Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manama and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Manama: $1,536 a month against $2,854 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $15,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Manama
Learn more

Manama Living Index
139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
Learn more

Dubai Living Index

Jump to prices

Manama

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$1,536

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manama and in Dubai

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,536 in Manama versus $2,854 in Dubai.

Manama $1,536
Dubai $2,854

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,433 in Manama versus $4,321 in Dubai.

Manama $2,433
Dubai $4,321

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,331 in Manama versus $5,788 in Dubai.

Manama $3,331
Dubai $5,788

Living in Manama costs roughly 46% less than in Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Manama 15% above, Dubai 113% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.24 BHD 1.98

$13.04 AED 47.89

-59.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.8 BHD 19.92

$81.4 AED 299

-35.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.30 BHD 2.75

$9.32 AED 34.25

-21.67%

Cappuccino

$4.86 BHD 1.83

$5.97 AED 21.93

-18.59%

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

$0.88 BHD 0.33

$1.63 AED 5.98

-46.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 BHD 0.11

$0.81 AED 2.99

-62.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.72 BHD 2.54

$13.65 AED 50.1

-50.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.99 BHD 3.77

$13.38 AED 49.15

-25.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 BHD 0.52

$1.81 AED 6.64

-24.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 BHD 0.42

$1.57 AED 5.78

-29.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 BHD 0.86

$2.49 AED 9.16

-8.43%

Eggs

$2.20 BHD 0.83

$3.28 AED 12.04

-32.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.47 BHD 3.19

$12.67 AED 46.53

-33.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.34 BHD 2.39

$9.75 AED 35.80

-34.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.42 BHD 3.18

$13.18 AED 48.40

-36.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.41 BHD 0.91

$2.61 AED 9.57

-7.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.32 BHD 0.87

$1.93 AED 7.09

20.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 BHD 0.71

$1.92 AED 7.05

-1.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.44 BHD 0.54

$1.36 AED 5.00

5.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 BHD 0.40

$1.17 AED 4.29

-9.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.41 BHD 0.53

$1.01 AED 3.71

39.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 BHD 0.58

$1.51 AED 5.56

1.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BHD 0.31

$0.62 AED 2.29

33.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.34 BHD 2.01

$5.85 AED 21.50

-8.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.36 BHD 6.93

$16.14 AED 59.3

13.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.63 BHD 1.37

$2.65 AED 9.74

36.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 BHD 0.97

$2.95 AED 10.82

-12.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.65 BHD 0.24

$1.64 AED 6.03

-60.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.30 BHD 14.08

$73.6 AED 270

-49.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.19 BHD 1.96

$3.17 AED 11.66

63.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.38 BHD 1.27

$0.71 AED 2.63

376.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.88 BHD 5.99

$7.96 AED 29.23

99.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.65 BHD 0.25

$0.99 AED 3.64

-34.34%

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

$37.7K BHD 14.2K

$27.4K AED 100.5K

37.90%

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

$20.9K BHD 7,896

$22.5K AED 82.8K

-7.17%

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

$151 BHD 57.1

$250 AED 920

-39.57%

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

$24.40 BHD 9.21

$54.2 AED 199

-55.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.61 BHD 13.06

$91.8 AED 337

-62.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.3 BHD 23.50

$98.6 AED 362

-36.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.23 BHD 11.41

$42.61 AED 156

-29.05%

Cinema Ticket

$10.77 BHD 4.06

$16.03 AED 58.9

-32.81%

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

$488 BHD 184

$843 AED 3,098

-42.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.2K BHD 4,238

$18.3K AED 67.1K

-38.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.7 BHD 19.13

$68.0 AED 250

-25.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.6 BHD 22.13

$57.9 AED 213

1.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.1 BHD 32.51

$101 AED 370

-14.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.0 BHD 33.97

$101 AED 371

-10.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$997 BHD 376

$2,380 AED 8,741

-58.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 BHD 245

$1,506 AED 5,531

-56.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,040 BHD 770

$4,437 AED 16.3K

-54.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,399 BHD 528

$3,010 AED 11.1K

-53.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,643 BHD 997

$7,121 AED 26.2K

-62.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,999 BHD 754

$4,135 AED 15.2K

-51.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,382 BHD 899

$3,391 AED 12.5K

-29.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.21

4.54

36.78%

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

Last update for Manama: October 5, 2026

Last update for Dubai: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manama

$650 41.6%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5% 132% $856

Groceries & Markets

Manama

$248 15.9%

Dubai

$293 10.2% 18% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manama

$210 13.5%

Dubai

$396 13.8% 88.5% $186

Eating Out

Manama

$180 11.5%

Dubai

$309 10.8% 71.1% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Manama

$128 8.2%

Dubai

$147 5.1% 14.7% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Manama

$84 5.4%

Dubai

$131 4.6% 55.9% $47

Getting Around

Manama

$62 4%

Dubai

$87 3% 40.3% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $997 in Manama and $2,380 in Dubai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 42% 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: $53.0 in Manama vs $81.0 in Dubai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $248 vs $293 per month, with Manama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇭 Manama

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

10:29 10:29 AM

11:29 11:29 AM

1 h ahead of Manama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

157,474 Capital

3,790,000

💱 Currency

Bahraini Dinar BHD .د.ب

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1 BHD = 2.65 USD

1 BHD = 2.36 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, 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).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.243 EUR).

USD to BHD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Manama Dubai 480 km

From you

Manama
Dubai

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 Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Manama is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 86% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 42% lower in Dubai. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $997 in Manama versus $2,380 in Dubai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Manama runs roughly 97% less than in Dubai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $488 in Manama versus $843 in Dubai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,536 in Manama versus $2,854 in Dubai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Manama but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Manama the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Manama is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Dubai, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Manama and Dubai are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Manama gentler on the wallet – expenses run 86% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.