Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Manama

For one person, living is cheaper in Manama: $1,561 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $560 less a year. The total is higher in Mexico City despite lower rent and utilities.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Manama
Learn more

Manama Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Manama

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$1,561

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Manama

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Mexico City and in Manama actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,561 in Manama.

Mexico City $1,608
Manama $1,561

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $2,442 in Manama.

Mexico City $2,549
Manama $2,442

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $3,323 in Manama.

Mexico City $3,490
Manama $3,323

Living in Mexico City is roughly 3% more expensive than in Manama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 18% above, Manama 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$5.17 BHD 1.95

105.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$53.4 BHD 20.14

-9.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$7.22 BHD 2.72

43.35%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.7

$5.01 BHD 1.89

-26.35%

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

$1.67 MX$31.05

$0.88 BHD 0.33

89.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.58

$0.32 BHD 0.12

296.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$6.48 BHD 2.45

-50.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$10.09 BHD 3.81

-47.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.13

$1.39 BHD 0.52

23.74%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.6

$1.05 BHD 0.40

189.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$2.33 BHD 0.88

-16.74%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$2.22 BHD 0.84

30.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$204

$8.62 BHD 3.25

27.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$6.58 BHD 2.48

40.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$8.38 BHD 3.16

80.55%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$2.39 BHD 0.90

27.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$2.31 BHD 0.87

-16.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.73

$1.94 BHD 0.73

4.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.12

$1.38 BHD 0.52

67.39%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.91

$1.01 BHD 0.38

101.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.53

$1.36 BHD 0.51

32.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.56

$1.56 BHD 0.59

-5.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.62

$0.84 BHD 0.32

51.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.8

$5.26 BHD 1.98

0.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$18.18 BHD 6.86

-11.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.95

$3.63 BHD 1.37

-45.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.2

$2.66 BHD 1.01

59.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.68

$0.78 BHD 0.29

-60.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

$36.65 BHD 13.83

-46.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.23

$5.18 BHD 1.95

-64.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$3.42 BHD 1.29

-84.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$15.82 BHD 5.97

-66.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.14

$0.66 BHD 0.25

128.79%

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

$21.8K MX$405.3K

$25.9K BHD 9,753

-15.87%

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

$24.0K MX$446.9K

$19.3K BHD 7,296

24.01%

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

$63.0 MX$1,173

$153 BHD 57.6

-58.72%

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

$27.39 MX$510

$24.67 BHD 9.30

11.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$664

$35.29 BHD 13.31

1.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,098

$68.9 BHD 25.99

-14.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

$30.13 BHD 11.36

-21.54%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$10.78 BHD 4.07

-40.63%

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

$432 MX$8,041

$622 BHD 235

-30.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.8K

$10.9K BHD 4,126

4.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,271

$50.1 BHD 18.90

36.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$58.0 BHD 21.89

-8.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,008

$89.1 BHD 33.61

20.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,185

$88.7 BHD 33.45

32.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.7K

$1,004 BHD 379

10.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$638 BHD 241

11.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$2,052 BHD 774

26.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$1,303 BHD 491

7.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.6K

$2,590 BHD 977

40.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$1,974 BHD 744

8.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$2,384 BHD 899

-60.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

6.21

82.77%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Manama: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Manama

$638 40.9% 10.2% $73

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Manama

$249 16% 22.1% $71

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Manama

$181 11.6% 9.1% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Manama

$129 8.2% 17.5% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Manama

$213 13.6% 68.6% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Manama

$90 5.8% 26.1% $19

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Manama

$62 4% 144% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $1,004 in Manama. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Manama pays about 2.5 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $53 in Manama. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $249, with Manama cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇧🇭 Manama

🕒 Local time

22:26 10:26 PM

07:26 7:26 AM

9 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

157,474 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Bahraini Dinar BHD .د.ب

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 BHD = 2.65 USD

1 BHD = 2.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BHD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Bahraini Dinar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.377 BHD (1 BHD = 2.65 USD). 1 EUR = 0.42 BHD (1 BHD = 2.38 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Manama 13,980 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Manama

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

Mexico City vs Manama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Manama wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in Mexico City. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Manama the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 60% lower in Mexico City. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $1,004 in Manama. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 46% less than in Manama. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $622 in Manama. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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