Kuwait Travel Forum

Hi,

I am getting an offer from Kuwait, I would like to know the cost of living in Kuwait:
In terms of:
House Rent for 2 B/R Hall Flat
Utilities expenses
Transportation
etc...

Thanks in advance for the replies

Well I'm living in Kuwait and its expensive. You can find a reasonable flat outside in the "suburbs" like Mangaf, Fintas, Maboullah for 150KD to 200KD (1KD = $3.45)for a 2 bdrm flat. If its fully furnished it will cost you 400kd and up as you're looking at the high end now. There is a huge 2nd hand market for furniture just ask around about the Friday market at the end of 5th Ring Road.

Hopefully your contract will be paying you a decent salary like 1000kd+/month otherwise you'll be hurting. Odd thing though is that to work here your housing should be included in your contract and not something for you to have to hassle with when you arrive here. As far as I know all contractual workers working for legitimate companies have their housing as part of their pay package whether their lowly paid laborers, restaurant/hotel workers to the highly paid contract workers. A dentist friend of mines though does rent his own apartment and he's a Indian working for the ministry of health, so I guess not all contract workers have their housing provided for, but then again he makes quite a bit of KD here.

Utilities are riddiculously cheap as electricity and water is heavily subsidized by the gov't. Buses are cheap. Gasoline cheap too compared to anywhere outside of the real world. You can buy 2nd hand cars for cheap but you need a civil ID first which your employer will be arranging for you.

Hi Lucero,
Thanks for the information

Hello,

Which part of Kuwait are you going to live in?

It's really expensive to live in Kuwait city. What surprised me is that it's even more The rent my friend pays is ~KD600 a month, for a 2 bedroom apartment in Kuwait city near the beach. I guess if you're okay for a less high-end location, KD400 - 500 is possible

For other expenses, don't worry about it. It's dirt cheap. But beware that Kuwait will suffer blackout this summer and you should budget a lot of time to set up the Internet and fixed line phone access

Hope this helps

The cost of living here is VERY high. Accommodation is relatively cheap (compared to the likes of Dubai) and there is something for every budget. Even smallish apartment blocks can have a gym and less commonly a swimming pool, and I have not heard of an apartment that doesn't have the costs of utilities and internet included in the rent. I know someone who rents a decent 2 bed flat, furnished, in Salmiya near the 5th ring road with a gym, utitlities and internet for 245 KD per month. Just make sure you understand the tenancy agreement - best to get advice on it in fact. There is no shortage of decent accommodation so have a good look around. Area will obviously dictate price - the nicer the area and nearer it is to the city or the coast, the more you will pay. If you use an estate agent you will generally have to pay them 50% of 1 month's rent as a finder's fee, with the landlord paying the other 50%. Leasing a car is really expensive, and buying 2nd hand you will get a better deal, although be aware that insurance companies are notorious for ripping customers off when it comes to paying claims, and of course the bureaucracy can be a nightmare. Petrol is dirt cheap. I don't really agree with one of the answers below that Kuwait is a cheap place to live. We are finding clothing and food noticeably more expensive here than Dubai where we lived previously, although things like rent, petrol and utilities costs are cheaper. Internet, if you have to pay for it yourself, is pretty extortionate, and even getting a phone line installed costs 65 KD. My advice would be to to ask as many people as you can about their experiences (Kuwaitis will normally give you a naively positive view of things, so ask expats), use recommended companies/providers, and don't be pressured into making decisions - take your time and make sure you understand what you are getting into. That is especially true of employment contracts, which in the worst cases are barely worth the paper they are printed on. Make sure that a) your salary and package is right for the job, b) your salary and package is on par with the market and your experience and qualifications, c)get all benefits, entitlements and allowances written into your contract, including bonusus d) you will find Kuwait less of a struggle financialy if your package includes an accommodation allowance, e) if you have kids, private schooling is not cheap, so a school fees allowance from your employer is a massive help. Be warned, this is not really a cheap place as far as we are concerned, so don't move here unless you are 100% certain it will work for you financially.