Moving to Kuwait from Saudi Arabia
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Saudi Arabia to Kuwait — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Saudi Arabia to Kuwait, you would find that Kuwait is 7.9% cheaper than Saudi Arabia overall. A SAR280,000 salary in Saudi Arabia would need to be roughly KWD21,400 in Kuwait to maintain the same lifestyle.
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How your spending power changes when you relocate from Saudi Arabia to Kuwait.
What does your salary buy?
SAR280,000 → KWD21,400
To maintain the same standard of living in Kuwait
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 12.2% more
Groceries
pay 15.2% less
Transportation
pay 28.4% less
Housing
pay 6.4% more
Childcare
pay 32.6% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 3.1% less
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
Real numbers on people moving from Saudi Arabia to Kuwait, and how the trend has changed.
Who's moving to Kuwait?
Top countries of origin for Kuwait's foreign-born residents.
- 1,152,175
- 421,025
- 380,046
- 339,033
- 196,910
- 107,953
- · · ·
-
26.2,252
Saudi Arabia
Key Indicator Comparison
How Saudi Arabia and Kuwait stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Kuwait performs significantly better than Saudi Arabia across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
annual government + private spending per person
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
share of adults with obesity
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
Saudi Arabia generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Kuwait leads in healthcare spending per person.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Saudi Arabia generally does better on environment, though Kuwait leads in air pollution deaths.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
annual consumption — reflects grid capacity
share of households with internet
Saudi Arabia generally does better on infrastructure, though Kuwait leads in electricity per capita.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
the highest marginal rate on personal income
Saudi Arabia generally does better on employment & economy, though Kuwait leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
government spending on education as % of GDP
percentage of adults who can read and write
Saudi Arabia generally does better on family life, though Kuwait leads in life expectancy.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), Department of Zakat and Income Tax (2016), Ministry of Finance, Kuwait (2016). How we calculate this
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Riyadh | Kuwait City |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 75°/50°F (24°/10°C) | 73°/51°F (23°/11°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 101°/72°F (38°/22°C) | 104°/76°F (40°/25°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 109°/77°F (43°/25°C) | 114°/84°F (46°/29°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 84°/56°F (29°/13°C) | 84°/60°F (29°/15°C) |
View all months
| Month | Riyadh | Kuwait City |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 68°/44°F (20.1°/6.9°C) | 67°/47°F (19.5°/8.5°C) |
| Feb | 74°/49°F (23.3°/9.3°C) | 71°/50°F (21.8°/10.0°C) |
| Mar | 82°/56°F (27.7°/13.2°C) | 80°/57°F (26.9°/14.0°C) |
| Apr | 92°/65°F (33.3°/18.4°C) | 93°/67°F (33.9°/19.5°C) |
| May | 103°/74°F (39.4°/23.4°C) | 106°/78°F (40.9°/25.4°C) |
| Jun | 109°/78°F (42.6°/25.3°C) | 114°/84°F (45.5°/28.9°C) |
| Jul | 111°/80°F (43.7°/26.4°C) | 116°/87°F (46.7°/30.7°C) |
| Aug | 111°/79°F (43.7°/26.3°C) | 116°/85°F (46.9°/29.5°C) |
| Sep | 105°/73°F (40.6°/22.9°C) | 111°/79°F (43.7°/26.2°C) |
| Oct | 96°/65°F (35.5°/18.2°C) | 98°/71°F (36.6°/21.5°C) |
| Nov | 83°/56°F (28.1°/13.3°C) | 82°/58°F (27.8°/14.5°C) |
| Dec | 72°/47°F (22.1°/8.4°C) | 71°/50°F (21.9°/9.9°C) |
Data:
National Center for Meteorology,
Meteorological Department
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. To live, work, or study long-term in Kuwait, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Kuwait's immigration authority.
Saudi Arabia passport holder visiting Kuwait
Visa Free
Kuwait passport holder visiting Saudi Arabia
Visa FreeData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Kuwait than Saudi Arabia?
Generally yes: Kuwait runs about 8% cheaper than Saudi Arabia on average, though it depends heavily on the city.
How much money do I need to move to Kuwait?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a SAR280,000 comparable salary, that's around KWD5,350 in Kuwait for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Kuwait?
With 1.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Kuwait can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
Is Kuwait safe for expats?
Kuwait performs significantly better than Saudi Arabia across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Kuwait is 0.2 per 100,000 people, compared to 0.9 in Saudi Arabia.
How is healthcare in Kuwait compared to Saudi Arabia?
Saudi Arabia generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Kuwait leads in healthcare spending per person. There are 22.7 doctors per 10,000 people in Kuwait, compared to 34.1 in Saudi Arabia. Kuwait scores 78 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Saudi Arabia: 74).
What's the weather like in Kuwait compared to Saudi Arabia?
The average high temperature in Kuwait City is 94°F, compared to 92°F in Riyadh. Kuwait City receives around 4.6 in of rainfall per year, while Riyadh gets 4.4 in.
What language do they speak in Kuwait?
Both Saudi Arabia and Kuwait share the same official language: Arabic.
