Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manama and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Manama: $1,536 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Manama
Learn more

Manama Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Manama

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$1,536

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manama and in Nosara

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,536 in Manama versus $1,837 in Nosara.

Manama $1,536
Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,433 in Manama versus $2,775 in Nosara.

Manama $2,433
Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,331 in Manama versus $3,712 in Nosara.

Manama $3,331
Nosara $3,712

Living in Manama costs roughly 16% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Manama 15% above, Nosara 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.24 BHD 1.98

$12.22 ₡5,509

-57.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.8 BHD 19.92

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-12.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.30 BHD 2.75

$7.54 ₡3,399

-3.18%

Cappuccino

$4.86 BHD 1.83

$4.31 ₡1,941

12.76%

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

$0.88 BHD 0.33

$1.72 ₡773

-48.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 BHD 0.11

$1.35 ₡608

-77.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.72 BHD 2.54

$3.24 ₡1,459

107.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.99 BHD 3.77

$4.48 ₡2,018

122.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 BHD 0.52

$1.57 ₡707

-12.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 BHD 0.42

$3.17 ₡1,429

-64.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 BHD 0.86

$2.42 ₡1,091

-5.79%

Eggs

$2.20 BHD 0.83

$3.57 ₡1,609

-38.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.47 BHD 3.19

$7.43 ₡3,349

14.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.34 BHD 2.39

$10.42 ₡4,697

-39.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.42 BHD 3.18

$13.66 ₡6,156

-38.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.41 BHD 0.91

$2.32 ₡1,044

3.88%

Banana (1kg)

$2.32 BHD 0.87

$1.61 ₡728

44.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 BHD 0.71

$4.74 ₡2,138

-60.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.44 BHD 0.54

$1.66 ₡747

-13.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 BHD 0.40

$3.72 ₡1,679

-71.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.41 BHD 0.53

$3.57 ₡1,611

-60.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 BHD 0.58

$1.10 ₡497

40.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BHD 0.31

$2.55 ₡1,149

-67.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.34 BHD 2.01

$4.95 ₡2,232

7.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.36 BHD 6.93

$20.01 ₡9,020

-8.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.63 BHD 1.37

$2.79 ₡1,256

30.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 BHD 0.97

$3.53 ₡1,589

-26.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.65 BHD 0.24

$1.19 ₡537

-45.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.30 BHD 14.08

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-48.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.19 BHD 1.96

$2.24 ₡1,011

131.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.38 BHD 1.27

$1.55 ₡701

118.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.88 BHD 5.99

$8.86 ₡3,993

79.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.65 BHD 0.25

$1.57 ₡708

-58.60%

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

$37.7K BHD 14.2K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

73.12%

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

$20.9K BHD 7,896

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-39.59%

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

$151 BHD 57.1

$93.5 ₡42.1K

61.92%

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

$24.40 BHD 9.21

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-30.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.61 BHD 13.06

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-32.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.3 BHD 23.50

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-12.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.23 BHD 11.41

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-14.70%

Cinema Ticket

$10.77 BHD 4.06

$7.84 ₡3,535

37.37%

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

$488 BHD 184

$490 ₡220.7K

-0.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.2K BHD 4,238

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-5.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.7 BHD 19.13

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-5.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.6 BHD 22.13

$55.8 ₡25.1K

5.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.1 BHD 32.51

$79.3 ₡35.7K

8.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.0 BHD 33.97

$78.9 ₡35.6K

14.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$997 BHD 376

$786 ₡354.3K

26.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 BHD 245

$780 ₡351.6K

-16.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,040 BHD 770

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-47.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,399 BHD 528

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-0.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,643 BHD 997

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-62.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,999 BHD 754

$1,201 ₡541.3K

66.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,382 BHD 899

$876 ₡395.0K

171.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.21

8.62

-27.96%

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

Last update for Manama: October 5, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manama

$650 41.6%

Nosara

$780 43% 19.9% $130

Groceries & Markets

Manama

$248 15.9%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 40.9% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manama

$210 13.5%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 14.4% $30

Eating Out

Manama

$180 11.5%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 16.1% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Manama

$128 8.2%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 6.3% $8.1

Sport & Entertainment

Manama

$84 5.4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 3.9% $3.3

Getting Around

Manama

$62 4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 40.2% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $997 in Manama and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Manama pays 172% 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 $60.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $248 vs $350 per month, with Manama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇭 Manama

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

07:58 7:58 AM

22:58 10:58 PM

9 h behind Manama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

157,474 Capital

4,912

💱 Currency

Bahraini Dinar BHD .د.ب

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 BHD = 2.65 USD

1 BHD = 2.36 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, 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).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to BHD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Manama Nosara 13,810 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Manama
Nosara

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 Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Manama wins on cost – living expenses run 20% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Manama the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 172% higher in Manama, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $997 in Manama versus $786 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Manama runs roughly 93% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $488 in Manama versus $490 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,536 in Manama versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Manama but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Manama the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Manama delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,536 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Manama hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Manama and Nosara 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 20% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.