Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuwait City and Qairawan

For one person, living is cheaper in Qairawan: $1,245 a month against $1,466 in Kuwait City, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 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
62

Cost of Living Index in Qairawan
Learn more

Qairawan Living Index

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Kuwait City

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,466

/mo nomad

Qairawan

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,245

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,466 in Kuwait City versus $1,245 in Qairawan.

Kuwait City $1,466
Qairawan $1,245

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,441 in Kuwait City versus $2,045 in Qairawan.

Kuwait City $2,441
Qairawan $2,045

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,417 in Kuwait City versus $2,844 in Qairawan.

Kuwait City $3,417
Qairawan $2,844

Living in Kuwait City is roughly 18% more expensive than in Qairawan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.12 KWD 4.04

$9.13 KWD 2.81

43.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.3 KWD 19.51

$51.6 KWD 15.90

22.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.01 KWD 2.78

$6.98 KWD 2.15

29.08%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 KWD 0.98

$3.26 KWD 1.00

-2.45%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.73 KWD 1.46

$3.12 KWD 0.96

51.60%

Cappuccino

$5.29 KWD 1.63

$4.48 KWD 1.38

18.08%

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

$0.75 KWD 0.23

$0.49 KWD 0.15

53.06%

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

$1.30 KWD 0.40

21.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 KWD 0.47

$0.83 KWD 0.25

85.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.99 KWD 0.61

$2.12 KWD 0.65

-6.13%

Eggs

$2.16 KWD 0.67

$2.35 KWD 0.73

-8.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.23 KWD 1.30

$4.40 KWD 1.35

-3.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.57 KWD 2.03

$5.04 KWD 1.55

30.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.39 KWD 3.20

$9.38 KWD 2.89

10.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 KWD 0.74

$2.51 KWD 0.77

-4.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 KWD 0.59

$1.73 KWD 0.53

10.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 KWD 0.57

$1.27 KWD 0.39

44.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 KWD 0.48

$1.67 KWD 0.51

-7.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 KWD 0.42

$1.53 KWD 0.47

-9.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.44 KWD 0.44

$0.89 KWD 0.27

61.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 KWD 0.71

$1.46 KWD 0.45

57.53%

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

$2.98 KWD 0.92

5.03%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 KWD 0.31

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 KWD 0.44

$1.26 KWD 0.39

13.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.78 KWD 0.86

$2.82 KWD 0.87

-1.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.78 KWD 0.24

$0.90 KWD 0.28

-13.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.67 KWD 14.69

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.79 KWD 1.48

$3.44 KWD 1.06

39.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.23 KWD 1.00

$3.69 KWD 1.14

-12.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.99 KWD 4.93

$17.89 KWD 5.51

-10.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.33 KWD 0.10

$0.39 KWD 0.12

-15.38%

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

$23.6K KWD 7,279

$25.4K KWD 7,816

-6.87%

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

$19.9K KWD 6,119

$16.8K KWD 5,177

18.18%

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

$66.7 KWD 20.53

$55.7 KWD 17.16

19.68%

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

$22.40 KWD 6.90

$22.45 KWD 6.92

-0.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.14 KWD 9.29

$32.17 KWD 9.91

-6.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$121 KWD 37.22

$106 KWD 32.61

14.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.58 KWD 9.73

Cinema Ticket

$13.11 KWD 4.04

$11.56 KWD 3.56

13.41%

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

$497 KWD 153

$295 KWD 90.8

68.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,448 KWD 2,911

$7,738 KWD 2,384

22.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.19 KWD 11.77

$34.92 KWD 10.76

9.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.59 KWD 12.20

$39.28 KWD 12.10

0.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 KWD 30.35

$91.9 KWD 28.33

7.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.2 KWD 27.19

$101 KWD 31.17

-12.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$907 KWD 279

$789 KWD 243

14.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 KWD 192

$549 KWD 169

13.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,862 KWD 574

$1,926 KWD 593

-3.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,357 KWD 418

$1,172 KWD 361

15.83%

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 Qairawan: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kuwait City

$624 42.5%

Qairawan

$549 44.1% 12% $75

Eating Out

Kuwait City

$200 13.6%

Qairawan

$151 12.1% 24.5% $49

Groceries & Markets

Kuwait City

$186 12.7%

Qairawan

$161 12.9% 13.6% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Kuwait City

$147 10%

Qairawan

$129 10.4% 12.3% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuwait City

$119 8.1%

Qairawan

$110 8.9% 7.5% $8.9

Clothing & Footwear

Kuwait City

$119 8.1%

Qairawan

$120 9.7% 1.1% $1.3

Getting Around

Kuwait City

$72 4.9%

Qairawan

$25 * 2.1% 64.5% $46

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 $789 in Qairawan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $63 in Kuwait City vs $52 in Qairawan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $186 vs $161 per month, with Qairawan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇼 Kuwait City

🇰🇼 Qairawan

🕒 Local time

00:50 12:50 AM

Same time as Kuwait City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

637,411 Capital

💱 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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Kuwait City Qairawan 19 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 Qairawan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Qairawan 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 Qairawan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,199 in Kuwait City and $1,868 in Qairawan 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 $789 in Qairawan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $497 in Kuwait City versus $295 in Qairawan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Qairawan – a meal for two runs $52 versus $63 in Kuwait City. 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 Qairawan are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.