Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madinat Hamad and Seef

For one person, living is cheaper in Madinat Hamad: $1,192 a month against $1,679 in Seef, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Madinat Hamad
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Madinat Hamad Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Seef
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Seef Living Index

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Madinat Hamad

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$1,192

/mo nomad

Seef

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$1,679

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Madinat Hamad and in Seef

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

A single person spends $1,192 per month in Madinat Hamad vs $1,679 in Seef, rent included.

Madinat Hamad $1,192
Seef $1,679

A couple spends around $1,906 per month in Madinat Hamad vs $2,636 in Seef, rent included.

Madinat Hamad $1,906
Seef $2,636

A family of three spends $2,620 per month in Madinat Hamad vs $3,592 in Seef, rent included.

Madinat Hamad $2,620
Seef $3,592

Madinat Hamad is about 29% cheaper than Seef, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Madinat Hamad sits 12% below the global median, while Seef is 23% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.60 BHD 0.98

$8.27 BHD 3.12

-68.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.6 BHD 19.82

$54.0 BHD 20.37

-2.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.62 BHD 2.87

$8.18 BHD 3.09

-6.85%

Cappuccino

$2.62 BHD 0.99

$5.06 BHD 1.91

-48.22%

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

$0.89 BHD 0.33

$1.49 BHD 0.56

-40.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 BHD 0.12

$0.81 BHD 0.31

-60.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.44 BHD 2.43

$10.64 BHD 4.01

-39.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.77 BHD 3.68

$18.53 BHD 6.99

-47.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 BHD 0.54

$2.27 BHD 0.85

-36.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 BHD 0.39

$1.29 BHD 0.49

-20.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 BHD 0.90

$3.21 BHD 1.21

-25.55%

Eggs

$2.02 BHD 0.76

$1.49 BHD 0.56

35.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.86 BHD 3.34

$10.71 BHD 4.04

-17.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.41 BHD 2.42

$6.07 BHD 2.29

5.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.36 BHD 3.15

$15.96 BHD 6.02

-47.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.18 BHD 0.82

$3.09 BHD 1.16

-29.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 BHD 0.61

$2.03 BHD 0.76

-20.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.90 BHD 0.72

$2.56 BHD 0.97

-25.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.35 BHD 0.51

$1.89 BHD 0.71

-28.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 BHD 0.38

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 BHD 0.39

$1.04 BHD 0.39

-0.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.50 BHD 0.56

$1.90 BHD 0.72

-21.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 BHD 0.19

$0.39 BHD 0.15

28.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.17 BHD 1.95

$3.95 BHD 1.49

30.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.64 BHD 7.03

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.66 BHD 1.38

$3.85 BHD 1.45

-4.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 BHD 1.02

$2.64 BHD 0.99

2.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.64 BHD 0.24

$0.65 BHD 0.24

-1.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.51 BHD 13.01

$65.6 BHD 24.75

-47.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.15 BHD 1.94

$3.53 BHD 1.33

45.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.59 BHD 0.98

$3.37 BHD 1.27

-23.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.06 BHD 6.06

$6.27 BHD 2.36

156.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.39 BHD 0.15

$0.60 BHD 0.23

-35.00%

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

$25.7K BHD 9,693

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

$19.9K BHD 7,510

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

$155 BHD 58.3

$98.6 BHD 37.17

56.96%

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

$23.42 BHD 8.83

$26.59 BHD 10.03

-11.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.89 BHD 7.12

$46.22 BHD 17.43

-59.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$118 BHD 44.36

$72.7 BHD 27.41

61.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$53.9 BHD 20.34

Cinema Ticket

$5.21 BHD 1.96

$10.70 BHD 4.04

-51.31%

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

$619 BHD 233

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K BHD 4,194

$7,802 BHD 2,942

42.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.5 BHD 19.41

$68.4 BHD 25.78

-24.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 BHD 21.67

$52.7 BHD 19.88

8.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 BHD 32.80

$93.5 BHD 35.26

-6.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 BHD 34.10

$79.9 BHD 30.15

13.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$397 BHD 150

$946 BHD 357

-58.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$312 BHD 118

$691 BHD 261

-54.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$797 BHD 300

$2,081 BHD 785

-61.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$670 BHD 253

$1,395 BHD 526

-51.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$669 BHD 252

$3,393 BHD 1,280

-80.28%

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 Madinat Hamad: October 31, 2026

Last update for Seef: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Madinat Hamad

$312 26.2%

Seef

$691 41.2% 122% $379

Groceries & Markets

Madinat Hamad

$239 20.1%

Seef

$251 * 14.9% 4.9% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madinat Hamad

$197 16.5%

Seef

$171 10.2% 13% $26

Eating Out

Madinat Hamad

$132 11.1%

Seef

$251 14.9% 90.4% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Madinat Hamad

$129 10.8%

Seef

$133 7.9% 2.9% $3.7

Sport & Entertainment

Madinat Hamad

$128 10.7%

Seef

$94 5.6% 26.5% $34

Getting Around

Madinat Hamad

$55 4.6%

Seef

$89 5.3% 60.5% $33

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $397 in Madinat Hamad versus $946 in Seef. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Seef are about 5.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $53 in Madinat Hamad versus $54 in Seef. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $239 vs $251 – making Madinat Hamad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇭 Madinat Hamad

🇧🇭 Seef

🕒 Local time

14:17 2:17 PM

Same time as Madinat Hamad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

133,350

6,564

💱 Currency

Bahraini Dinar BHD .د.ب

📈 Exchange rate

1 BHD = 2.65 USD

1 BHD = 2.37 EUR

1 BHD = 2.65 USD

1 BHD = 2.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Madinat Hamad Seef 13 km

From you

Madinat Hamad
Seef

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

Madinat Hamad vs Seef: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,192 in Madinat Hamad, $1,679 in Seef – Madinat Hamad comes out roughly 29% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,788 per month in Madinat Hamad and $2,519 in Seef. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Madinat Hamad, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $397 there versus $946 in Seef.

Public transport costs about 48% less in Madinat Hamad. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,192 in Madinat Hamad and $1,679 in Seef. That makes Madinat Hamad about 29% cheaper.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,192 in Madinat Hamad and $1,679 in Seef, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Madinat Hamad costs $1,192 versus $1,679 in Seef. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Madinat Hamad. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Seef makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.