Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manama and Sanad

For one person, living is cheaper in Sanad: $1,285 a month against $1,566 in Manama, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 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
61

Cost of Living Index in Sanad
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Sanad Living Index

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Manama

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$1,566

/mo nomad

Sanad

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$1,285

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manama and in Sanad

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,566 in Manama versus $1,285 in Sanad.

Manama $1,566
Sanad $1,285

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,442 in Manama versus $1,988 in Sanad.

Manama $2,442
Sanad $1,988

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,319 in Manama versus $2,690 in Sanad.

Manama $3,319
Sanad $2,690

Living in Manama is roughly 22% more expensive than in Sanad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Manama is 16% above, Sanad is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.22 BHD 1.97

$5.24 BHD 1.97

-0.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.5 BHD 20.16

$53.4 BHD 20.14

0.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.87 BHD 2.97

$7.34 BHD 2.77

7.22%

Cappuccino

$4.67 BHD 1.76

$4.79 BHD 1.81

-2.51%

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

$0.85 BHD 0.32

$0.84 BHD 0.32

1.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 BHD 0.11

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.75 BHD 2.54

$6.49 BHD 2.45

4.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.22 BHD 3.85

$9.78 BHD 3.69

4.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 BHD 0.53

$1.45 BHD 0.55

-3.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 BHD 0.42

$1.10 BHD 0.42

0.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 BHD 0.86

$2.33 BHD 0.88

-2.15%

Eggs

$2.31 BHD 0.87

$2.25 BHD 0.85

2.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.81 BHD 3.32

$8.61 BHD 3.25

2.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.44 BHD 2.43

$6.51 BHD 2.45

-1.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.45 BHD 3.19

$8.78 BHD 3.31

-3.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 BHD 0.86

$2.41 BHD 0.91

-4.98%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 BHD 0.84

$2.22 BHD 0.84

0.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BHD 0.73

Tomato (1kg)

$1.38 BHD 0.52

$1.39 BHD 0.52

-0.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.01 BHD 0.38

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 BHD 0.54

$1.35 BHD 0.51

5.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 BHD 0.58

$1.54 BHD 0.58

0.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 BHD 0.32

$0.82 BHD 0.31

2.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.39 BHD 2.03

$5.27 BHD 1.99

2.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.82 BHD 7.10

$18.39 BHD 6.94

2.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.63 BHD 1.37

$3.67 BHD 1.39

-1.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 BHD 0.99

$2.59 BHD 0.98

1.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 BHD 0.29

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.68 BHD 13.83

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.26 BHD 1.98

$5.25 BHD 1.98

0.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.52 BHD 1.33

$3.35 BHD 1.26

5.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.84 BHD 5.97

$15.68 BHD 5.91

1.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.70 BHD 0.26

$0.69 BHD 0.26

1.45%

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

$26.3K BHD 9,926

$26.1K BHD 9,831

0.96%

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

$19.8K BHD 7,465

$19.4K BHD 7,317

2.02%

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

$154 BHD 58.0

$150 BHD 56.7

2.30%

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

$24.50 BHD 9.24

$15.60 BHD 5.88

57.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.60 BHD 13.05

$34.62 BHD 13.05

-0.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.4 BHD 25.80

$79.6 BHD 30.00

-14.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.54 BHD 11.52

Cinema Ticket

$10.73 BHD 4.05

$10.57 BHD 3.99

1.51%

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

$614 BHD 231

$615 BHD 232

-0.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K BHD 4,302

$10.9K BHD 4,098

5.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.5 BHD 19.05

$51.2 BHD 19.29

-1.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 BHD 21.69

$58.7 BHD 22.12

-1.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.3 BHD 32.91

$87.9 BHD 33.13

-0.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.2 BHD 33.25

$88.7 BHD 33.46

-0.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,010 BHD 381

$650 BHD 245

55.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 BHD 242

$404 BHD 152

58.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,120 BHD 799

$1,322 BHD 499

60.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 BHD 490

$783 BHD 295

66.10%

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

$1,178 BHD 444

102.32%

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 Sanad: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manama

$642 41%

Sanad

$404 31.5% 37.1% $238

Groceries & Markets

Manama

$250 16%

Sanad

$251 19.5% 0.3% $0.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manama

$213 13.6%

Sanad

$201 15.6% 5.8% $12

Eating Out

Manama

$180 11.5%

Sanad

$178 13.9% 1.2% $2.2

Clothing & Footwear

Manama

$128 8.2%

Sanad

$129 10% 1% $1.3

Sport & Entertainment

Manama

$90 5.7%

Sanad

$101 7.8% 12.1% $11

Getting Around

Manama

$63 4%

Sanad

$22 * 1.7% 64.9% $41

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,010 in Manama and $650 in Sanad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Manama pays about 2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $53 in Manama vs $53 in Sanad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $250 vs $251 per month, with Manama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇭 Manama

🇧🇭 Sanad

🕒 Local time

05:33 5:33 AM

Same time as Manama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

157,474 Capital

7,000

💱 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

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Manama Sanad 8 km

From you

Manama
Sanad

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 Sanad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sanad wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Manama. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Sanad the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Manama is about 2 times higher, 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 $650 in Sanad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $614 in Manama versus $615 in Sanad. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $1,566 per month in Manama versus $1,285 in Sanad – Sanad is about 18% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Sanad is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Sanad are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Sanad wins on affordability, Manama on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.