Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shaab and Sabah Al Salem

For one person, living costs are similar in Shaab and in Sabah Al Salem: $1,386 and $1,418 a month, rent and utilities included.

66

Cost of Living Index in Shaab
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Shaab Living Index
68

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

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Shaab

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,386

/mo nomad

Sabah Al Salem

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,418

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shaab 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 Shaab and in Sabah Al Salem actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,386 per month in Shaab vs $1,418 in Sabah Al Salem, rent included.

Shaab $1,386
Sabah Al Salem $1,418

A couple spends around $2,294 per month in Shaab vs $2,468 in Sabah Al Salem, rent included.

Shaab $2,294
Sabah Al Salem $2,468

A family of three spends $3,201 per month in Shaab vs $3,518 in Sabah Al Salem, rent included.

Shaab $3,201
Sabah Al Salem $3,518

Shaab and Sabah Al Salem have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Shaab and Sabah Al Salem sit above the global median – Shaab by 2%, Sabah Al Salem by 4%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.70 KWD 3.91

$7.81 KWD 2.41

62.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.2 KWD 19.47

$71.2 KWD 21.93

-11.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.88 KWD 2.74

$9.38 KWD 2.89

-5.33%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.12 KWD 0.96

$3.26 KWD 1.01

-4.29%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.97 KWD 1.53

$3.16 KWD 0.97

57.28%

Cappuccino

$5.21 KWD 1.61

$6.61 KWD 2.04

-21.18%

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

$0.70 KWD 0.22

$0.47 KWD 0.14

48.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 KWD 0.09

$0.46 KWD 0.14

-36.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 KWD 0.49

$1.86 KWD 0.57

-15.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 KWD 0.45

$1.25 KWD 0.39

16.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 KWD 0.61

$2.05 KWD 0.63

-3.41%

Eggs

$2.07 KWD 0.64

$3.16 KWD 0.97

-34.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.42 KWD 1.36

$7.12 KWD 2.19

-37.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 KWD 2.08

$5.41 KWD 1.67

24.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.17 KWD 3.13

$10.01 KWD 3.08

1.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.52 KWD 0.78

$2.44 KWD 0.75

3.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 KWD 0.59

$1.94 KWD 0.60

-1.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 KWD 0.58

$1.26 KWD 0.39

48.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 KWD 0.46

$1.47 KWD 0.45

0.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 KWD 0.41

$1.36 KWD 0.42

-2.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 KWD 0.46

$0.91 KWD 0.28

63.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 KWD 0.71

$1.65 KWD 0.51

39.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 KWD 0.18

$0.49 KWD 0.15

16.33%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.15 KWD 0.97

$3.08 KWD 0.95

2.27%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 KWD 0.32

$1.14 KWD 0.35

-8.77%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 KWD 0.43

$1.35 KWD 0.42

2.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.69 KWD 0.83

$2.68 KWD 0.83

0.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 KWD 0.25

$0.92 KWD 0.28

-11.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$112 KWD 34.62

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.87 KWD 1.50

$3.60 KWD 1.11

35.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.30 KWD 1.02

$3.20 KWD 0.99

3.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.86 KWD 4.89

$13.80 KWD 4.25

14.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.35 KWD 0.11

$0.33 KWD 0.10

6.06%

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

$23.6K KWD 7,262

$25.2K KWD 7,763

-6.45%

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

$19.5K KWD 6,015

$21.5K KWD 6,628

-9.25%

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

$66.5 KWD 20.47

$38.66 KWD 11.91

71.88%

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

$22.82 KWD 7.03

$23.88 KWD 7.36

-4.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.54 KWD 9.10

$38.49 KWD 11.86

-23.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$102 KWD 31.37

$131 KWD 40.31

-22.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.26 KWD 11.79

Cinema Ticket

$12.90 KWD 3.97

$11.06 KWD 3.41

16.64%

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

$503 KWD 155

$281 KWD 86.6

79.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,302 KWD 2,866

$7,550 KWD 2,326

23.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.18 KWD 11.46

$37.23 KWD 11.47

-0.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.66 KWD 12.22

$39.57 KWD 12.19

0.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.4 KWD 30.01

$98.9 KWD 30.47

-1.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.5 KWD 26.94

$89.8 KWD 27.65

-2.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$796 KWD 245

$814 KWD 251

-2.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$617 KWD 190

$550 KWD 169

12.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,694 KWD 522

$1,741 KWD 536

-2.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,320 KWD 407

$1,351 KWD 416

-2.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,175 KWD 978

$2,957 KWD 911

7.34%

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 Shaab: October 25, 2026

Last update for Sabah Al Salem: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shaab

$617 44.5%

Sabah Al Salem

$550 38.8% 10.8% $67

Eating Out

Shaab

$195 14.1%

Sabah Al Salem

$174 12.3% 10.8% $21

Groceries & Markets

Shaab

$186 13.4%

Sabah Al Salem

$185 13.1% 0.6% $1

Sport & Entertainment

Shaab

$128 9.2%

Sabah Al Salem

$153 10.8% 19.9% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shaab

$119 8.6%

Sabah Al Salem

$101 7.1% 15% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Shaab

$118 8.5%

Sabah Al Salem

$119 8.4% 1.4% $1.7

Getting Around

Shaab

$25 * 1.8%

Sabah Al Salem

$136 9.6% 451% $111

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $796 in Shaab versus $814 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 7% higher in Shaab. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $63 in Shaab versus $71 in Sabah Al Salem. Groceries tell a different story – $186 in Shaab vs $185 in Sabah Al Salem – so Sabah Al Salem wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇼 Shaab

🇰🇼 Sabah Al Salem

🕒 Local time

00:08 12:08 AM

Same time as Shaab

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

164,212

92,818

💱 Currency

Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك

📈 Exchange rate

1 KWD = 3.25 USD

1 KWD = 2.92 EUR

1 KWD = 3.25 USD

1 KWD = 2.92 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Shaab Sabah Al Salem 12 km

From you

Shaab
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

Shaab vs Sabah Al Salem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,080 per month in Shaab and $2,127 in Sabah Al Salem. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $796 in Shaab and $814 in Sabah Al Salem. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $63 in Shaab and $71 in Sabah Al Salem. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $503 per month in Shaab and $281 in Sabah Al Salem. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Shaab has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,386 in Shaab 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.