Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sabah Al Salem and Janub-as-surrah

For one person, living is cheaper in Janub-as-surrah: $1,192 a month against $1,418 in Sabah Al Salem, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. The total is higher in Sabah Al Salem despite lower rent and utilities.

68

Cost of Living Index in Sabah Al Salem
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Sabah Al Salem Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Janub-as-surrah
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Janub-as-surrah Living Index

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Sabah Al Salem

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,418

/mo nomad

Janub-as-surrah

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,192

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sabah Al Salem and in Janub-as-surrah

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 Janub-as-surrah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,418 in Sabah Al Salem versus $1,192 in Janub-as-surrah.

Sabah Al Salem $1,418
Janub-as-surrah $1,192

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,468 in Sabah Al Salem versus $2,136 in Janub-as-surrah.

Sabah Al Salem $2,468
Janub-as-surrah $2,136

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,518 in Sabah Al Salem versus $3,080 in Janub-as-surrah.

Sabah Al Salem $3,518
Janub-as-surrah $3,080

Living in Sabah Al Salem is roughly 19% more expensive than in Janub-as-surrah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sabah Al Salem is 4% above, Janub-as-surrah is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.81 KWD 2.41

$7.16 KWD 2.21

9.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.2 KWD 21.93

$45.63 KWD 14.06

55.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.38 KWD 2.89

$8.05 KWD 2.48

16.52%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 KWD 1.01

$2.88 KWD 0.89

13.19%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 KWD 0.97

$2.90 KWD 0.89

8.97%

Cappuccino

$6.61 KWD 2.04

$4.68 KWD 1.44

41.24%

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

$0.47 KWD 0.14

$0.50 KWD 0.15

-6.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 KWD 0.14

$0.30 KWD 0.09

53.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 KWD 0.57

$1.23 KWD 0.38

51.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 KWD 0.39

$0.88 KWD 0.27

42.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 KWD 0.63

$2.15 KWD 0.66

-4.65%

Eggs

$3.16 KWD 0.97

$2.24 KWD 0.69

41.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.12 KWD 2.19

$4.56 KWD 1.41

56.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.41 KWD 1.67

$5.76 KWD 1.78

-6.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.01 KWD 3.09

$10.47 KWD 3.23

-4.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.44 KWD 0.75

$2.23 KWD 0.69

9.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 KWD 0.60

$1.63 KWD 0.50

19.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 KWD 0.39

$1.19 KWD 0.37

5.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 KWD 0.45

$1.40 KWD 0.43

5.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 KWD 0.42

$1.45 KWD 0.45

-6.21%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 KWD 0.28

$1.04 KWD 0.32

-12.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 KWD 0.51

$1.57 KWD 0.48

5.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 KWD 0.15

$0.47 KWD 0.15

4.26%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.08 KWD 0.95

$2.78 KWD 0.86

10.79%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 KWD 0.35

$0.94 KWD 0.29

21.28%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 KWD 0.42

$1.28 KWD 0.39

5.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.68 KWD 0.83

$2.69 KWD 0.83

-0.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 KWD 0.28

$0.91 KWD 0.28

1.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$112 KWD 34.63

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.60 KWD 1.11

$2.90 KWD 0.89

24.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.20 KWD 0.99

$3.08 KWD 0.95

3.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.80 KWD 4.25

$17.76 KWD 5.48

-22.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.33 KWD 0.10

$0.35 KWD 0.11

-5.71%

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

$25.2K KWD 7,765

$24.0K KWD 7,381

5.20%

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

$21.5K KWD 6,630

$20.5K KWD 6,314

5.00%

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

$38.66 KWD 11.92

$59.0 KWD 18.20

-34.52%

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

$23.88 KWD 7.36

$20.95 KWD 6.46

13.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.49 KWD 11.86

$26.53 KWD 8.18

45.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$131 KWD 40.32

$83.8 KWD 25.82

56.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.26 KWD 11.79

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 KWD 3.41

$10.02 KWD 3.09

10.38%

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

$281 KWD 86.6

$240 KWD 73.9

17.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,550 KWD 2,327

$7,958 KWD 2,453

-5.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.23 KWD 11.47

$32.95 KWD 10.16

12.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.57 KWD 12.19

$44.25 KWD 13.64

-10.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 KWD 30.48

$109 KWD 33.52

-9.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.8 KWD 27.66

$84.9 KWD 26.18

5.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$814 KWD 251

$806 KWD 248

1.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$550 KWD 170

$533 KWD 164

3.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,741 KWD 537

$1,847 KWD 569

-5.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,351 KWD 416

$1,515 KWD 467

-10.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,957 KWD 911

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 Janub-as-surrah: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sabah Al Salem

$550 38.8%

Janub-as-surrah

$533 44.8% 3% $17

Groceries & Markets

Sabah Al Salem

$185 13.1%

Janub-as-surrah

$164 13.7% 11.6% $21

Eating Out

Sabah Al Salem

$174 12.3%

Janub-as-surrah

$141 11.8% 19% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Sabah Al Salem

$153 10.8%

Janub-as-surrah

$104 8.7% 32.1% $49

Getting Around

Sabah Al Salem

$136 9.6%

Janub-as-surrah

$22 * 1.8% 83.8% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Sabah Al Salem

$119 8.4%

Janub-as-surrah

$122 10.2% 2.1% $2.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sabah Al Salem

$101 7.1%

Janub-as-surrah

$107 8.9% 5.4% $5.5

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 $814 in Sabah Al Salem and $806 in Janub-as-surrah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $71 in Sabah Al Salem vs $46 in Janub-as-surrah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $185 vs $164 per month, with Janub-as-surrah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇼 Sabah Al Salem

🇰🇼 Janub-as-surrah

🕒 Local time

23:28 11:28 PM

Same time as Sabah Al Salem

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

92,818

18,496

💱 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 Janub-as-surrah 9 km

From you

Sabah Al Salem
Janub-as-surrah

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 Janub-as-surrah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Janub-as-surrah wins on cost – living expenses run 16% lower than in Sabah Al Salem. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Janub-as-surrah the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,127 in Sabah Al Salem and $1,788 in Janub-as-surrah 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: $814 in Sabah Al Salem versus $806 in Janub-as-surrah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Sabah Al Salem. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,418 per month in Sabah Al Salem versus $1,192 in Janub-as-surrah – Janub-as-surrah is about 16% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Janub-as-surrah is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Sabah Al Salem and Janub-as-surrah are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.