Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al Muharraq and Manama

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Muharraq: $1,083 a month against $1,561 in Manama, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Al Muharraq
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Al Muharraq Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Manama
Learn more

Manama Living Index

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Al Muharraq

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$1,083

/mo nomad

Manama

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$1,561

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Al Muharraq and in Manama

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Al Muharraq and in Manama actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,083 in Al Muharraq versus $1,561 in Manama.

Al Muharraq $1,083
Manama $1,561

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,615 in Al Muharraq versus $2,442 in Manama.

Al Muharraq $1,615
Manama $2,442

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,147 in Al Muharraq versus $3,323 in Manama.

Al Muharraq $2,147
Manama $3,323

Living in Al Muharraq costs roughly 31% less than in Manama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

The two cities straddle the global median: Al Muharraq is 20% below, Manama is 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.58 BHD 0.97

$5.17 BHD 1.95

-50.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.49 BHD 9.99

$53.4 BHD 20.14

-50.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.98 BHD 2.25

$7.22 BHD 2.72

-17.17%

Cappuccino

$3.87 BHD 1.46

$5.01 BHD 1.89

-22.75%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 BHD 0.31

$0.88 BHD 0.33

-6.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 BHD 0.11

$0.32 BHD 0.12

-6.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.66 BHD 2.51

$6.48 BHD 2.45

2.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.75 BHD 2.55

$10.09 BHD 3.81

-33.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 BHD 0.52

$1.39 BHD 0.52

-1.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 BHD 0.40

$1.05 BHD 0.40

1.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 BHD 0.89

$2.33 BHD 0.88

1.72%

Eggs

$2.28 BHD 0.86

$2.22 BHD 0.84

2.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.76 BHD 1.42

$8.62 BHD 3.25

-56.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.87 BHD 1.84

$6.58 BHD 2.48

-25.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.74 BHD 3.30

$8.38 BHD 3.16

4.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.08 BHD 0.41

$2.39 BHD 0.90

-54.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 BHD 0.72

$2.31 BHD 0.87

-17.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.05 BHD 0.39

$1.94 BHD 0.73

-45.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.39 BHD 0.52

$1.38 BHD 0.52

0.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 BHD 0.38

$1.01 BHD 0.38

-0.99%

Onion (1kg)

$0.51 BHD 0.19

$1.36 BHD 0.51

-62.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.51 BHD 0.19

$1.56 BHD 0.59

-67.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 BHD 0.21

$0.84 BHD 0.32

-34.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.25 BHD 1.98

$5.26 BHD 1.98

-0.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.69 BHD 7.05

$18.18 BHD 6.86

2.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.51 BHD 1.32

$3.63 BHD 1.37

-3.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 BHD 0.97

$2.66 BHD 1.01

-3.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.78 BHD 0.29

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.65 BHD 13.83

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.19 BHD 1.96

$5.18 BHD 1.95

0.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.29 BHD 0.49

$3.42 BHD 1.29

-62.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.15 BHD 1.94

$15.82 BHD 5.97

-67.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.56 BHD 0.21

$0.66 BHD 0.25

-15.15%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$26.2K BHD 9,876

$25.9K BHD 9,753

1.26%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$19.5K BHD 7,359

$19.3K BHD 7,296

0.86%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$155 BHD 58.4

$153 BHD 57.6

1.42%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$21.39 BHD 8.07

$24.67 BHD 9.30

-13.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.74 BHD 13.11

$35.29 BHD 13.31

-1.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 BHD 25.99

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.13 BHD 11.36

Cinema Ticket

$10.62 BHD 4.01

$10.78 BHD 4.07

-1.48%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$617 BHD 233

$622 BHD 235

-0.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K BHD 4,111

$10.9K BHD 4,126

-0.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.9 BHD 19.20

$50.1 BHD 18.90

1.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.1 BHD 21.90

$58.0 BHD 21.89

0.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.6 BHD 33.06

$89.1 BHD 33.61

-1.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.2 BHD 33.64

$88.7 BHD 33.45

0.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$465 BHD 176

$1,004 BHD 379

-53.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$369 BHD 139

$638 BHD 241

-42.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$993 BHD 375

$2,052 BHD 774

-51.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$733 BHD 277

$1,303 BHD 491

-43.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,011 BHD 758

$2,590 BHD 977

-22.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,563 BHD 590

$1,974 BHD 744

-20.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,765 BHD 666

$2,384 BHD 899

-25.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.21

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Al Muharraq: October 26, 2026

Last update for Manama: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Al Muharraq

$369 34%

Manama

$638 40.9% 73.1% $269

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al Muharraq

$211 19.5%

Manama

$213 13.6% 0.8% $1.7

Groceries & Markets

Al Muharraq

$205 19%

Manama

$249 16% 21.2% $43

Eating Out

Al Muharraq

$136 12.6%

Manama

$181 11.6% 32.5% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Al Muharraq

$129 11.9%

Manama

$129 8.2% 0.1% $0.1

Sport & Entertainment

Al Muharraq

$21 * 2%

Manama

$90 5.8% 326% $69

Getting Around

Al Muharraq

$12 * 1.1%

Manama

$62 4% 433% $50

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $465 in Al Muharraq and $1,004 in Manama. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Manama pays 35% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $26 in Al Muharraq vs $53 in Manama for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $205 vs $249 per month, with Al Muharraq cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇭 Al Muharraq

🇧🇭 Manama

🕒 Local time

19:51 7:51 PM

Same time as Al Muharraq

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

75,000

157,474 Capital

💱 Currency

Bahraini Dinar BHD .د.ب

📈 Exchange rate

1 BHD = 2.65 USD

1 BHD = 2.38 EUR

1 BHD = 2.65 USD

1 BHD = 2.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Al Muharraq Manama 4 km

From you

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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Al Muharraq vs Manama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al Muharraq and Manama differ by about 44% in total monthly costs ($1,083 vs $1,561 including rent). Al Muharraq is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 26% lower in Al Muharraq. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $465 in Al Muharraq versus $1,004 in Manama. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Manama. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,083 per month in Al Muharraq versus $1,561 in Manama – a 44% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Al Muharraq gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Al Muharraq wins on affordability, Manama on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.