Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sabah Al Salem and Hawalli

For one person, living is cheaper in Hawalli: $671 a month against $1,418 in Sabah Al Salem, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Sabah Al Salem
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Sabah Al Salem Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Hawalli
Learn more

Hawalli Living Index

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Sabah Al Salem

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,418

/mo nomad

Hawalli

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$671

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sabah Al Salem and in Hawalli

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Sabah Al Salem and in Hawalli actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,418 per month in Sabah Al Salem vs $671 in Hawalli, rent included.

Sabah Al Salem $1,418
Hawalli $671

A couple spends around $2,468 per month in Sabah Al Salem vs $2,803 in Hawalli, rent included.

Sabah Al Salem $2,468
Hawalli $2,803

A family of three spends $3,518 per month in Sabah Al Salem vs $4,935 in Hawalli, rent included.

Sabah Al Salem $3,518
Hawalli $4,935

Sabah Al Salem costs about 111% more than Hawalli, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Sabah Al Salem sits 4% above the global median, while Hawalli is 51% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.81 KWD 2.41

$4.75 KWD 1.46

64.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.2 KWD 21.93

$64.4 KWD 19.85

10.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.38 KWD 2.89

$8.79 KWD 2.71

6.71%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 KWD 1.01

$3.17 KWD 0.98

2.84%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 KWD 0.97

$3.19 KWD 0.98

-0.94%

Cappuccino

$6.61 KWD 2.04

$4.97 KWD 1.53

33.00%

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

$0.47 KWD 0.14

$0.41 KWD 0.13

14.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 KWD 0.14

$0.29 KWD 0.09

58.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 KWD 0.57

$1.55 KWD 0.48

20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 KWD 0.39

$1.54 KWD 0.47

-18.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 KWD 0.63

$1.87 KWD 0.58

9.63%

Eggs

$3.16 KWD 0.97

$2.16 KWD 0.67

46.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.12 KWD 2.19

$3.26 KWD 1.00

118.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.41 KWD 1.67

$4.87 KWD 1.50

11.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.01 KWD 3.09

$3.24 KWD 1.00

208.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.44 KWD 0.75

$2.48 KWD 0.76

-1.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 KWD 0.60

$1.88 KWD 0.58

3.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 KWD 0.39

$1.79 KWD 0.55

-29.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 KWD 0.45

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 KWD 0.42

$1.30 KWD 0.40

4.62%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 KWD 0.28

$1.46 KWD 0.45

-37.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 KWD 0.51

$2.26 KWD 0.70

-26.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 KWD 0.15

$0.54 KWD 0.17

-9.26%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.08 KWD 0.95

$3.24 KWD 1.00

-4.94%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 KWD 0.35

$1.00 KWD 0.31

14.00%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 KWD 0.42

$1.45 KWD 0.45

-6.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.68 KWD 0.83

$2.70 KWD 0.83

-0.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 KWD 0.28

$0.83 KWD 0.25

10.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$112 KWD 34.63

$47.44 KWD 14.62

136.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.60 KWD 1.11

$4.87 KWD 1.50

-26.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.20 KWD 0.99

$3.12 KWD 0.96

2.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.80 KWD 4.25

$16.04 KWD 4.94

-13.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.33 KWD 0.10

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

$25.2K KWD 7,765

$23.5K KWD 7,228

7.42%

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

$21.5K KWD 6,630

$19.9K KWD 6,130

8.16%

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

$38.66 KWD 11.92

$66.4 KWD 20.46

-41.76%

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

$23.88 KWD 7.36

$22.73 KWD 7.01

5.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.49 KWD 11.86

$25.39 KWD 7.83

51.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$131 KWD 40.32

$65.6 KWD 20.22

99.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.26 KWD 11.79

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 KWD 3.41

$12.92 KWD 3.98

-14.40%

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

$281 KWD 86.6

$508 KWD 157

-44.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,550 KWD 2,327

$9,335 KWD 2,877

-19.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.23 KWD 11.47

$31.60 KWD 9.74

17.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.57 KWD 12.19

$39.30 KWD 12.11

0.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 KWD 30.48

$97.9 KWD 30.16

1.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.8 KWD 27.66

$88.1 KWD 27.14

1.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$814 KWD 251

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$550 KWD 170

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,741 KWD 537

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,351 KWD 416

$3,276 KWD 1,010

-58.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,957 KWD 911

$1,871 KWD 577

58.07%

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 Sabah Al Salem: October 24, 2026

Last update for Hawalli: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sabah Al Salem

$550 38.8%

Hawalli

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Sabah Al Salem

$185 13.1%

Hawalli

$151 22.6% 18.1% $34

Eating Out

Sabah Al Salem

$174 12.3%

Hawalli

$127 18.9% 27% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Sabah Al Salem

$153 10.8%

Hawalli

$91 13.6% 40.2% $61

Getting Around

Sabah Al Salem

$136 9.6%

Hawalli

$71 10.6% 47.5% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Sabah Al Salem

$119 8.4%

Hawalli

$116 17.2% 3.2% $3.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sabah Al Salem

$101 7.1%

Hawalli

$115 17.1% 13.3% $13

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 58% higher in Sabah Al Salem, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71 in Sabah Al Salem versus $64 in Hawalli. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $185 vs $151 – making Hawalli the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇼 Sabah Al Salem

🇰🇼 Hawalli

🕒 Local time

05:06 5:06 AM

Same time as Sabah Al Salem

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

92,818

164,212

💱 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

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sabah Al Salem Hawalli 10 km

From you

Sabah Al Salem
Hawalli

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

Sabah Al Salem vs Hawalli: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,418 in Sabah Al Salem, $671 in Hawalli – Hawalli comes out roughly 53% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,127 per month in Sabah Al Salem and $1,006 in Hawalli. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Groceries cost about 22% more in Sabah Al Salem, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71 in Sabah Al Salem and $64 in Hawalli. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Hawalli, where all-in costs run around $671, than in Sabah Al Salem at $1,418. In Hawalli it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sabah Al Salem it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Hawalli has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $671 in Hawalli to $1,418 in Sabah Al Salem. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Hawalli. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sabah Al Salem makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.