Numbeo, one of the largest databases covering living prices in the world, ranked Kuwait as the cheapest Gulf country in the cost of living index for the first half of 2023, and ranked 14th in the Arab world on the same index.
Every half year, Nambio issues the cost of living index, which is a relative index that measures consumer prices in 139 countries, including prices for groceries, restaurants, transportation and utilities, while the index does not include accommodation expenses such as rent or mortgage, reports Al-Rai daily.
At the level of the most expensive Arab cities, Dubai came first, followed by Al-Khobar, then Abu Dhabi, Doha, Manama, Beirut, Riyadh, followed by Ramallah, Jeddah, Muscat, Sharjah, Dammam, then Amman and Kuwait.
On the other hand, Kuwait ranked fourth in the Arab world and second in the Gulf, after Amman, Beirut and Dubai, in the crowding index during the first six months of 2023.
Nambio stated that the average time it takes an individual in Kuwait to move his car from one place to another within a city or region takes 34.7 minutes, while in Dubai, for example, it takes 36.6 minutes, and Istanbul 51.8 minutes.
In the quality of living index for the first half of 2023, Kuwait ranked last in the Gulf and seventh in the Arab world, while Muscat came first, followed by Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Doha, Jeddah and Riyadh.
The quality of living index measures the general quality of life in a city or country, and takes into account various factors that affect an individual’s quality of life, including purchasing power, pollution levels, housing affordability, cost of living, safety, health care quality, travel times and climatic conditions.