Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sabah Al Salem and Shaab

For one person, living costs are similar in Sabah Al Salem and in Shaab: $1,396 and $1,374 a month, rent and utilities included.

68

Cost of Living Index in Sabah Al Salem
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Sabah Al Salem Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Shaab
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Shaab Living Index

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Sabah Al Salem

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,396

/mo nomad

Shaab

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,374

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,396 per month in Sabah Al Salem vs $1,374 in Shaab, rent included.

Sabah Al Salem $1,396
Shaab $1,374

A couple spends around $2,436 per month in Sabah Al Salem vs $2,270 in Shaab, rent included.

Sabah Al Salem $2,436
Shaab $2,270

A family of three spends $3,476 per month in Sabah Al Salem vs $3,166 in Shaab, rent included.

Sabah Al Salem $3,476
Shaab $3,166

Sabah Al Salem costs about 2% more than Shaab, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Sabah Al Salem and Shaab sit above the global median – Sabah Al Salem by 3%, Shaab by 1%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.18 KWD 2.52

$12.72 KWD 3.92

-35.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.1 KWD 21.90

$63.5 KWD 19.56

11.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.31 KWD 2.87

$8.80 KWD 2.71

5.80%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.29 KWD 1.01

$3.22 KWD 0.99

2.17%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 KWD 0.97

$4.75 KWD 1.46

-33.68%

Cappuccino

$6.42 KWD 1.98

$5.14 KWD 1.58

24.90%

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

$0.46 KWD 0.14

$0.75 KWD 0.23

-38.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 KWD 0.14

$0.31 KWD 0.10

51.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 KWD 0.58

$1.59 KWD 0.49

18.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 KWD 0.39

$1.49 KWD 0.46

-14.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 KWD 0.63

$1.95 KWD 0.60

5.64%

Eggs

$3.03 KWD 0.93

$2.03 KWD 0.63

49.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.21 KWD 2.22

$4.47 KWD 1.38

61.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.34 KWD 1.65

$6.50 KWD 2.00

-17.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.02 KWD 3.09

$10.10 KWD 3.11

-0.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.41 KWD 0.74

$2.49 KWD 0.77

-3.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 KWD 0.57

$1.85 KWD 0.57

-0.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 KWD 0.39

$1.76 KWD 0.54

-28.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 KWD 0.48

$1.54 KWD 0.47

0.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 KWD 0.41

$1.31 KWD 0.40

0.76%

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 KWD 0.29

$1.46 KWD 0.45

-35.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 KWD 0.49

$2.37 KWD 0.73

-33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 KWD 0.14

$0.58 KWD 0.18

-20.69%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.59 KWD 1.11

$3.20 KWD 0.99

12.19%

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)

$1.39 KWD 0.43

$1.40 KWD 0.43

-0.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.06 KWD 0.94

$2.70 KWD 0.83

13.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.84 KWD 0.26

$0.78 KWD 0.24

7.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$113 KWD 34.87

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.96 KWD 0.91

$4.80 KWD 1.48

-38.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.80 KWD 0.86

$3.12 KWD 0.96

-10.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.25 KWD 5.32

$16.16 KWD 4.98

6.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.33 KWD 0.10

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

$23.1K KWD 7,131

$20.7K KWD 6,365

12.05%

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

$19.3K KWD 5,954

$20.1K KWD 6,194

-3.87%

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

$38.63 KWD 11.90

$66.2 KWD 20.40

-41.66%

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

$24.10 KWD 7.42

$22.86 KWD 7.04

5.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.57 KWD 12.19

$30.28 KWD 9.33

30.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$126 KWD 38.97

$95.9 KWD 29.55

31.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.43 KWD 11.84

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 KWD 3.41

$11.30 KWD 3.48

-2.12%

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

$277 KWD 85.3

$304 KWD 93.6

-8.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,566 KWD 2,331

$9,323 KWD 2,872

-18.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.49 KWD 11.55

$36.92 KWD 11.38

1.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.64 KWD 11.90

$39.71 KWD 12.24

-2.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.2 KWD 29.95

$98.5 KWD 30.34

-1.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.7 KWD 27.65

$89.4 KWD 27.54

0.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$807 KWD 249

$813 KWD 250

-0.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$536 KWD 165

$615 KWD 190

-12.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,774 KWD 546

$1,733 KWD 534

2.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,324 KWD 408

$1,306 KWD 403

1.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,922 KWD 900

$3,202 KWD 986

-8.74%

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 19, 2026

Last update for Shaab: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sabah Al Salem

$536 38.4%

Shaab

$615 44.8% 14.9% $80

Groceries & Markets

Sabah Al Salem

$184 13.2%

Shaab

$185 13.4% 0.4% $0.7

Eating Out

Sabah Al Salem

$174 12.5%

Shaab

$194 14.1% 11.4% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Sabah Al Salem

$149 10.6%

Shaab

$119 8.6% 20.2% $30

Getting Around

Sabah Al Salem

$134 9.6%

Shaab

$24 * 1.7% 82.4% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Sabah Al Salem

$118 8.5%

Shaab

$119 8.7% 0.5% $0.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sabah Al Salem

$102 7.3%

Shaab

$119 8.7% 16.7% $17

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $807 in Sabah Al Salem versus $813 in Shaab. 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 10% higher in Shaab, 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 $71.0 in Sabah Al Salem versus $63.0 in Shaab. Groceries tell a different story – $184 in Sabah Al Salem vs $185 in Shaab – so Sabah Al Salem wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇼 Sabah Al Salem

🇰🇼 Shaab

🕒 Local time

20:03 8:03 PM

Same time as Sabah Al Salem

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

92,818

164,212

💱 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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sabah Al Salem Shaab 12 km

From you

Sabah Al Salem
Shaab

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 Shaab: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sabah Al Salem is pricier by about 2%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,095 per month in Sabah Al Salem and $2,062 in Shaab. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shaab, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71.0 in Sabah Al Salem and $63.0 in Shaab. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 0% cheaper in Sabah Al Salem – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Shaab, where all-in costs run around $1,374, than in Sabah Al Salem at $1,396. In Shaab it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sabah Al Salem it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Shaab – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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