119 8.1%

Mangaf

$117 11% 1.6% $1.9

Clothing & Footwear

Kuwait City

$119 8.1%

Mangaf

$117 11% 1.4% $1.7

Getting Around

Kuwait City

$72 4.9%

Mangaf

$21 * 2% 71% $51

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 $907 in Kuwait City and $242 in Mangaf. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $63 in Kuwait City vs $66 in Mangaf. Groceries flip the comparison at $186 vs $184, with Mangaf cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇼 Kuwait City

🇰🇼 Mangaf

🕒 Local time

02:58 2:58 AM

Same time as Kuwait City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

637,411 Capital

39,025

💱 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 Mangaf 34 km

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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 Mangaf: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mangaf wins on cost – living expenses run 27% lower than in Kuwait City. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Mangaf the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,199 in Kuwait City and $1,596 in Mangaf 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: $907 in Kuwait City versus $242 in Mangaf. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,466 per month in Kuwait City versus $1,064 in Mangaf – Mangaf is about 27% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Dining out is cheaper in Kuwait City – a meal for two runs $63 versus $66 in Mangaf. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Safety-wise, Kuwait City and Mangaf are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.