Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manama and Doha

For one person, living is cheaper in Manama: $1,552 a month against $2,102 in Doha, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Manama
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Manama Living Index
102

Cost of Living Index in Doha
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Doha Living Index

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Manama

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$1,552

/mo nomad

Doha

🇶🇦 Qatar

$2,102

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manama and in Doha

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

A single person spends $1,552 per month in Manama vs $2,102 in Doha, rent included.

Manama $1,552
Doha $2,102

A couple spends around $2,482 per month in Manama vs $3,272 in Doha, rent included.

Manama $2,482
Doha $3,272

A family of three spends $3,412 per month in Manama vs $4,443 in Doha, rent included.

Manama $3,412
Doha $4,443

Manama is about 26% cheaper than Doha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Manama and Doha sit above the global median – Manama by 15%, Doha by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.36 BHD 2.02

$9.64 QAR 35.11

-44.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.4 BHD 20.15

$69.5 QAR 253

-23.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.39 BHD 2.79

$8.09 QAR 29.43

-8.65%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.38 QAR 45.07

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.39 QAR 48.74

Cappuccino

$4.91 BHD 1.85

$5.93 QAR 21.60

-17.20%

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

$0.90 BHD 0.34

$0.88 QAR 3.19

2.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 BHD 0.11

$0.44 QAR 1.59

-31.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.44 BHD 2.43

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.13 BHD 3.82

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 BHD 0.53

$2.11 QAR 7.70

-34.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 BHD 0.41

$1.41 QAR 5.14

-22.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 BHD 0.85

$1.85 QAR 6.75

22.16%

Eggs

$2.32 BHD 0.87

$3.41 QAR 12.42

-31.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.46 BHD 3.19

$11.34 QAR 41.29

-25.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.55 BHD 2.47

$7.89 QAR 28.73

-16.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.52 BHD 3.21

$11.36 QAR 41.35

-25.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.38 BHD 0.90

$2.18 QAR 7.93

9.17%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 BHD 0.84

$1.85 QAR 6.73

20.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.90 BHD 0.72

$1.58 QAR 5.75

20.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.39 BHD 0.52

$1.24 QAR 4.53

12.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.01 BHD 0.38

$0.99 QAR 3.61

2.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.41 BHD 0.53

$0.93 QAR 3.39

51.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 BHD 0.58

$1.44 QAR 5.23

6.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 BHD 0.30

$0.55 QAR 1.99

43.64%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$9.60 QAR 34.95

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 QAR 6.98

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 QAR 8.02

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.44 BHD 2.05

$6.56 QAR 23.90

-17.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.64 BHD 7.03

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.55 BHD 1.34

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 BHD 0.99

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.64 BHD 0.24

$0.53 QAR 1.94

20.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.77 BHD 14.25

$27.37 QAR 99.6

38.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 BHD 2.02

$1.89 QAR 6.90

183.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.51 BHD 1.33

$2.10 QAR 7.64

67.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.94 BHD 6.02

$13.52 QAR 49.20

17.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.70 BHD 0.26

$0.55 QAR 1.99

27.27%

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

$36.6K BHD 13.8K

$28.2K QAR 102.8K

29.44%

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

$20.6K BHD 7,776

$22.5K QAR 82.0K

-8.51%

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

$154 BHD 58.1

$86.1 QAR 314

78.82%

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

$24.90 BHD 9.40

$34.37 QAR 125

-27.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.92 BHD 13.18

$85.4 QAR 311

-59.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.0 BHD 23.41

$124 QAR 453

-50.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.30 BHD 11.44

$18.45 QAR 67.2

64.23%

Cinema Ticket

$10.66 BHD 4.02

$12.19 QAR 44.36

-12.55%

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

$480 BHD 181

$672 QAR 2,447

-28.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K BHD 4,089

$9,561 QAR 34.8K

13.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.6 BHD 19.10

$59.5 QAR 216

-14.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.6 BHD 22.11

$52.9 QAR 192

10.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.3 BHD 33.31

$99.6 QAR 362

-11.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.9 BHD 33.55

$84.9 QAR 309

4.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,011 BHD 382

$1,881 QAR 6,845

-46.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 BHD 239

$1,178 QAR 4,288

-46.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,022 BHD 763

$3,522 QAR 12.8K

-42.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,402 BHD 529

$2,266 QAR 8,250

-38.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,620 BHD 989

$4,083 QAR 14.9K

-35.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,970 BHD 744

$2,377 QAR 8,654

-17.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,308 BHD 871

$3,299 QAR 12.0K

-30.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.21

5.92

4.90%

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

Last update for Manama: October 11, 2026

Last update for Doha: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manama

$633 40.8%

Doha

$1.2K 56.1% 86% $545

Groceries & Markets

Manama

$248 16%

Doha

$216 10.3% 13.2% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manama

$214 13.8%

Doha

$206 9.8% 3.7% $7.9

Eating Out

Manama

$181 11.7%

Doha

$178 8.5% 1.8% $3.3

Clothing & Footwear

Manama

$129 8.3%

Doha

$134 6.4% 3.6% $4.7

Sport & Entertainment

Manama

$83 5.4%

Doha

$149 7.1% 78.5% $65

Getting Around

Manama

$63 4.1%

Doha

$42 2% 33.8% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,011 in Manama versus $1,881 in Doha. 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 43% higher in Doha, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $53.0 in Manama versus $69.0 in Doha. Groceries tell a different story – $248 in Manama vs $216 in Doha – so Doha wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇭 Manama

🇶🇦 Doha

🕒 Local time

19:04 7:04 PM

Same time as Manama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

157,474 Capital

1,312,947 Capital

💱 Currency

Bahraini Dinar BHD .د.ب

Qatari Riyal QAR ر.ق

📈 Exchange rate

1 BHD = 2.65 USD

1 BHD = 2.36 EUR

1 QAR = 0.275 USD

1 QAR = 0.244 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

QAR, USD, EUR to BHD – Bahraini Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇭 Bahraini Dinar (.د.ب)

Bahraini Dinar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.377 BHD (1 BHD = 2.65 USD). 1 EUR = 0.424 BHD (1 BHD = 2.36 EUR).

Qatari Riyal exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.64 QAR (1 QAR = 0.275 USD). 1 EUR = 4.09 QAR (1 QAR = 0.244 EUR).

USD to BHD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Manama Doha 140 km

From you

Manama
Doha

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 Doha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Doha is pricier by about 35%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,328 per month in Manama and $3,152 in Doha. 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.

Public transport costs about 38% less in Manama. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $480 per month in Manama and $672 in Doha. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Manama, where all-in costs run around $1,552, than in Doha at $2,102. In Manama it covers expenses comfortably, while in Doha it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Manama – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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, Doha makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.