Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Salmiya and Fahaheel

For one person, living is cheaper in Fahaheel: $1,279 a month against $1,633 in Salmiya, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Salmiya
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Salmiya Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Fahaheel
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Fahaheel Living Index

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Salmiya

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,633

/mo nomad

Fahaheel

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,279

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Salmiya and in Fahaheel

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Salmiya and in Fahaheel actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,633 per month in Salmiya vs $1,279 in Fahaheel, rent included.

Salmiya $1,633
Fahaheel $1,279

A couple spends around $2,420 per month in Salmiya vs $2,130 in Fahaheel, rent included.

Salmiya $2,420
Fahaheel $2,130

A family of three spends $3,208 per month in Salmiya vs $2,982 in Fahaheel, rent included.

Salmiya $3,208
Fahaheel $2,982

Salmiya costs about 28% more than Fahaheel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Salmiya sits 21% above the global median, while Fahaheel is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.53 KWD 2.94

$7.96 KWD 2.45

19.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.53 KWD 14.64

$58.6 KWD 18.05

-18.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.19 KWD 2.52

$8.11 KWD 2.50

0.99%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.34 KWD 0.72

$3.17 KWD 0.98

-26.18%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 KWD 0.78

$3.24 KWD 1.00

-21.30%

Cappuccino

$5.16 KWD 1.59

$5.06 KWD 1.56

1.98%

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

$0.45 KWD 0.14

$0.59 KWD 0.18

-23.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 KWD 0.10

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 KWD 0.49

$1.26 KWD 0.39

26.19%

White Bread (500g)

$0.67 KWD 0.21

$0.77 KWD 0.24

-12.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 KWD 0.61

$1.91 KWD 0.59

3.66%

Eggs

$2.06 KWD 0.63

$2.11 KWD 0.65

-2.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.34 KWD 1.34

$4.33 KWD 1.33

0.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.76 KWD 2.08

$5.61 KWD 1.73

20.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.27 KWD 3.17

$10.39 KWD 3.20

-1.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.51 KWD 0.77

$2.52 KWD 0.78

-0.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 KWD 0.60

$1.85 KWD 0.57

4.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.72 KWD 0.53

$1.32 KWD 0.41

30.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 KWD 0.48

$1.52 KWD 0.47

1.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.35 KWD 0.42

$1.31 KWD 0.40

3.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 KWD 0.46

$0.96 KWD 0.30

54.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.33 KWD 0.72

$1.65 KWD 0.51

41.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 KWD 0.14

$0.49 KWD 0.15

-4.08%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.94 KWD 0.29

$3.15 KWD 0.97

-70.16%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 KWD 0.32

$1.06 KWD 0.33

-1.89%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.37 KWD 0.42

$1.39 KWD 0.43

-1.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.79 KWD 0.86

$2.68 KWD 0.83

4.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.11 KWD 0.34

$0.78 KWD 0.24

42.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.63 KWD 14.98

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.26 KWD 1.00

$3.17 KWD 0.98

2.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.23 KWD 1.00

$3.18 KWD 0.98

1.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.32 KWD 3.18

$15.98 KWD 4.92

-35.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.33 KWD 0.10

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

$23.5K KWD 7,253

$20.7K KWD 6,368

13.91%

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

$19.7K KWD 6,063

$20.4K KWD 6,273

-3.36%

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

$48.23 KWD 14.86

$66.3 KWD 20.41

-27.21%

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

$22.71 KWD 7.00

$20.90 KWD 6.44

8.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.34 KWD 9.35

$30.26 KWD 9.32

0.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$149 KWD 45.89

$81.2 KWD 25.01

83.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.79 KWD 4.87

Cinema Ticket

$11.47 KWD 3.53

$11.12 KWD 3.43

3.15%

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

$303 KWD 93.5

$279 KWD 85.9

8.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,426 KWD 2,288

$7,381 KWD 2,274

0.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.43 KWD 11.53

$37.24 KWD 11.47

0.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.08 KWD 12.35

$39.92 KWD 12.30

0.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.4 KWD 30.00

$95.5 KWD 29.43

1.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.8 KWD 27.35

$88.9 KWD 27.39

-0.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,069 KWD 329

$812 KWD 250

31.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$826 KWD 254

$602 KWD 186

37.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,370 KWD 730

$1,745 KWD 538

35.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 KWD 401

$1,325 KWD 408

-1.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,169 KWD 668

$4,144 KWD 1,277

-47.65%

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 Salmiya: October 17, 2026

Last update for Fahaheel: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Salmiya

$826 50.6%

Fahaheel

$602 47.1% 27% $223

Groceries & Markets

Salmiya

$177 10.9%

Fahaheel

$164 12.8% 7.7% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Salmiya

$172 10.5%

Fahaheel

$103 8.1% 39.8% $68

Eating Out

Salmiya

$166 10.2%

Fahaheel

$152 11.9% 8.1% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Salmiya

$119 7.3%

Fahaheel

$118 9.2% 0.8% $0.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Salmiya

$101 6.2%

Fahaheel

$117 9.2% 15.9% $16

Getting Around

Salmiya

$72 4.4%

Fahaheel

$22 * 1.7% 69.4% $50

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,069 in Salmiya versus $812 in Fahaheel. 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 91% higher in Fahaheel, 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 $48.00 in Salmiya versus $59.0 in Fahaheel. Groceries tell a different story – $177 in Salmiya vs $164 in Fahaheel – so Fahaheel wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇼 Salmiya

🇰🇼 Fahaheel

🕒 Local time

00:59 12:59 AM

Same time as Salmiya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

309,960

68,290

💱 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

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Between locations

Salmiya Fahaheel 29 km

From you

Salmiya
Fahaheel

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

Salmiya vs Fahaheel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,633 in Salmiya, $1,279 in Fahaheel – roughly 28% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,449 per month in Salmiya and $1,919 in Fahaheel. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,633 in Salmiya and $1,279 in Fahaheel. That's a gap of about 28%.

Kindergarten costs $303 per month in Salmiya and $279 in Fahaheel. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Fahaheel, where all-in costs run around $1,279, than in Salmiya at $1,633. In Fahaheel it covers expenses comfortably, while in Salmiya it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Fahaheel – 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 Fahaheel. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Salmiya makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.