Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sabah Al Salem and Salwa

For one person, living is cheaper in Salwa: $1,325 a month against $1,418 in Sabah Al Salem, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 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
64

Cost of Living Index in Salwa
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Salwa Living Index

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Sabah Al Salem

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,418

/mo nomad

Salwa

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,325

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,418 per month in Sabah Al Salem vs $1,325 in Salwa, rent included.

Sabah Al Salem $1,418
Salwa $1,325

A couple spends around $2,468 per month in Sabah Al Salem vs $2,235 in Salwa, rent included.

Sabah Al Salem $2,468
Salwa $2,235

A family of three spends $3,518 per month in Sabah Al Salem vs $3,145 in Salwa, rent included.

Sabah Al Salem $3,518
Salwa $3,145

Sabah Al Salem costs about 7% more than Salwa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Sabah Al Salem sits 4% above the global median, while Salwa is 3% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.81 KWD 2.41

$12.61 KWD 3.89

-38.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.2 KWD 21.93

$64.1 KWD 19.75

11.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.38 KWD 2.89

$6.53 KWD 2.01

43.64%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 KWD 1.01

$3.28 KWD 1.01

-0.61%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 KWD 0.97

$4.80 KWD 1.48

-34.17%

Cappuccino

$6.61 KWD 2.04

$5.25 KWD 1.62

25.90%

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

$0.47 KWD 0.14

$0.49 KWD 0.15

-4.08%

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

$1.59 KWD 0.49

16.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 KWD 0.39

$0.69 KWD 0.21

81.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 KWD 0.63

$0.76 KWD 0.23

169.74%

Eggs

$3.16 KWD 0.97

$1.96 KWD 0.60

61.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.12 KWD 2.19

$4.23 KWD 1.31

68.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.41 KWD 1.67

$6.60 KWD 2.03

-18.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.01 KWD 3.09

$10.32 KWD 3.18

-3.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.44 KWD 0.75

$2.48 KWD 0.76

-1.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 KWD 0.60

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 KWD 0.39

$1.87 KWD 0.58

-32.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 KWD 0.45

$0.84 KWD 0.26

75.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 KWD 0.42

$0.66 KWD 0.20

106.06%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 KWD 0.28

$1.49 KWD 0.46

-38.93%

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

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.08 KWD 0.95

$3.27 KWD 1.01

-5.81%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 KWD 0.35

$1.01 KWD 0.31

12.87%

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

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 KWD 0.28

$0.82 KWD 0.25

12.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$112 KWD 34.63

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.60 KWD 1.11

$3.30 KWD 1.02

9.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.20 KWD 0.99

$3.17 KWD 0.98

0.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.80 KWD 4.25

$16.05 KWD 4.95

-14.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.33 KWD 0.10

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

$25.2K KWD 7,765

$23.6K KWD 7,277

6.71%

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

$21.5K KWD 6,630

$17.6K KWD 5,428

22.15%

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

$38.66 KWD 11.92

$65.8 KWD 20.27

-41.22%

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

$23.88 KWD 7.36

$22.27 KWD 6.86

7.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.49 KWD 11.86

$30.05 KWD 9.26

28.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$131 KWD 40.32

$98.2 KWD 30.25

33.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.26 KWD 11.79

$9.90 KWD 3.05

286.46%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 KWD 3.41

$13.08 KWD 4.03

-15.44%

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

$281 KWD 86.6

$495 KWD 153

-43.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,550 KWD 2,327

$9,455 KWD 2,914

-20.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.23 KWD 11.47

$37.43 KWD 11.54

-0.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.57 KWD 12.19

$39.86 KWD 12.29

-0.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 KWD 30.48

$80.9 KWD 24.92

22.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.8 KWD 27.66

$64.3 KWD 19.81

39.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$814 KWD 251

$807 KWD 249

0.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$550 KWD 170

$608 KWD 187

-9.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,741 KWD 537

$1,745 KWD 538

-0.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,351 KWD 416

$1,358 KWD 418

-0.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,957 KWD 911

$3,543 KWD 1,092

-16.52%

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 Salwa: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sabah Al Salem

$550 38.8%

Salwa

$608 45.9% 10.5% $58

Groceries & Markets

Sabah Al Salem

$185 13.1%

Salwa

$166 12.5% 10.3% $19

Eating Out

Sabah Al Salem

$174 12.3%

Salwa

$187 14.1% 7.4% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Sabah Al Salem

$153 10.8%

Salwa

$124 9.4% 18.7% $29

Getting Around

Sabah Al Salem

$136 9.6%

Salwa

$22 * 1.7% 83.5% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Sabah Al Salem

$119 8.4%

Salwa

$100 7.6% 16.2% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sabah Al Salem

$101 7.1%

Salwa

$118 8.9% 16.9% $17

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $814 in Sabah Al Salem versus $807 in Salwa. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 20% higher in Salwa, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71 in Sabah Al Salem versus $64 in Salwa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $185 vs $166 – making Salwa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇼 Sabah Al Salem

🇰🇼 Salwa

🕒 Local time

15:30 3:30 PM

Same time as Sabah Al Salem

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

92,818

40,945

💱 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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Sabah Al Salem Salwa 4 km

From you

Sabah Al Salem
Salwa

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 Salwa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sabah Al Salem is pricier by about 7%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,127 per month in Sabah Al Salem and $1,988 in Salwa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $814 in Sabah Al Salem and $807 in Salwa. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

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

Groceries cost about 12% more in Sabah Al Salem, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,418 in Sabah Al Salem and $1,325 in Salwa, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Salwa has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,325 in Salwa 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.