Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manama and Al Muharraq

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.

75

Cost of Living Index in Manama
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Manama Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Al Muharraq
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Al Muharraq Living Index

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Manama

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$1,561

/mo nomad

Al Muharraq

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$1,083

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Muharraq actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Manama $1,561
Al Muharraq $1,083

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

Manama $2,442
Al Muharraq $1,615

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

Manama $3,323
Al Muharraq $2,147

Living in Manama is roughly 44% more expensive than in Al Muharraq, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.17 BHD 1.95

$2.58 BHD 0.97

100.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.4 BHD 20.14

$26.49 BHD 9.99

101.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.22 BHD 2.72

$5.98 BHD 2.25

20.74%

Cappuccino

$5.01 BHD 1.89

$3.87 BHD 1.46

29.46%

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

$0.88 BHD 0.33

$0.82 BHD 0.31

7.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 BHD 0.12

$0.30 BHD 0.11

6.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.48 BHD 2.45

$6.66 BHD 2.51

-2.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.09 BHD 3.81

$6.75 BHD 2.55

49.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 BHD 0.52

$1.37 BHD 0.52

1.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 BHD 0.40

$1.07 BHD 0.40

-1.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BHD 0.88

$2.37 BHD 0.89

-1.69%

Eggs

$2.22 BHD 0.84

$2.28 BHD 0.86

-2.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.62 BHD 3.25

$3.76 BHD 1.42

129.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.58 BHD 2.48

$4.87 BHD 1.84

35.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.38 BHD 3.16

$8.74 BHD 3.30

-4.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 BHD 0.90

$1.08 BHD 0.41

121.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 BHD 0.87

$1.90 BHD 0.72

21.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 BHD 0.73

$1.05 BHD 0.39

84.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.38 BHD 0.52

$1.39 BHD 0.52

-0.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.01 BHD 0.38

$1.00 BHD 0.38

1.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 BHD 0.51

$0.51 BHD 0.19

166.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 BHD 0.59

$0.51 BHD 0.19

205.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 BHD 0.32

$0.55 BHD 0.21

52.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.26 BHD 1.98

$5.25 BHD 1.98

0.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.18 BHD 6.86

$18.69 BHD 7.05

-2.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.63 BHD 1.37

$3.51 BHD 1.32

3.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 BHD 1.01

$2.58 BHD 0.97

3.10%

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)

$5.18 BHD 1.95

$5.19 BHD 1.96

-0.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.42 BHD 1.29

$1.29 BHD 0.49

165.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.82 BHD 5.97

$5.15 BHD 1.94

207.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.66 BHD 0.25

$0.56 BHD 0.21

17.86%

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

$25.9K BHD 9,753

$26.2K BHD 9,876

-1.24%

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

$19.3K BHD 7,296

$19.5K BHD 7,359

-0.85%

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

$153 BHD 57.6

$155 BHD 58.4

-1.40%

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

$24.67 BHD 9.30

$21.39 BHD 8.07

15.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.29 BHD 13.31

$34.74 BHD 13.11

1.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 BHD 25.99

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.13 BHD 11.36

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 BHD 4.07

$10.62 BHD 4.01

1.51%

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

$622 BHD 235

$617 BHD 233

0.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K BHD 4,126

$10.9K BHD 4,111

0.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.1 BHD 18.90

$50.9 BHD 19.20

-1.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 BHD 21.89

$58.1 BHD 21.90

-0.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.1 BHD 33.61

$87.6 BHD 33.06

1.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.7 BHD 33.45

$89.2 BHD 33.64

-0.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,004 BHD 379

$465 BHD 176

115.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$638 BHD 241

$369 BHD 139

73.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,052 BHD 774

$993 BHD 375

106.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,303 BHD 491

$733 BHD 277

77.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,590 BHD 977

$2,011 BHD 758

28.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,974 BHD 744

$1,563 BHD 590

26.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,384 BHD 899

$1,765 BHD 666

35.03%

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 Muharraq: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manama

$638 40.9%

Al Muharraq

$369 34% 42.2% $269

Groceries & Markets

Manama

$249 16%

Al Muharraq

$205 19% 17.5% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manama

$213 13.6%

Al Muharraq

$211 19.5% 0.8% $1.7

Eating Out

Manama

$181 11.6%

Al Muharraq

$136 12.6% 24.5% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Manama

$129 8.2%

Al Muharraq

$129 11.9% 0.1% $0.1

Sport & Entertainment

Manama

$90 5.8%

Al Muharraq

$21 * 2% 76.5% $69

Getting Around

Manama

$62 4%

Al Muharraq

$12 * 1.1% 81.2% $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 $1,004 in Manama and $465 in Al Muharraq. 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: $53 in Manama vs $26 in Al Muharraq for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $249 vs $205 per month, with Al Muharraq cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇭 Manama

🇧🇭 Al Muharraq

🕒 Local time

20:58 8:58 PM

Same time as Manama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

157,474 Capital

75,000

💱 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

Manama Al Muharraq 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

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

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

Average pay runs 35% 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 $465 in Al Muharraq. 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 $1,561 per month in Manama versus $1,083 in Al Muharraq – 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.