Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manama and Madinat Hamad

For one person, living is cheaper in Madinat Hamad: $1,192 a month against $1,566 in Manama, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Madinat Hamad
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Madinat Hamad Living Index

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Manama

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$1,566

/mo nomad

Madinat Hamad

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$1,192

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manama and in Madinat Hamad

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

A single person spends $1,566 per month in Manama vs $1,192 in Madinat Hamad, rent included.

Manama $1,566
Madinat Hamad $1,192

A couple spends around $2,442 per month in Manama vs $1,909 in Madinat Hamad, rent included.

Manama $2,442
Madinat Hamad $1,909

A family of three spends $3,319 per month in Manama vs $2,627 in Madinat Hamad, rent included.

Manama $3,319
Madinat Hamad $2,627

Manama costs about 31% more than Madinat Hamad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Manama sits 16% above the global median, while Madinat Hamad is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.22 BHD 1.97

$2.60 BHD 0.98

100.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.5 BHD 20.16

$52.6 BHD 19.82

1.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.87 BHD 2.97

$7.62 BHD 2.87

3.28%

Cappuccino

$4.67 BHD 1.76

$2.62 BHD 0.99

78.24%

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

$0.85 BHD 0.32

$0.89 BHD 0.33

-4.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 BHD 0.11

$0.32 BHD 0.12

-6.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.75 BHD 2.54

$6.44 BHD 2.43

4.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.22 BHD 3.85

$9.77 BHD 3.68

4.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 BHD 0.53

$1.44 BHD 0.54

-2.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 BHD 0.42

$1.03 BHD 0.39

7.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 BHD 0.86

$2.39 BHD 0.90

-4.60%

Eggs

$2.31 BHD 0.87

$2.02 BHD 0.76

14.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.81 BHD 3.32

$8.86 BHD 3.34

-0.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.44 BHD 2.43

$6.41 BHD 2.42

0.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.45 BHD 3.19

$8.36 BHD 3.15

1.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 BHD 0.86

$2.18 BHD 0.82

5.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 BHD 0.84

$1.62 BHD 0.61

37.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BHD 0.73

$1.90 BHD 0.72

1.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.38 BHD 0.52

$1.35 BHD 0.51

2.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.01 BHD 0.38

$1.02 BHD 0.38

-0.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 BHD 0.54

$1.03 BHD 0.39

37.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 BHD 0.58

$1.50 BHD 0.56

3.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 BHD 0.32

$0.50 BHD 0.19

68.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.39 BHD 2.03

$5.17 BHD 1.95

4.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.82 BHD 7.10

$18.64 BHD 7.03

0.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.63 BHD 1.37

$3.66 BHD 1.38

-0.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 BHD 0.99

$2.71 BHD 1.02

-2.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 BHD 0.29

$0.64 BHD 0.24

20.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.68 BHD 13.83

$34.51 BHD 13.01

6.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.26 BHD 1.98

$5.15 BHD 1.94

2.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.52 BHD 1.33

$2.59 BHD 0.98

35.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.84 BHD 5.97

$16.06 BHD 6.06

-1.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.70 BHD 0.26

$0.39 BHD 0.15

79.49%

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

$26.3K BHD 9,926

$25.7K BHD 9,693

2.41%

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

$19.8K BHD 7,465

$19.9K BHD 7,510

-0.61%

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

$154 BHD 58.0

$155 BHD 58.3

-0.52%

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

$24.50 BHD 9.24

$23.42 BHD 8.83

4.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.60 BHD 13.05

$18.89 BHD 7.12

83.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.4 BHD 25.80

$118 BHD 44.36

-41.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.54 BHD 11.52

$53.9 BHD 20.34

-43.38%

Cinema Ticket

$10.73 BHD 4.05

$5.21 BHD 1.96

105.95%

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

$614 BHD 231

$619 BHD 233

-0.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K BHD 4,302

$11.1K BHD 4,194

2.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.5 BHD 19.05

$51.5 BHD 19.41

-1.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 BHD 21.69

$57.5 BHD 21.67

0.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.3 BHD 32.91

$87.0 BHD 32.80

0.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.2 BHD 33.25

$90.4 BHD 34.10

-2.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,010 BHD 381

$397 BHD 150

154.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 BHD 242

$312 BHD 118

105.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,120 BHD 799

$797 BHD 300

166.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 BHD 490

$670 BHD 253

94.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,588 BHD 976

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,992 BHD 751

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,384 BHD 899

$669 BHD 252

256.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.21

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

Last update for Manama: October 31, 2026

Last update for Madinat Hamad: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manama

$642 41%

Madinat Hamad

$312 26.2% 51.4% $330

Groceries & Markets

Manama

$250 16%

Madinat Hamad

$239 20.1% 4.3% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manama

$213 13.6%

Madinat Hamad

$197 16.5% 7.5% $16

Eating Out

Manama

$180 11.5%

Madinat Hamad

$132 11.1% 26.9% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Manama

$128 8.2%

Madinat Hamad

$129 10.8% 1% $1.3

Sport & Entertainment

Manama

$90 5.7%

Madinat Hamad

$128 10.7% 42.5% $38

Getting Around

Manama

$63 4%

Madinat Hamad

$55 4.6% 11.9% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,010 in Manama versus $397 in Madinat Hamad. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Manama are about 3.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $53 in Manama versus $53 in Madinat Hamad. Groceries tell a different story – $250 in Manama vs $239 in Madinat Hamad – so Madinat Hamad wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇭 Manama

🇧🇭 Madinat Hamad

🕒 Local time

14:44 2:44 PM

Same time as Manama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

157,474 Capital

133,350

💱 Currency

Bahraini Dinar BHD .د.ب

📈 Exchange rate

1 BHD = 2.65 USD

1 BHD = 2.37 EUR

1 BHD = 2.65 USD

1 BHD = 2.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Manama Madinat Hamad 14 km

From you

Manama
Madinat Hamad

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 Madinat Hamad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,566 in Manama, $1,192 in Madinat Hamad – Madinat Hamad comes out roughly 24% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,348 per month in Manama and $1,788 in Madinat Hamad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Madinat Hamad, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $397 there versus $1,010 in Manama.

Public transport costs about 6% less in Madinat Hamad. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 5% more in Manama, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,566 in Manama and $1,192 in Madinat Hamad, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Manama has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,192 in Madinat Hamad to $1,566 in Manama. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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