Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manama and Athens

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.

76

Cost of Living Index in Manama
Learn more

Manama Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index

Jump to prices

Manama

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$1,566

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manama and in Athens

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

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

Manama $1,566
Athens $1,779

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

Manama $2,442
Athens $2,721

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

Manama $3,319
Athens $3,663

Living in Manama costs roughly 12% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.22 BHD 1.97

$16.83 €14.99

-68.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.5 BHD 20.16

$66.0 €58.8

-19.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.87 BHD 2.97

$11.21 €9.99

-29.79%

Cappuccino

$4.67 BHD 1.76

$4.08 €3.64

14.46%

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

$0.85 BHD 0.32

$2.77 €2.47

-69.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 BHD 0.11

$0.54 €0.48

-44.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.75 BHD 2.55

$5.70 €5.08

18.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.22 BHD 3.86

$6.26 €5.58

63.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 BHD 0.53

$1.84 €1.64

-23.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 BHD 0.42

$1.43 €1.27

-22.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 BHD 0.86

$2.67 €2.38

-14.61%

Eggs

$2.31 BHD 0.87

$4.95 €4.41

-53.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.81 BHD 3.32

$15.09 €13.45

-41.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.44 BHD 2.43

$10.99 €9.79

-41.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.45 BHD 3.19

$19.77 €17.61

-57.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 BHD 0.86

$2.12 €1.89

8.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 BHD 0.84

$1.98 €1.76

12.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BHD 0.73

$1.33 €1.19

45.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.38 BHD 0.52

$2.16 €1.92

-36.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.01 BHD 0.38

$1.06 €0.94

-4.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 BHD 0.54

$1.15 €1.02

23.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 BHD 0.58

$1.08 €0.97

43.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 BHD 0.32

$0.85 €0.75

-1.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.39 BHD 2.03

$5.46 €4.86

-1.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.82 BHD 7.10

$10.03 €8.93

87.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.63 BHD 1.37

$2.04 €1.82

77.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 BHD 0.99

$2.38 €2.12

10.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 BHD 0.29

$1.35 €1.20

-42.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.68 BHD 13.84

$30.52 €27.19

20.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.26 BHD 1.98

$3.81 €3.39

38.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.52 BHD 1.33

$1.03 €0.92

241.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.84 BHD 5.98

$16.49 €14.68

-3.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.70 BHD 0.26

$2.34 €2.09

-70.09%

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

$26.3K BHD 9,929

$27.8K €24.7K

-5.20%

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

$19.8K BHD 7,467

$26.6K €23.7K

-25.60%

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

$154 BHD 58.1

$202 €180

-23.89%

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

$24.50 BHD 9.24

$26.81 €23.88

-8.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.60 BHD 13.05

$30.49 €27.16

13.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.4 BHD 25.81

$54.1 €48.17

26.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.54 BHD 11.52

$27.40 €24.41

11.46%

Cinema Ticket

$10.73 BHD 4.05

$10.44 €9.30

2.78%

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

$614 BHD 231

$568 €506

8.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K BHD 4,303

$15.2K €13.5K

-24.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.5 BHD 19.05

$90.7 €80.8

-44.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 BHD 21.70

$39.32 €35.03

46.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.3 BHD 32.92

$105 €93.7

-17.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.2 BHD 33.26

$129 €115

-31.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,010 BHD 381

$742 €661

36.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 BHD 242

$648 €578

-0.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,120 BHD 800

$1,271 €1,132

66.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 BHD 490

$1,122 €999

15.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,588 BHD 976

$3,999 €3,562

-35.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,992 BHD 751

$3,281 €2,923

-39.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,384 BHD 899

$1,245 €1,109

91.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.21

4.44

39.86%

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

Last update for Manama: October 31, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manama

$642 41%

Athens

$648 36.4% 0.9% $6.1

Groceries & Markets

Manama

$250 16%

Athens

$316 17.8% 26.5% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manama

$213 13.6%

Athens

$260 14.6% 21.8% $46

Eating Out

Manama

$180 11.5%

Athens

$272 15.3% 50.7% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Manama

$128 8.2%

Athens

$164 9.2% 28.5% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Manama

$90 5.7%

Athens

$75 4.2% 16.6% $15

Getting Around

Manama

$63 4%

Athens

$45 2.5% 28.3% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,010 in Manama and $742 in Athens. 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: $53 in Manama vs $66 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $250 vs $316 per month, with Manama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇭 Manama

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

01:22 1:22 AM

00:22 12:22 AM

1 h behind Manama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

157,474 Capital

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Bahraini Dinar BHD .د.ب

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 BHD = 2.65 USD

1 BHD = 2.36 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to BHD – Bahraini Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇭 Bahraini Dinar (.د.ب)

Bahraini Dinar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.377 BHD (1 BHD = 2.65 USD). 1 EUR = 0.423 BHD (1 BHD = 2.36 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to BHD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Manama Athens 2,830 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Manama
Athens

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 Athens: 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.

Average pay runs 91% 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: $1,010 in Manama versus $742 in Athens. 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 $1,566 per month in Manama versus $1,779 in Athens – 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, Manama and Athens are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.