Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manama and Al Hidd

For one person, living is cheaper in Manama: $1,561 a month against $1,780 in Al Hidd, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Al Hidd outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

75

Cost of Living Index in Manama
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Manama Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Al Hidd
Learn more

Al Hidd Living Index

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Manama

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$1,561

/mo nomad

Al Hidd

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$1,780

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,561 in Manama versus $1,780 in Al Hidd.

Manama $1,561
Al Hidd $1,780

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,442 in Manama versus $2,128 in Al Hidd.

Manama $2,442
Al Hidd $2,128

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Manama versus $2,475 in Al Hidd.

Manama $3,323
Al Hidd $2,475

Living in Manama costs roughly 12% less than in Al Hidd, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Manama 15% above, Al Hidd 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.17 BHD 1.93

$5.43 BHD 2.03

-4.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.4 BHD 19.97

$39.19 BHD 14.66

36.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.22 BHD 2.70

$7.49 BHD 2.80

-3.60%

Cappuccino

$5.01 BHD 1.88

$3.68 BHD 1.38

36.14%

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

$0.88 BHD 0.33

$0.76 BHD 0.29

15.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 BHD 0.12

$0.12 BHD 0.05

166.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.48 BHD 2.42

$6.50 BHD 2.43

-0.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.09 BHD 3.78

$9.76 BHD 3.65

3.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 BHD 0.52

$1.38 BHD 0.52

0.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 BHD 0.39

$1.06 BHD 0.40

-0.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BHD 0.87

$2.36 BHD 0.88

-1.27%

Eggs

$2.22 BHD 0.83

$2.30 BHD 0.86

-3.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.62 BHD 3.22

$8.53 BHD 3.19

1.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.58 BHD 2.46

$5.38 BHD 2.01

22.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.38 BHD 3.13

$5.26 BHD 1.97

59.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 BHD 0.89

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 BHD 0.86

$2.35 BHD 0.88

-1.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 BHD 0.73

Tomato (1kg)

$1.38 BHD 0.52

$1.39 BHD 0.52

-0.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.01 BHD 0.38

$1.02 BHD 0.38

-0.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 BHD 0.51

$1.42 BHD 0.53

-4.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 BHD 0.58

$1.48 BHD 0.55

5.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 BHD 0.32

$0.79 BHD 0.29

6.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.26 BHD 1.97

$5.39 BHD 2.02

-2.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.18 BHD 6.80

$18.32 BHD 6.85

-0.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.63 BHD 1.36

$3.48 BHD 1.30

4.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 BHD 1.00

$2.63 BHD 0.98

1.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.78 BHD 0.29

$1.58 BHD 0.59

-50.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.65 BHD 13.71

$52.3 BHD 19.56

-29.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 BHD 1.94

$5.26 BHD 1.97

-1.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.42 BHD 1.28

$3.54 BHD 1.33

-3.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.82 BHD 5.92

$15.60 BHD 5.84

1.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.66 BHD 0.25

$0.62 BHD 0.23

6.45%

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

$25.9K BHD 9,671

$19.8K BHD 7,399

30.70%

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

$19.3K BHD 7,234

$19.7K BHD 7,376

-1.93%

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

$153 BHD 57.1

$153 BHD 57.3

-0.41%

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

$24.67 BHD 9.23

$24.65 BHD 9.22

0.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.29 BHD 13.20

$35.06 BHD 13.11

0.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 BHD 25.77

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.13 BHD 11.27

$53.0 BHD 19.82

-43.14%

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 BHD 4.03

$10.55 BHD 3.94

2.18%

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

$622 BHD 233

$633 BHD 237

-1.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K BHD 4,091

$10.9K BHD 4,081

0.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.1 BHD 18.74

$50.3 BHD 18.79

-0.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 BHD 21.71

$57.8 BHD 21.63

0.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.1 BHD 33.32

$88.6 BHD 33.15

0.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.7 BHD 33.16

$89.5 BHD 33.46

-0.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,004 BHD 376

$668 BHD 250

50.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$638 BHD 239

$937 BHD 351

-31.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,052 BHD 767

$803 BHD 300

155.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,303 BHD 487

$670 BHD 251

94.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,590 BHD 969

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,974 BHD 738

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,384 BHD 892

$1,947 BHD 728

22.42%

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 Manama: October 26, 2026

Last update for Al Hidd: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manama

$638 40.9%

Al Hidd

$937 52.7% 47% $299

Groceries & Markets

Manama

$249 16%

Al Hidd

$233 13.1% 6.5% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manama

$213 13.6%

Al Hidd

$213 12% 0.2% $0.4

Eating Out

Manama

$181 11.6%

Al Hidd

$166 9.3% 8.3% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Manama

$129 8.2%

Al Hidd

$129 7.2% 0.1% $0.1

Sport & Entertainment

Manama

$90 5.8%

Al Hidd

$21 * 1.2% 76.7% $69

Getting Around

Manama

$62 4%

Al Hidd

$82 4.6% 31.5% $20

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 $1,004 in Manama and $668 in Al Hidd. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Manama pays 22% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $53 in Manama vs $39 in Al Hidd for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $249 vs $233 per month, with Al Hidd cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇭 Manama

🇧🇭 Al Hidd

🕒 Local time

00:04 12:04 AM

Same time as Manama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

157,474 Capital

12,797

💱 Currency

Bahraini Dinar BHD .د.ب

📈 Exchange rate

1 BHD = 2.67 USD

1 BHD = 2.39 EUR

1 BHD = 2.67 USD

1 BHD = 2.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Manama Al Hidd 7 km

From you

Manama
Al Hidd

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

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

Manama is about 12% cheaper overall, especially in transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 22% higher in Manama, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,004 in Manama versus $668 in Al Hidd. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Manama runs roughly 30% less than in Al Hidd. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $622 in Manama versus $633 in Al Hidd. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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, Manama and Al Hidd are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.