Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Manama

For one person, living is cheaper in Manama: $1,566 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Manama
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Manama Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Manama

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$1,566

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens 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 Athens and in Manama actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $1,566 in Manama.

Athens $1,779
Manama $1,566

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $2,442 in Manama.

Athens $2,721
Manama $2,442

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $3,319 in Manama.

Athens $3,663
Manama $3,319

Living in Athens is roughly 14% more expensive than in Manama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 32% above, Manama 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$5.22 BHD 1.97

222.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$53.5 BHD 20.16

23.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.98

$7.87 BHD 2.97

42.44%

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$4.67 BHD 1.76

-12.63%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$0.85 BHD 0.32

225.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.30 BHD 0.11

80.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.07

$6.75 BHD 2.54

-15.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

$10.22 BHD 3.85

-38.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.40 BHD 0.53

31.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.11 BHD 0.42

28.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$2.28 BHD 0.86

17.11%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$2.31 BHD 0.87

114.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.44

$8.81 BHD 3.32

71.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$6.44 BHD 2.43

70.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.60

$8.45 BHD 3.19

133.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$2.29 BHD 0.86

-7.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$2.23 BHD 0.84

-11.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.93 BHD 0.73

-31.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.38 BHD 0.52

56.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$1.01 BHD 0.38

4.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.42 BHD 0.54

-19.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.55 BHD 0.58

-30.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.84 BHD 0.32

1.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$5.39 BHD 2.03

1.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

$18.82 BHD 7.10

-46.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

$3.63 BHD 1.37

-43.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

$2.63 BHD 0.99

-9.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.77 BHD 0.29

75.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.18

$36.68 BHD 13.83

-16.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$5.26 BHD 1.98

-27.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$3.52 BHD 1.33

-70.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$15.84 BHD 5.97

4.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$0.70 BHD 0.26

234.29%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$26.3K BHD 9,926

5.49%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$19.8K BHD 7,465

34.40%

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

$202 €180

$154 BHD 58.0

31.39%

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

$26.81 €23.87

$24.50 BHD 9.24

9.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.14

$34.60 BHD 13.05

-11.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.14

$68.4 BHD 25.80

-20.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.40

$30.54 BHD 11.52

-10.28%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$10.73 BHD 4.05

-2.70%

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

$568 €505

$614 BHD 231

-7.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$11.4K BHD 4,302

33.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.7

$50.5 BHD 19.05

79.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.01

$57.5 BHD 21.69

-31.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$87.3 BHD 32.91

20.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$88.2 BHD 33.25

46.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$1,010 BHD 381

-26.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €577

$642 BHD 242

0.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$2,120 BHD 799

-40.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$1,300 BHD 490

-13.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,561

$2,588 BHD 976

54.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,921

$1,992 BHD 751

64.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

$2,384 BHD 899

-47.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

6.21

-28.50%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Manama: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Manama

$642 41% 0.9% $6.1

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Manama

$250 16% 21% $66

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Manama

$180 11.5% 33.6% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Manama

$213 13.6% 17.9% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Manama

$128 8.2% 22.2% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Manama

$90 5.7% 19.9% $15

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Manama

$63 4% 39.5% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $1,010 in Manama. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Manama pays 91% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $53 in Manama for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $250 per month, with Manama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇧🇭 Manama

🕒 Local time

02:35 2:35 AM

03:35 3:35 AM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

157,474 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Bahraini Dinar BHD .د.ب

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 BHD = 2.65 USD

1 BHD = 2.36 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Athens Manama 2,830 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
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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

Athens vs Manama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Manama wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Manama the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 48% lower in Athens. 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: $742 in Athens versus $1,010 in Manama. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Manama – a meal for two runs $53 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,779 per month in Athens versus $1,566 in Manama – Manama is about 12% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Manama is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Safety-wise, Athens and Manama are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.