Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manama and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Manama: $1,552 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Manama
🇧🇭 Bahrain
$1,552
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,223
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manama and in Lisbon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,552 in Manama versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

  • Manama $1,552
  • Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,482 in Manama versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

  • Manama $2,482
  • Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,412 in Manama versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

  • Manama $3,412
  • Lisbon $4,319

Living in Manama costs roughly 30% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Manama 15% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Manama
Lisbon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.36 BHD 2.02
$16.50 €14.67
-67.52%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$53.4 BHD 20.15
$61.3 €54.5
-12.85%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.39 BHD 2.79
$11.27 €10.03
-34.43%
Cappuccino
$4.91 BHD 1.85
$3.06 €2.72
60.46%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 BHD 0.34
$2.26 €2.01
-60.18%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.30 BHD 0.11
$1.73 €1.54
-82.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.44 BHD 2.43
$3.39 €3.02
89.97%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$10.13 BHD 3.82
$3.40 €3.02
197.94%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Manama
Lisbon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.39 BHD 0.53
$1.12 €1.00
24.11%
White Bread (500g)
$1.09 BHD 0.41
$1.86 €1.65
-41.40%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.26 BHD 0.85
$1.53 €1.36
47.71%
Eggs
$2.32 BHD 0.87
$3.96 €3.53
-41.41%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.46 BHD 3.19
$12.76 €11.35
-33.70%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.55 BHD 2.47
$7.90 €7.02
-17.09%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.52 BHD 3.21
$16.97 €15.09
-49.79%
Apples (1kg)
$2.38 BHD 0.90
$2.27 €2.02
4.85%
Banana (1kg)
$2.23 BHD 0.84
$1.75 €1.55
27.43%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.90 BHD 0.72
$1.85 €1.64
2.70%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.39 BHD 0.52
$2.57 €2.28
-45.91%
Potato (1kg)
$1.01 BHD 0.38
$1.86 €1.65
-45.70%
Onion (1kg)
$1.41 BHD 0.53
$2.02 €1.80
-30.20%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.53 BHD 0.58
$1.44 €1.28
6.25%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.79 BHD 0.30
$0.82 €0.73
-3.66%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.44 BHD 2.05
$6.56 €5.83
-17.07%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.64 BHD 7.03
$5.62 €5.00
231.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.55 BHD 1.34
$1.28 €1.14
177.34%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.63 BHD 0.99
$2.07 €1.84
27.05%
🚌 Getting Around
Manama
Lisbon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.64 BHD 0.24
$2.35 €2.09
-72.77%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$37.77 BHD 14.25
$44.18 €39.30
-14.51%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 BHD 2.02
$3.99 €3.55
34.34%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.51 BHD 1.33
$1.09 €0.97
222.02%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$15.94 BHD 6.02
$16.64 €14.81
-4.21%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.70 BHD 0.26
$2.28 €2.03
-69.30%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$36.6K BHD 13.8K
$33.7K €30.0K
8.58%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.6K BHD 7,776
$39.3K €35.0K
-47.56%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Manama
Lisbon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$154 BHD 58.1
$167 €149
-8.04%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.90 BHD 9.40
$18.80 €16.72
32.45%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$34.92 BHD 13.18
$33.09 €29.43
5.53%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Manama
Lisbon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$62.0 BHD 23.41
$46.01 €40.93
34.82%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$30.30 BHD 11.44
$19.19 €17.07
57.89%
Cinema Ticket
$10.66 BHD 4.02
$9.84 €8.75
8.33%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Manama
Lisbon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$480 BHD 181
$677 €602
-29.16%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.8K BHD 4,089
$16.9K €15.1K
-35.96%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Manama
Lisbon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$50.6 BHD 19.10
$101 €90.1
-50.02%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.6 BHD 22.11
$45.76 €40.70
28.06%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$88.3 BHD 33.31
$100.0 €88.9
-11.72%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.9 BHD 33.55
$123 €109
-27.60%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Manama
Lisbon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,011 BHD 382
$1,614 €1,436
-37.35%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$633 BHD 239
$1,197 €1,065
-47.08%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,022 BHD 763
$2,862 €2,545
-29.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,402 BHD 529
$1,990 €1,770
-29.57%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,620 BHD 989
$7,577 €6,740
-65.43%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,970 BHD 744
$4,307 €3,831
-54.26%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Manama
Lisbon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,308 BHD 871
$1,588 €1,412
45.35%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.21
3.85
61.30%

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

Last update for Manama: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Manama
$633
Lisbon
$1.2K 89% $564
Groceries & Markets
Manama
$248
Lisbon
$269 8.5% $21
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Manama
$214
Lisbon
$219 2.6% $5.5
Eating Out
Manama
$181
Lisbon
$242 33.7% $61
Clothing & Footwear
Manama
$129
Lisbon
$166 29.1% $38
Sport & Entertainment
Manama
$83
Lisbon
$66 21.2% $18
Getting Around
Manama
$63
Lisbon
$63 0.4% $0.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,011 in Manama and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Manama pays 45% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $53.0 in Manama vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $248 vs $269 per month, with Manama cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇧🇭 Manama
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🕒 Local time
22:59 10:59 PM
20:59 8:59 PM
2 h behind Manama
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
157,474 Capital
545,923 Capital
💱 Currency
Bahraini Dinar BHD .د.ب
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to BHD – Bahraini Dinar Converter

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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Manama Lisbon 5,670 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Manama
  • Lisbon

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 Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Manama and in Lisbon?
Manama and Lisbon differ by about 43% in total monthly costs ($1,552 vs $2,223 including rent). Manama is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Manama or Lisbon?
Average pay runs 45% higher in Manama, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Manama and in Lisbon?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,011 in Manama versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Manama and Lisbon?
Childcare runs $480 in Manama versus $677 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $1,000 per month?
At $1,552 in Manama versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Manama but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Manama the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Manama and Lisbon?
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.
Is Manama or Lisbon safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Manama and Lisbon are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Manama or Lisbon?
Expats usually find Manama gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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