Cost of living comparison

Kuwait

compared to

South Korea

Seoul vs. Kuwait City Cost of Living Summary

Seoul is 39.2% more expensive than Kuwait City.

Restaurants: pay 4.9% less in Seoul
Groceries: pay 2.3 times more in Seoul
Transportation: pay 60.8% more in Seoul
Housing: pay 14.1% more in Seoul
Childcare: pay 3.9 times more in Seoul
Entertainment and Sports: pay 17.0% less in Seoul
Clothing: pay 3.9% less in Seoul

The cost of childcare, groceries, transportation, and housing in Seoul are more expensive than in Kuwait City. Expenses including entertainment and sports, restaurants, and clothing are lower in Seoul. Notably, childcare and groceries are significantly more expensive in Seoul.

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Seoul vs. Kuwait City Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Seoul instead of Kuwait City, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 4.9% less for restaurants

	Kuwait City	Seoul
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$12.89 KWD3.980	$8.96 ₩11,955	-30.5%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$8.86 KWD2.740	$7.46 ₩9,962	-15.8%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.72 KWD0.220	$1.58 ₩2,112	+118.3%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.30 KWD0.090	$0.79 ₩1,049	+160.2%
Average			-4.9%

Kuwait City vs. Seoul - Cost of restaurants

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pay 2.3 times more for groceries

	Kuwait City	Seoul
Bread 1 loaf	$1.50 KWD0.460	$3.10 ₩4,134	+106.2%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$2.18 KWD0.670	$8.84 ₩11,798	+304.9%
Milk (1 gallon)	$6.08 KWD1.880	$7.79 ₩10,403	+28.1%
Eggs 1 dozen	$2.10 KWD0.650	$3.61 ₩4,813	+71.8%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$3.02 KWD0.930	$4.74 ₩6,328	+56.8%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.11 KWD0.340	$3.46 ₩4,624	+211.1%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.86 KWD0.270	$1.57 ₩2,091	+82.6%
Oranges (1 lb)	$0.82 KWD0.250	$2.59 ₩3,462	+214.5%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.69 KWD0.210	$2.83 ₩3,782	+312.5%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.61 KWD0.190	$1.66 ₩2,211	+172.6%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.66 KWD0.200	$1.16 ₩1,542	+74.9%
Average			+131.3%

Kuwait City vs. Seoul - Cost of groceries

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pay 60.8% more for transportation

	Kuwait City	Seoul
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$1.28 KWD0.400	$5.53 ₩7,384	+332.0%
Monthly public transit pass	$48.33 KWD14.940	$46.28 ₩61,767	-4.2%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$20,942.34 KWD6,474.120	$29,385.60 ₩39M	+40.3%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$30.61 KWD9.460	$8.51 ₩11,357	-72.2%
Average			+60.8%

Kuwait City vs. Seoul - Cost of transportation

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pay 14.1% more for housing

	Kuwait City	Seoul
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$29.92 KWD9.250	$20.82 ₩27,787	-30.4%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$924.68 KWD285.860	$886.39 ₩1M	-4.1%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$635.52 KWD196.460	$620.25 ₩828K	-2.4%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$50.13 KWD15.500	$162.69 ₩217K	+224.5%
Average			+14.1%

Kuwait City vs. Seoul - Cost of housing

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pay 3.9 times more for childcare

	Kuwait City	Seoul
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$299.37 KWD92.550	$1,927.59 ₩3M	+543.9%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$9,387.00 KWD2,901.900	$22,602.27 ₩30M	+140.8%
Average			+293.7%

Kuwait City vs. Seoul - Cost of childcare

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pay 17.0% less for entertainment and sports

	Kuwait City	Seoul
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$3.22 KWD1.000	$3.73 ₩4,981	+15.8%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$5.21 KWD1.610	$4.10 ₩5,473	-21.3%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$2.74 KWD0.850	$3.36 ₩4,483	+22.6%
Monthly membership at local gym	$122.83 KWD37.970	$58.22 ₩77,707	-52.6%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$11.28 KWD3.490	$11.20 ₩14,944	-0.7%
Average			-17.0%

Kuwait City vs. Seoul - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 3.9% less for clothing

	Kuwait City	Seoul
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$37.59 KWD11.620	$57.88 ₩77,255	+54.0%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$39.47 KWD12.200	$32.77 ₩43,743	-17.0%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$97.66 KWD30.190	$69.99 ₩93,417	-28.3%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$88.60 KWD27.390	$82.45 ₩110K	-6.9%
Average			-3.9%

Kuwait City vs. Seoul - Cost of clothing

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We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this

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