Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sabah Al Salem and Mahboula

For one person, living is cheaper in Mahboula: $1,239 a month against $1,418 in Sabah Al Salem, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Sabah Al Salem
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Sabah Al Salem Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Mahboula
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Mahboula Living Index

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Sabah Al Salem

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,418

/mo nomad

Mahboula

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,239

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,418 in Sabah Al Salem versus $1,239 in Mahboula.

Sabah Al Salem $1,418
Mahboula $1,239

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,468 in Sabah Al Salem versus $2,004 in Mahboula.

Sabah Al Salem $2,468
Mahboula $2,004

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,518 in Sabah Al Salem versus $2,769 in Mahboula.

Sabah Al Salem $3,518
Mahboula $2,769

Living in Sabah Al Salem is roughly 14% more expensive than in Mahboula, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sabah Al Salem is 4% above, Mahboula is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.81 KWD 2.43

$6.57 KWD 2.04

18.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.2 KWD 22.11

$25.24 KWD 7.84

181.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.38 KWD 2.91

$8.92 KWD 2.77

5.16%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 KWD 1.01

$1.66 KWD 0.51

96.39%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 KWD 0.98

$3.25 KWD 1.01

-2.77%

Cappuccino

$6.61 KWD 2.05

$5.15 KWD 1.60

28.35%

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

$0.47 KWD 0.15

$0.49 KWD 0.15

-4.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 KWD 0.14

$0.14 KWD 0.04

228.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 KWD 0.58

$1.63 KWD 0.51

14.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 KWD 0.39

$0.99 KWD 0.31

26.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 KWD 0.64

$1.87 KWD 0.58

9.63%

Eggs

$3.16 KWD 0.98

$1.30 KWD 0.40

143.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.12 KWD 2.21

$4.48 KWD 1.39

58.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.41 KWD 1.68

$6.58 KWD 2.04

-17.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.01 KWD 3.11

$10.41 KWD 3.24

-3.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.44 KWD 0.76

$2.50 KWD 0.78

-2.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 KWD 0.60

$1.95 KWD 0.60

-0.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 KWD 0.39

$1.78 KWD 0.55

-29.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 KWD 0.46

$1.15 KWD 0.36

27.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 KWD 0.42

$1.32 KWD 0.41

3.03%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 KWD 0.28

$1.11 KWD 0.35

-18.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 KWD 0.51

$2.27 KWD 0.70

-27.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 KWD 0.15

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.08 KWD 0.96

$3.13 KWD 0.97

-1.60%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 KWD 0.35

$1.05 KWD 0.33

8.57%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 KWD 0.42

$1.38 KWD 0.43

-2.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.68 KWD 0.83

$1.58 KWD 0.49

69.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 KWD 0.28

$0.78 KWD 0.24

17.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$112 KWD 34.91

$49.06 KWD 15.24

129.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.60 KWD 1.12

$1.57 KWD 0.49

129.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.20 KWD 0.99

$1.60 KWD 0.50

100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.80 KWD 4.29

$5.50 KWD 1.71

150.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.33 KWD 0.10

$0.15 KWD 0.05

120.00%

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

$25.2K KWD 7,829

$19.6K KWD 6,096

28.44%

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

$21.5K KWD 6,685

$17.5K KWD 5,449

22.68%

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

$38.66 KWD 12.01

$65.7 KWD 20.43

-41.18%

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

$23.88 KWD 7.42

$16.29 KWD 5.06

46.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.49 KWD 11.96

$30.36 KWD 9.44

26.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$131 KWD 40.66

$97.6 KWD 30.32

34.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.26 KWD 11.89

$47.79 KWD 14.85

-19.94%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 KWD 3.44

$12.67 KWD 3.94

-12.71%

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

$281 KWD 87.3

$379 KWD 118

-25.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,550 KWD 2,346

$6,632 KWD 2,061

13.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.23 KWD 11.57

$38.09 KWD 11.84

-2.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.57 KWD 12.30

$39.40 KWD 12.24

0.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 KWD 30.73

$97.3 KWD 30.23

1.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.8 KWD 27.89

$88.6 KWD 27.52

1.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$814 KWD 253

$737 KWD 229

10.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$550 KWD 171

$505 KWD 157

8.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,741 KWD 541

$1,769 KWD 550

-1.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,351 KWD 420

$1,118 KWD 347

20.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,957 KWD 919

$1,275 KWD 396

131.88%

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 Mahboula: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sabah Al Salem

$550 38.8%

Mahboula

$505 40.8% 8.1% $45

Groceries & Markets

Sabah Al Salem

$185 13.1%

Mahboula

$175 14.1% 5.5% $10

Eating Out

Sabah Al Salem

$174 12.3%

Mahboula

$144 11.6% 17.3% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Sabah Al Salem

$153 10.8%

Mahboula

$123 9.9% 19.7% $30

Getting Around

Sabah Al Salem

$136 9.6%

Mahboula

$62 5% 54.5% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Sabah Al Salem

$119 8.4%

Mahboula

$119 9.6% 0.8% $1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sabah Al Salem

$101 7.1%

Mahboula

$112 9.1% 11.2% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $814 in Sabah Al Salem and $737 in Mahboula. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sabah Al Salem pays about 2.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $71 in Sabah Al Salem vs $25 in Mahboula for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $185 vs $175 per month, with Mahboula cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇼 Sabah Al Salem

🇰🇼 Mahboula

🕒 Local time

11:24 11:24 AM

Same time as Sabah Al Salem

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

92,818

18,178

💱 Currency

Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك

📈 Exchange rate

1 KWD = 3.22 USD

1 KWD = 2.88 EUR

1 KWD = 3.22 USD

1 KWD = 2.88 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Sabah Al Salem Mahboula 13 km

From you

Sabah Al Salem
Mahboula

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 Mahboula: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mahboula is about 13% cheaper overall, especially in transport, leisure, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Sabah Al Salem is about 2.3 times higher, 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: $814 in Sabah Al Salem versus $737 in Mahboula. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Mahboula – a meal for two runs $25 versus $71 in Sabah Al Salem. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,418 per month in Sabah Al Salem versus $1,239 in Mahboula – Mahboula is about 13% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Safety-wise, Sabah Al Salem and Mahboula are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Mahboula gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Sabah Al Salem. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.