Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manama and Cape Town

For one person, living costs are similar in Manama and in Cape Town: $1,536 and $1,568 a month, rent and utilities included.

76

Cost of Living Index in Manama
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Manama Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Manama

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$1,536

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manama and in Cape Town

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

A single person spends $1,536 per month in Manama vs $1,568 in Cape Town, rent included.

Manama $1,536
Cape Town $1,568

A couple spends around $2,433 per month in Manama vs $2,438 in Cape Town, rent included.

Manama $2,433
Cape Town $2,438

A family of three spends $3,331 per month in Manama vs $3,307 in Cape Town, rent included.

Manama $3,331
Cape Town $3,307

Manama is about 2% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Manama and Cape Town sit above the global median – Manama by 15%, Cape Town by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.24 BHD 1.98

$11.78 R 194

-55.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.8 BHD 19.92

$46.55 R 768

13.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.30 BHD 2.75

$5.96 R 98.4

22.48%

Cappuccino

$4.86 BHD 1.83

$2.47 R 40.80

96.76%

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

$0.88 BHD 0.33

$1.33 R 21.91

-33.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 BHD 0.11

$1.03 R 16.99

-70.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.72 BHD 2.54

$3.01 R 49.72

123.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.99 BHD 3.77

$3.66 R 60.4

172.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 BHD 0.52

$1.39 R 22.96

-1.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 BHD 0.42

$1.19 R 19.60

-6.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 BHD 0.86

$2.11 R 34.84

8.06%

Eggs

$2.20 BHD 0.83

$3.01 R 49.58

-26.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.47 BHD 3.19

$8.96 R 148

-5.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.34 BHD 2.39

$6.65 R 110

-4.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.42 BHD 3.18

$9.29 R 153

-9.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.41 BHD 0.91

$1.83 R 30.13

31.69%

Banana (1kg)

$2.32 BHD 0.87

$1.90 R 31.31

22.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 BHD 0.71

$1.75 R 28.83

8.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.44 BHD 0.54

$2.09 R 34.41

-31.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 BHD 0.40

$1.55 R 25.64

-31.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.41 BHD 0.53

$1.49 R 24.53

-5.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 BHD 0.58

$1.30 R 21.41

18.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BHD 0.31

$1.16 R 19.19

-28.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.34 BHD 2.01

$3.71 R 61.2

43.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.36 BHD 6.93

$6.06 R 100

202.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.63 BHD 1.37

$1.39 R 22.85

161.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 BHD 0.97

$2.20 R 36.32

17.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.65 BHD 0.24

$1.51 R 24.98

-56.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.30 BHD 14.08

$61.0 R 1,006

-38.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.19 BHD 1.96

$0.63 R 10.33

723.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.38 BHD 1.27

$1.53 R 25.29

120.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.88 BHD 5.99

$4.81 R 79.4

230.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.65 BHD 0.25

$1.58 R 26.08

-58.86%

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

$37.7K BHD 14.2K

$35.5K R 585.7K

6.33%

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

$20.9K BHD 7,896

$31.7K R 523.8K

-34.10%

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

$151 BHD 57.1

$116 R 1,920

30.01%

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

$24.40 BHD 9.21

$28.37 R 468

-13.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.61 BHD 13.06

$40.69 R 671

-14.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.3 BHD 23.50

$48.85 R 806

27.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.23 BHD 11.41

$11.13 R 184

171.61%

Cinema Ticket

$10.77 BHD 4.06

$8.83 R 146

21.97%

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

$488 BHD 184

$261 R 4,314

86.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.2K BHD 4,238

$6,702 R 110.6K

67.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.7 BHD 19.13

$55.4 R 914

-8.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.6 BHD 22.13

$32.27 R 532

81.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.1 BHD 32.51

$118 R 1,939

-26.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.0 BHD 33.97

$107 R 1,766

-15.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$997 BHD 376

$1,015 R 16.7K

-1.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 BHD 245

$715 R 11.8K

-9.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,040 BHD 770

$1,801 R 29.7K

13.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,399 BHD 528

$1,330 R 22.0K

5.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,643 BHD 997

$2,331 R 38.5K

13.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,999 BHD 754

$1,513 R 25.0K

32.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,382 BHD 899

$1,636 R 27.0K

45.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.21

10.97

-43.39%

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

Last update for Manama: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manama

$650 41.6%

Cape Town

$715 45.3% 10% $65

Groceries & Markets

Manama

$248 15.9%

Cape Town

$222 14.1% 10.3% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manama

$210 13.5%

Cape Town

$185 11.7% 11.8% $25

Eating Out

Manama

$180 11.5%

Cape Town

$174 11% 3.8% $6.8

Clothing & Footwear

Manama

$128 8.2%

Cape Town

$141 8.9% 9.4% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Manama

$84 5.4%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 20.6% $17

Getting Around

Manama

$62 4%

Cape Town

$75 4.8% 21.5% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $997 in Manama versus $1,015 in Cape Town. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 46% higher in Manama, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $53.0 in Manama versus $47.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $248 vs $222 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇭 Manama

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

08:10 8:10 AM

07:10 7:10 AM

1 h behind Manama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

157,474 Capital

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Bahraini Dinar BHD .د.ب

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 BHD = 2.65 USD

1 BHD = 2.36 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to BHD – Bahraini Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇭 Bahraini Dinar (.د.ب)

Bahraini Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.377 BHD (1 BHD = 2.65 USD). 1 EUR = 0.423 BHD (1 BHD = 2.36 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to BHD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Manama Cape Town 7,500 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Manama
Cape Town

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 Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 2% more than Manama, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,304 per month in Manama and $2,352 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Manama, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,536 in Manama and $1,568 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 2%.

Public transport costs about 63% less in Manama. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Manama, where all-in costs run around $1,536, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Manama it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Manama costs $1,536 versus $1,568 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Manama. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cape Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.