Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manama and Riffa

For one person, living is cheaper in Riffa: $1,211 a month against $1,554 in Manama, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Riffa
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Riffa Living Index

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Manama

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$1,554

/mo nomad

Riffa

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$1,211

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manama and in Riffa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,554 in Manama versus $1,211 in Riffa.

Manama $1,554
Riffa $1,211

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,478 in Manama versus $1,868 in Riffa.

Manama $2,478
Riffa $1,868

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,403 in Manama versus $2,525 in Riffa.

Manama $3,403
Riffa $2,525

Living in Manama is roughly 28% more expensive than in Riffa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Manama is 15% above, Riffa is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.34 BHD 2.02

$5.23 BHD 1.97

2.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.0 BHD 20.39

$38.96 BHD 14.70

38.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.25 BHD 2.74

$6.08 BHD 2.30

19.24%

Cappuccino

$5.03 BHD 1.90

$4.04 BHD 1.52

24.50%

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

$0.84 BHD 0.32

$0.68 BHD 0.26

23.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 BHD 0.11

$0.27 BHD 0.10

11.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.51 BHD 2.46

$6.43 BHD 2.43

1.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.82 BHD 3.71

$8.16 BHD 3.08

20.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 BHD 0.53

$1.38 BHD 0.52

0.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 BHD 0.40

$0.63 BHD 0.24

69.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 BHD 0.85

$1.81 BHD 0.68

24.31%

Eggs

$2.21 BHD 0.83

$2.30 BHD 0.87

-3.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.70 BHD 3.28

$7.84 BHD 2.96

10.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.55 BHD 2.47

$5.92 BHD 2.23

10.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.85 BHD 3.34

$8.38 BHD 3.16

5.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.28 BHD 0.86

$2.31 BHD 0.87

-1.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 BHD 0.85

$1.73 BHD 0.65

30.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 BHD 0.74

$1.80 BHD 0.68

8.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.38 BHD 0.52

$1.05 BHD 0.40

31.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.01 BHD 0.38

$1.00 BHD 0.38

1.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.41 BHD 0.53

$0.67 BHD 0.25

110.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 BHD 0.57

$0.54 BHD 0.20

179.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 BHD 0.30

$0.55 BHD 0.21

43.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.40 BHD 2.04

$5.43 BHD 2.05

-0.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.59 BHD 7.02

$13.12 BHD 4.95

41.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.66 BHD 1.38

$1.80 BHD 0.68

103.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 BHD 0.97

$2.59 BHD 0.98

-0.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 BHD 0.24

$0.81 BHD 0.31

-22.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.50 BHD 13.77

$35.72 BHD 13.48

2.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 BHD 2.02

$5.44 BHD 2.05

-1.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.40 BHD 1.28

$3.42 BHD 1.29

-0.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.00 BHD 6.04

$10.40 BHD 3.93

53.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.69 BHD 0.26

$0.49 BHD 0.19

40.82%

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

$25.6K BHD 9,660

$22.5K BHD 8,506

13.57%

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

$19.7K BHD 7,442

$20.1K BHD 7,597

-2.04%

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

$150 BHD 56.7

$133 BHD 50.3

12.80%

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

$24.82 BHD 9.37

$24.43 BHD 9.22

1.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.16 BHD 13.27

$34.66 BHD 13.08

1.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.1 BHD 23.82

$72.9 BHD 27.51

-13.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.87 BHD 11.65

$13.45 BHD 5.08

129.52%

Cinema Ticket

$10.57 BHD 3.99

$10.52 BHD 3.97

0.48%

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

$497 BHD 188

$481 BHD 182

3.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K BHD 4,159

$5,589 BHD 2,109

97.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.9 BHD 19.58

$28.99 BHD 10.94

78.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.6 BHD 21.35

$21.34 BHD 8.06

165.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.1 BHD 33.62

$66.4 BHD 25.06

34.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.2 BHD 33.68

$39.70 BHD 14.98

124.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,010 BHD 381

$916 BHD 346

10.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$638 BHD 241

$429 BHD 162

48.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,072 BHD 782

$1,535 BHD 579

34.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 BHD 525

$862 BHD 325

61.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,572 BHD 971

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 BHD 732

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,318 BHD 875

$1,392 BHD 525

66.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.21

5.5

12.91%

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

Last update for Manama: October 17, 2026

Last update for Riffa: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manama

$638 41%

Riffa

$429 35.5% 32.6% $208

Groceries & Markets

Manama

$250 16.1%

Riffa

$203 16.7% 18.7% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manama

$210 13.5%

Riffa

$192 15.9% 8.5% $18

Eating Out

Manama

$182 11.7%

Riffa

$161 13.3% 11.4% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Manama

$129 8.3%

Riffa

$70 5.8% 45.4% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Manama

$84 5.4%

Riffa

$94 7.8% 11.5% $9.7

Getting Around

Manama

$61 4%

Riffa

$61 5.1% 0.1% $0.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,010 in Manama and $916 in Riffa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Manama pays 67% 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: $54.0 in Manama vs $39.00 in Riffa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $250 vs $203 per month, with Riffa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇭 Manama

🇧🇭 Riffa

🕒 Local time

19:05 7:05 PM

Same time as Manama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

157,474 Capital

121,566

💱 Currency

Bahraini Dinar BHD .د.ب

📈 Exchange rate

1 BHD = 2.65 USD

1 BHD = 2.36 EUR

1 BHD = 2.65 USD

1 BHD = 2.36 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Manama Riffa 11 km

From you

Manama
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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 Riffa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Riffa wins on cost – living expenses run 28% lower than in Manama. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Riffa the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 67% 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: $1,010 in Manama versus $916 in Riffa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Riffa runs roughly 2% less than in Manama. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $497 in Manama versus $481 in Riffa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,211 in Riffa versus $1,554 in Manama, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Riffa but tight or insufficient in Manama. The gap between the two cities makes Riffa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Manama and Riffa 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 Riffa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Manama. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.