Cost of living comparison

South Africa

compared to

Kuwait

Kuwait vs. South Africa Cost of Living Summary

Kuwait is 17.6% more expensive than South Africa overall.

Restaurants: pay 24.3% less in Kuwait
Groceries: pay 6.2% less in Kuwait
Transportation: pay 41.6% more in Kuwait
Housing: pay 17.0% more in Kuwait
Childcare: pay 29.2% more in Kuwait
Entertainment and Sports: pay 76.6% more in Kuwait
Clothing: pay 10.7% less in Kuwait

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

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Kuwait vs. South Africa Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Kuwait instead of South Africa, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 24.3% less for restaurants

	South Africa	Kuwait
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$10.21 ZAR170.09	$8.31 KWD2.560	-18.7%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$5.91 ZAR98.44	$7.91 KWD2.440	+33.9%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$1.08 ZAR18.05	$0.55 KWD0.170	-49.2%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.84 ZAR13.91	$0.31 KWD0.090	-63.2%
Average			-24.3%

South Africa vs. Kuwait - Cost of restaurants

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pay 6.2% less for groceries

	South Africa	Kuwait
Bread 1 loaf	$1.07 ZAR17.76	$1.08 KWD0.330	+1.6%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$4.08 ZAR67.99	$2.22 KWD0.680	-45.6%
Milk (1 gallon)	$4.58 ZAR76.23	$5.32 KWD1.640	+16.3%
Eggs 1 dozen	$2.56 ZAR42.69	$2.10 KWD0.650	-18.0%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$2.31 ZAR38.53	$2.71 KWD0.840	+17.2%
Apples (1 lb)	$0.81 ZAR13.53	$1.10 KWD0.340	+36.0%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.74 ZAR12.25	$0.80 KWD0.250	+9.1%
Oranges (1 lb)	$0.79 ZAR13.07	$0.67 KWD0.210	-14.3%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.77 ZAR12.83	$0.61 KWD0.190	-21.1%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.64 ZAR10.73	$0.50 KWD0.160	-21.6%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.66 ZAR10.96	$0.47 KWD0.150	-27.9%
Average			-6.2%

South Africa vs. Kuwait - Cost of groceries

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pay 41.6% more for transportation

	South Africa	Kuwait
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$5.49 ZAR91.41	$1.25 KWD0.380	-77.3%
Monthly public transit pass	$65.15 ZAR1,085.05	$51.95 KWD16.010	-20.3%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$32,517.32 ZAR542K	$20,021.80 KWD6,170.760	-38.4%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$7.35 ZAR122.38	$29.57 KWD9.110	+302.5%
Average			+41.6%

South Africa vs. Kuwait - Cost of transportation

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pay 17.0% more for housing

	South Africa	Kuwait
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$38.93 ZAR648.44	$30.53 KWD9.410	-21.6%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$421.37 ZAR7,017.97	$776.48 KWD239.310	+84.3%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$369.24 ZAR6,149.80	$619.33 KWD190.880	+67.7%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$105.57 ZAR1,758.25	$39.56 KWD12.190	-62.5%
Average			+17.0%

South Africa vs. Kuwait - Cost of housing

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pay 29.2% more for childcare

	South Africa	Kuwait
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$199.53 ZAR3,323.26	$251.54 KWD77.530	+26.1%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$4,917.78 ZAR81,906.05	$6,500.38 KWD2,003.430	+32.2%
Average			+29.2%

South Africa vs. Kuwait - Cost of childcare

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pay 76.6% more for entertainment and sports

	South Africa	Kuwait
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$2.25 ZAR37.49	$2.68 KWD0.830	+19.0%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$2.25 ZAR37.54	$4.71 KWD1.450	+108.9%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$3.16 ZAR52.64	$2.74 KWD0.840	-13.4%
Monthly membership at local gym	$31.59 ZAR526.14	$97.98 KWD30.200	+210.2%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$7.32 ZAR121.88	$11.58 KWD3.570	+58.2%
Average			+76.6%

South Africa vs. Kuwait - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 10.7% less for clothing

	South Africa	Kuwait
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$52.66 ZAR877.03	$37.05 KWD11.420	-29.6%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$34.13 ZAR568.42	$37.45 KWD11.540	+9.7%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$99.75 ZAR1,661.36	$95.55 KWD29.450	-4.2%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$86.61 ZAR1,442.45	$70.48 KWD21.720	-18.6%
Average			-10.7%

South Africa vs. Kuwait - 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: October 2026

Compare further: South Africa vs. Kuwait

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Size Comparison · See true size

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