Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Salmiya and Sabah Al Salem

For one person, living is cheaper in Sabah Al Salem: $1,396 a month against $1,633 in Salmiya, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Salmiya outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Salmiya
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Salmiya Living Index
68

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

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Salmiya

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,633

/mo nomad

Sabah Al Salem

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,396

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Sabah Al Salem actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,633 per month in Salmiya vs $1,396 in Sabah Al Salem, rent included.

Salmiya $1,633
Sabah Al Salem $1,396

A couple spends around $2,420 per month in Salmiya vs $2,436 in Sabah Al Salem, rent included.

Salmiya $2,420
Sabah Al Salem $2,436

A family of three spends $3,208 per month in Salmiya vs $3,476 in Sabah Al Salem, rent included.

Salmiya $3,208
Sabah Al Salem $3,476

Salmiya costs about 17% more than Sabah Al Salem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Salmiya and Sabah Al Salem sit above the global median – Salmiya by 21%, Sabah Al Salem by 3%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.53 KWD 2.94

$8.18 KWD 2.52

16.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.53 KWD 14.64

$71.1 KWD 21.90

-33.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.19 KWD 2.52

$9.31 KWD 2.87

-12.03%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.34 KWD 0.72

$3.29 KWD 1.01

-28.88%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 KWD 0.78

$3.15 KWD 0.97

-19.05%

Cappuccino

$5.16 KWD 1.59

$6.42 KWD 1.98

-19.63%

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

$0.45 KWD 0.14

$0.46 KWD 0.14

-2.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 KWD 0.10

$0.47 KWD 0.14

-34.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 KWD 0.49

$1.88 KWD 0.58

-15.43%

White Bread (500g)

$0.67 KWD 0.21

$1.27 KWD 0.39

-47.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 KWD 0.61

$2.06 KWD 0.63

-3.88%

Eggs

$2.06 KWD 0.63

$3.03 KWD 0.93

-32.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.34 KWD 1.34

$7.21 KWD 2.22

-39.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.76 KWD 2.08

$5.34 KWD 1.65

26.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.27 KWD 3.17

$10.02 KWD 3.09

2.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.51 KWD 0.77

$2.41 KWD 0.74

4.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 KWD 0.60

$1.84 KWD 0.57

5.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.72 KWD 0.53

$1.26 KWD 0.39

36.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 KWD 0.48

Potato (1kg)

$1.35 KWD 0.42

$1.32 KWD 0.41

2.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 KWD 0.46

$0.94 KWD 0.29

57.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.33 KWD 0.72

$1.58 KWD 0.49

47.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 KWD 0.14

$0.46 KWD 0.14

2.17%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.94 KWD 0.29

$3.59 KWD 1.11

-73.82%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 KWD 0.32

$0.88 KWD 0.27

18.18%

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

$3.06 KWD 0.94

-8.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.11 KWD 0.34

$0.84 KWD 0.26

32.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.63 KWD 14.98

$113 KWD 34.87

-57.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.26 KWD 1.00

$2.96 KWD 0.91

10.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.23 KWD 1.00

$2.80 KWD 0.86

15.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.32 KWD 3.18

$17.25 KWD 5.32

-40.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.33 KWD 0.10

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

$23.5K KWD 7,253

$23.1K KWD 7,131

1.71%

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

$19.7K KWD 6,063

$19.3K KWD 5,954

1.82%

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

$48.23 KWD 14.86

$38.63 KWD 11.90

24.85%

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

$22.71 KWD 7.00

$24.10 KWD 7.42

-5.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.34 KWD 9.35

$39.57 KWD 12.19

-23.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$149 KWD 45.89

$126 KWD 38.97

17.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.79 KWD 4.87

$38.43 KWD 11.84

-58.91%

Cinema Ticket

$11.47 KWD 3.53

$11.06 KWD 3.41

3.71%

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

$303 KWD 93.5

$277 KWD 85.3

9.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,426 KWD 2,288

$7,566 KWD 2,331

-1.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.43 KWD 11.53

$37.49 KWD 11.55

-0.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.08 KWD 12.35

$38.64 KWD 11.90

3.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.4 KWD 30.00

$97.2 KWD 29.95

0.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.8 KWD 27.35

$89.7 KWD 27.65

-1.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,069 KWD 329

$807 KWD 249

32.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$826 KWD 254

$536 KWD 165

54.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,370 KWD 730

$1,774 KWD 546

33.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 KWD 401

$1,324 KWD 408

-1.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,169 KWD 668

$2,922 KWD 900

-25.75%

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 Sabah Al Salem: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Salmiya

$826 50.6%

Sabah Al Salem

$536 38.4% 35.1% $290

Groceries & Markets

Salmiya

$177 10.9%

Sabah Al Salem

$184 13.2% 3.7% $6.6

Sport & Entertainment

Salmiya

$172 10.5%

Sabah Al Salem

$149 10.6% 13.5% $23

Eating Out

Salmiya

$166 10.2%

Sabah Al Salem

$174 12.5% 5% $8.3

Clothing & Footwear

Salmiya

$119 7.3%

Sabah Al Salem

$118 8.5% 0.2% $0.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Salmiya

$101 6.2%

Sabah Al Salem

$102 7.3% 1% $1

Getting Around

Salmiya

$72 4.4%

Sabah Al Salem

$134 9.6% 84.2% $61

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,069 in Salmiya versus $807 in Sabah Al Salem. 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 35% higher in Sabah Al Salem, 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 $71.0 in Sabah Al Salem. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $177 vs $184 – making Salmiya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇼 Salmiya

🇰🇼 Sabah Al Salem

🕒 Local time

23:02 11:02 PM

Same time as Salmiya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

309,960

92,818

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Salmiya Sabah Al Salem 9 km

From you

Salmiya
Sabah Al Salem

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 Sabah Al Salem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Salmiya is pricier by about 17%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,449 per month in Salmiya and $2,095 in Sabah Al Salem. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sabah Al Salem, 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 $48.00 in Salmiya and $71.0 in Sabah Al Salem. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,633 in Salmiya and $1,396 in Sabah Al Salem. That's a gap of about 17%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Sabah Al Salem, where all-in costs run around $1,396, than in Salmiya at $1,633. In Sabah Al Salem it covers expenses comfortably, while in Salmiya it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sabah Al Salem – 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 Sabah Al Salem. 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.