Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budaiya and Saar

For one person, living is cheaper in Budaiya: $812 a month against $1,997 in Saar, rent and utilities included – about $14,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Budaiya
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Budaiya Living Index

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Budaiya

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$812

/mo nomad

Saar

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$1,997

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budaiya and in Saar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $812 in Budaiya versus $1,997 in Saar.

Budaiya $812
Saar $1,997

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,288 in Budaiya versus $2,761 in Saar.

Budaiya $1,288
Saar $2,761

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,763 in Budaiya versus $3,525 in Saar.

Budaiya $1,763
Saar $3,525

Living in Budaiya costs roughly 59% less than in Saar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

The two cities straddle the global median: Budaiya is 40% below, Saar is 47% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.44 BHD 2.05

$10.55 BHD 3.98

-48.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.2 BHD 19.67

$32.48 BHD 12.25

60.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.61 BHD 2.49

$10.80 BHD 4.07

-38.80%

Cappuccino

$5.03 BHD 1.90

$5.98 BHD 2.26

-15.89%

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

$0.84 BHD 0.32

$1.65 BHD 0.62

-49.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 BHD 0.11

$0.94 BHD 0.35

-70.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.78 BHD 2.56

$6.07 BHD 2.29

11.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.98 BHD 3.77

$9.55 BHD 3.60

4.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 BHD 0.52

$1.69 BHD 0.64

-17.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 BHD 0.40

$1.28 BHD 0.48

-17.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 BHD 0.90

$2.69 BHD 1.01

-11.15%

Eggs

$2.24 BHD 0.84

$2.71 BHD 1.02

-17.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.45 BHD 3.19

$13.01 BHD 4.91

-35.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.59 BHD 2.49

$6.47 BHD 2.44

1.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.45 BHD 3.19

$15.64 BHD 5.90

-45.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 BHD 0.89

$4.07 BHD 1.54

-42.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.22 BHD 0.84

$2.32 BHD 0.88

-4.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 BHD 0.73

$3.79 BHD 1.43

-48.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.45 BHD 0.55

$1.97 BHD 0.74

-26.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 BHD 0.38

$0.67 BHD 0.25

52.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.43 BHD 0.54

$1.67 BHD 0.63

-14.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 BHD 0.58

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 BHD 0.30

$0.80 BHD 0.30

-1.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.37 BHD 2.03

Wine (Bottle)

$18.20 BHD 6.87

$26.32 BHD 9.93

-30.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.68 BHD 1.39

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 BHD 0.98

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 BHD 0.31

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.22 BHD 1.97

$5.27 BHD 1.99

-0.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 BHD 1.29

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.15 BHD 6.09

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.69 BHD 0.26

$0.60 BHD 0.23

15.00%

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

$26.5K BHD 9,987

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

$19.9K BHD 7,509

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

$151 BHD 57.0

$132 BHD 49.73

14.55%

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

$24.28 BHD 9.16

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.89 BHD 13.16

$31.53 BHD 11.89

10.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$160 BHD 60.4

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$105 BHD 39.79

Cinema Ticket

$10.40 BHD 3.92

$15.44 BHD 5.82

-32.64%

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

$614 BHD 232

$551 BHD 208

11.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K BHD 4,129

$7,837 BHD 2,956

39.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.6 BHD 19.08

$91.1 BHD 34.36

-44.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.2 BHD 21.56

$40.25 BHD 15.18

42.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.5 BHD 33.74

$105 BHD 39.53

-14.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.8 BHD 33.50

$105 BHD 39.44

-15.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,319 BHD 497

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$936 BHD 353

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,121 BHD 800

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,182 BHD 446

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,110 BHD 796

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,393 BHD 903

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 Budaiya: October 25, 2026

Last update for Saar: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Budaiya

$248 30.6%

Saar

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budaiya

$210 25.9%

Saar

–

Eating Out

Budaiya

$182 22.4%

Saar

–

Clothing & Footwear

Budaiya

$129 15.8%

Saar

–

Getting Around

Budaiya

$22 * 2.8%

Saar

–

Sport & Entertainment

Budaiya

$21 * 2.6%

Saar

–

Accommodation & Living

Budaiya

- * 0%

Saar

–

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $52 in Budaiya vs $32 in Saar. Groceries flip the comparison at $248 vs $297, with Budaiya cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇭 Budaiya

🇧🇭 Saar

🕒 Local time

02:45 2:45 AM

Same time as Budaiya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,702

6,000

💱 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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Between locations

Budaiya Saar 5 km

From you

Budaiya
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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

Budaiya vs Saar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Budaiya wins on cost – living expenses run 59% lower than in Saar. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Budaiya the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,219 in Budaiya and $2,996 in Saar to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Saar. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $812 per month in Budaiya versus $1,997 in Saar – Budaiya is about 59% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Budaiya 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, Budaiya and Saar are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.