Cost of living comparison

compared to

Salmiya vs. Manila Cost of Living Summary

Salmiya is 58.0% more expensive than Manila.

Restaurants: pay 13.7% more in Salmiya
Groceries: pay 24.8% less in Salmiya
Transportation: pay 3.1 times more in Salmiya
Housing: pay 71.6% more in Salmiya
Childcare: pay 32.5% more in Salmiya
Entertainment and Sports: pay 85.0% more in Salmiya
Clothing: pay 15.6% more in Salmiya

The cost of transportation, entertainment and sports, housing, childcare, clothing, and restaurants in Salmiya are more expensive than in Manila. Notably, transportation and entertainment and sports are significantly more expensive in Salmiya.

Salmiya vs. Manila Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Salmiya instead of Manila, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 13.7% more for restaurants

	Manila	Salmiya
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$6.02 ₱355.03	$8.99 KWD2.760	+49.4%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$4.30 ₱253.60	$8.18 KWD2.510	+90.1%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.97 ₱57.27	$0.49 KWD0.150	-49.5%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.50 ₱29.69	$0.33 KWD0.100	-35.1%
Average			+13.7%

Manila vs. Salmiya - Cost of restaurants

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pay 24.8% less for groceries

	Manila	Salmiya
Bread 1 loaf	$1.33 ₱78.64	$0.71 KWD0.220	-46.9%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$4.28 ₱252.12	$2.68 KWD0.820	-37.2%
Milk (1 gallon)	$7.32 ₱431.63	$5.98 KWD1.830	-18.3%
Eggs 1 dozen	$2.21 ₱130.51	$1.95 KWD0.600	-11.8%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$2.28 ₱134.63	$3.21 KWD0.980	+40.5%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.52 ₱89.37	$1.06 KWD0.320	-30.2%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.82 ₱48.49	$0.88 KWD0.270	+7.2%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.64 ₱96.51	$0.77 KWD0.230	-53.2%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$1.02 ₱60.36	$0.78 KWD0.240	-23.9%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$1.17 ₱68.98	$0.60 KWD0.180	-48.6%
Onions (1 lb)	$1.37 ₱81.04	$0.68 KWD0.210	-50.6%
Average			-24.8%

Manila vs. Salmiya - Cost of groceries

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pay 3.1 times more for transportation

	Manila	Salmiya
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$4.18 ₱246.46	$1.33 KWD0.410	-68.2%
Monthly public transit pass	$13.76 ₱811.51	$49.05 KWD15.030	+256.4%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$25,288.58 ₱1,491,141.28	$19,621.95 KWD6,012.360	-22.4%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$2.92 ₱172.44	$22.89 KWD7.010	+682.8%
Average			+212.1%

Manila vs. Salmiya - Cost of transportation

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pay 71.6% more for housing

	Manila	Salmiya
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$27.10 ₱1,598.07	$29.07 KWD8.910	+7.3%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$512.96 ₱30,246.98	$1,068.31 KWD327.340	+108.3%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$251.74 ₱14,843.72	$839.38 KWD257.200	+233.4%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$100.49 ₱5,925.44	$37.65 KWD11.540	-62.5%
Average			+71.6%

Manila vs. Salmiya - Cost of housing

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pay 32.5% more for childcare

	Manila	Salmiya
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$138.58 ₱8,171.41	$306.59 KWD93.940	+121.2%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$17,035.39 ₱1,004,491.60	$7,442.33 KWD2,280.400	-56.3%
Average			+32.5%

Manila vs. Salmiya - Cost of childcare

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pay 85.0% more for entertainment and sports

	Manila	Salmiya
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$1.46 ₱86.22	$1.64 KWD0.500	+11.8%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$2.59 ₱152.56	$5.04 KWD1.540	+94.9%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$3.27 ₱192.73	$2.94 KWD0.900	-10.0%
Monthly membership at local gym	$42.13 ₱2,484.39	$158.07 KWD48.430	+275.2%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$7.48 ₱441.26	$11.45 KWD3.510	+53.0%
Average			+85.0%

Manila vs. Salmiya - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 15.6% more for clothing

	Manila	Salmiya
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$49.23 ₱2,902.69	$39.65 KWD12.150	-19.4%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$29.70 ₱1,751.10	$38.70 KWD11.860	+30.3%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$80.85 ₱4,767.52	$85.03 KWD26.050	+5.2%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$49.70 ₱2,930.32	$72.67 KWD22.270	+46.2%
Average			+15.6%

Manila vs. Salmiya - Cost of clothing

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025

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