Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuwait City and Mishref

For one person, living is cheaper in Mishref: $1,324 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
66

Cost of Living Index in Mishref
Learn more

Mishref Living Index

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Kuwait City

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,466

/mo nomad

Mishref

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,324

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,466 in Kuwait City versus $1,324 in Mishref.

Kuwait City $1,466
Mishref $1,324

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,441 in Kuwait City versus $2,289 in Mishref.

Kuwait City $2,441
Mishref $2,289

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,417 in Kuwait City versus $3,254 in Mishref.

Kuwait City $3,417
Mishref $3,254

Living in Kuwait City is roughly 11% more expensive than in Mishref, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kuwait City is 8% above, Mishref is 3% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.12 KWD 4.04

$12.74 KWD 3.93

2.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.3 KWD 19.51

$64.6 KWD 19.89

-1.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.01 KWD 2.78

$8.65 KWD 2.66

4.16%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 KWD 0.98

$3.23 KWD 1.00

-1.55%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.73 KWD 1.46

$4.82 KWD 1.49

-1.87%

Cappuccino

$5.29 KWD 1.63

$5.07 KWD 1.56

4.34%

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

$0.75 KWD 0.23

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

Eggs

$2.16 KWD 0.67

$2.13 KWD 0.66

1.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.23 KWD 1.30

$4.33 KWD 1.33

-2.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.57 KWD 2.03

$6.80 KWD 2.10

-3.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.39 KWD 3.20

$10.12 KWD 3.12

2.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 KWD 0.74

$2.44 KWD 0.75

-2.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 KWD 0.59

$1.86 KWD 0.57

3.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 KWD 0.57

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 KWD 0.48

$1.54 KWD 0.47

0.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 KWD 0.42

Onion (1kg)

$1.44 KWD 0.44

$1.43 KWD 0.44

0.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 KWD 0.71

$2.34 KWD 0.72

-1.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 KWD 0.17

$0.53 KWD 0.16

3.77%

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

$1.05 KWD 0.32

-2.86%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 KWD 0.44

$1.37 KWD 0.42

4.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.78 KWD 0.86

$2.81 KWD 0.86

-1.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.78 KWD 0.24

$0.74 KWD 0.23

5.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.67 KWD 14.69

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.79 KWD 1.48

$4.77 KWD 1.47

0.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.23 KWD 1.00

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.99 KWD 4.93

$16.03 KWD 4.94

-0.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.33 KWD 0.10

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

$23.6K KWD 7,279

$23.2K KWD 7,151

1.79%

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

$19.9K KWD 6,119

$19.6K KWD 6,031

1.45%

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

$66.7 KWD 20.53

$65.9 KWD 20.29

1.20%

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

$22.40 KWD 6.90

$22.55 KWD 6.95

-0.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.14 KWD 9.29

$29.42 KWD 9.07

2.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$121 KWD 37.22

$86.6 KWD 26.69

39.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.58 KWD 9.73

Cinema Ticket

$13.11 KWD 4.04

$12.89 KWD 3.97

1.71%

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

$497 KWD 153

$503 KWD 155

-1.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,448 KWD 2,911

$9,224 KWD 2,842

2.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.19 KWD 11.77

$37.77 KWD 11.64

1.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.59 KWD 12.20

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 KWD 30.35

$99.4 KWD 30.61

-0.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.2 KWD 27.19

$87.0 KWD 26.81

1.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$907 KWD 279

$834 KWD 257

8.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 KWD 192

$572 KWD 176

9.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,862 KWD 574

$1,819 KWD 561

2.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,357 KWD 418

$1,399 KWD 431

-3.01%

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 Mishref: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kuwait City

$624 42.5%

Mishref

$572 43.2% 8.3% $52

Eating Out

Kuwait City

$200 13.6%

Mishref

$193 14.6% 3.4% $6.7

Groceries & Markets

Kuwait City

$186 12.7%

Mishref

$187 14.1% 0.4% $0.7

Sport & Entertainment

Kuwait City

$147 10%

Mishref

$112 8.5% 23.5% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuwait City

$119 8.1%

Mishref

$118 8.9% 1.1% $1.4

Clothing & Footwear

Kuwait City

$119 8.1%

Mishref

$119 9% 0.3% $0.3

Getting Around

Kuwait City

$72 4.9%

Mishref

$24 * 1.8% 66.7% $48

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 $834 in Mishref. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $63 in Kuwait City vs $65 in Mishref for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $186 vs $187 per month, with Kuwait City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇼 Kuwait City

🇰🇼 Mishref

🕒 Local time

00:50 12:50 AM

Same time as Kuwait City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

637,411 Capital

40,945

💱 Currency

Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك

📈 Exchange rate

1 KWD = 3.25 USD

1 KWD = 2.92 EUR

1 KWD = 3.25 USD

1 KWD = 2.92 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Mishref: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mishref wins on cost – living expenses run 10% lower than in Kuwait City. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Mishref the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,199 in Kuwait City and $1,986 in Mishref 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 $834 in Mishref. 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 $1,324 in Mishref – Mishref is about 10% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Dining out is cheaper in Kuwait City – a meal for two runs $63 versus $65 in Mishref. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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 Mishref are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.