Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sabah Al Salem and Kuwait City

For one person, living costs are similar in Sabah Al Salem and in Kuwait City: $1,406 and $1,460 a month, rent and utilities included.

69

Cost of Living Index in Sabah Al Salem
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Sabah Al Salem Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in Kuwait City
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Kuwait City Living Index

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Sabah Al Salem

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,406

/mo nomad

Kuwait City

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,460

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sabah Al Salem and in Kuwait City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,406 in Sabah Al Salem versus $1,460 in Kuwait City.

Sabah Al Salem $1,406
Kuwait City $1,460

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,449 in Sabah Al Salem versus $2,418 in Kuwait City.

Sabah Al Salem $2,449
Kuwait City $2,418

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,492 in Sabah Al Salem versus $3,377 in Kuwait City.

Sabah Al Salem $3,492
Kuwait City $3,377

Living in Sabah Al Salem costs roughly 4% less than in Kuwait City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sabah Al Salem 4% above, Kuwait City 8% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.94 KWD 2.45

$12.70 KWD 3.91

-37.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.6 KWD 21.75

$64.0 KWD 19.72

10.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.09 KWD 2.80

$8.71 KWD 2.69

4.36%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.14 KWD 0.97

$3.20 KWD 0.99

-1.88%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 KWD 0.97

$4.80 KWD 1.48

-34.58%

Cappuccino

$6.50 KWD 2.00

$5.05 KWD 1.56

28.71%

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

$0.47 KWD 0.14

$0.69 KWD 0.21

-31.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 KWD 0.14

$0.31 KWD 0.10

51.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 KWD 0.60

$1.62 KWD 0.50

19.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 KWD 0.40

$1.51 KWD 0.47

-13.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.15 KWD 0.66

$1.89 KWD 0.58

13.76%

Eggs

$3.00 KWD 0.93

$2.05 KWD 0.63

46.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.36 KWD 2.27

$4.37 KWD 1.35

68.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.35 KWD 1.65

$6.81 KWD 2.10

-21.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.28 KWD 3.17

$10.13 KWD 3.12

1.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 KWD 0.77

$2.48 KWD 0.76

0.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 KWD 0.59

$1.91 KWD 0.59

0.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.29 KWD 0.40

$1.83 KWD 0.57

-29.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 KWD 0.46

$1.54 KWD 0.48

-3.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.37 KWD 0.42

$1.30 KWD 0.40

5.38%

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 KWD 0.29

$1.47 KWD 0.45

-36.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 KWD 0.49

$2.35 KWD 0.72

-32.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 KWD 0.15

$0.58 KWD 0.18

-13.79%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.85 KWD 0.88

$3.19 KWD 0.98

-10.66%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 KWD 0.27

$1.01 KWD 0.31

-12.87%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 KWD 0.38

$1.39 KWD 0.43

-10.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.69 KWD 0.83

$2.78 KWD 0.86

-3.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 KWD 0.25

$0.78 KWD 0.24

5.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$113 KWD 34.93

$49.08 KWD 15.12

130.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.34 KWD 1.03

$4.72 KWD 1.45

-29.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.79 KWD 0.86

$3.25 KWD 1.00

-14.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.68 KWD 5.45

$16.28 KWD 5.01

8.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.35 KWD 0.11

$0.33 KWD 0.10

6.06%

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

$21.4K KWD 6,587

$20.6K KWD 6,339

3.90%

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

$18.4K KWD 5,667

$20.5K KWD 6,312

-10.23%

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

$38.41 KWD 11.83

$66.0 KWD 20.33

-41.79%

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

$23.71 KWD 7.31

$22.04 KWD 6.79

7.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.51 KWD 12.17

$30.31 KWD 9.34

30.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$131 KWD 40.25

$122 KWD 37.70

6.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.15 KWD 12.06

$32.40 KWD 9.98

20.83%

Cinema Ticket

$11.39 KWD 3.51

$11.08 KWD 3.42

2.80%

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

$270 KWD 83.3

$294 KWD 90.7

-8.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,430 KWD 2,289

$9,475 KWD 2,919

-21.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.61 KWD 11.59

$37.20 KWD 11.46

1.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.45 KWD 12.16

$39.25 KWD 12.09

0.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.2 KWD 30.56

$99.0 KWD 30.50

0.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.6 KWD 27.00

$88.3 KWD 27.21

-0.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$798 KWD 246

$934 KWD 288

-14.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$538 KWD 166

$626 KWD 193

-14.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,737 KWD 535

$1,989 KWD 613

-12.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 KWD 409

$1,331 KWD 410

-0.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,313 KWD 1,637

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,328 KWD 717

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,997 KWD 923

$2,067 KWD 637

44.98%

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 12, 2026

Last update for Kuwait City: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sabah Al Salem

$538 38.3%

Kuwait City

$626 42.9% 16.3% $88

Groceries & Markets

Sabah Al Salem

$188 13.3%

Kuwait City

$187 12.8% 0.5% $0.9

Eating Out

Sabah Al Salem

$172 12.3%

Kuwait City

$192 13.2% 11.5% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Sabah Al Salem

$153 10.9%

Kuwait City

$145 9.9% 5.8% $8.9

Getting Around

Sabah Al Salem

$134 9.5%

Kuwait City

$73 5% 45.4% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Sabah Al Salem

$119 8.5%

Kuwait City

$119 8.1% 0% $0

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sabah Al Salem

$102 7.2%

Kuwait City

$118 8.1% 16.4% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $798 in Sabah Al Salem and $934 in Kuwait City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sabah Al Salem pays 45% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $71.0 in Sabah Al Salem vs $64.0 in Kuwait City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $188 vs $187 per month, with Kuwait City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇼 Sabah Al Salem

🇰🇼 Kuwait City

🕒 Local time

10:23 10:23 AM

Same time as Sabah Al Salem

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

92,818

637,411 Capital

💱 Currency

Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك

📈 Exchange rate

1 KWD = 3.25 USD

1 KWD = 2.89 EUR

1 KWD = 3.25 USD

1 KWD = 2.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Sabah Al Salem Kuwait City 17 km

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Sabah Al Salem
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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

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

Sabah Al Salem wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in Kuwait City. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sabah Al Salem the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 45% higher in Sabah Al Salem, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $798 in Sabah Al Salem versus $934 in Kuwait City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,406 per month in Sabah Al Salem versus $1,460 in Kuwait City – a 4% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Sabah Al Salem runs roughly 131% less than in Kuwait City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,406 in Sabah Al Salem versus $1,460 in Kuwait City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sabah Al Salem but tight or insufficient in Kuwait City. The gap between the two cities makes Sabah Al Salem the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Kuwait City are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Sabah Al Salem gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Kuwait City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.