Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Riffa and Manama

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.

58

Cost of Living Index in Riffa
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Riffa Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Manama
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Manama Living Index

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Riffa

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$1,211

/mo nomad

Manama

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$1,554

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Riffa 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 Riffa and in Manama actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Riffa $1,211
Manama $1,554

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

Riffa $1,868
Manama $2,478

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

Riffa $2,525
Manama $3,403

Living in Riffa costs roughly 22% less than in Manama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.23 BHD 1.97

$5.34 BHD 2.02

-2.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.96 BHD 14.70

$54.0 BHD 20.39

-27.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.08 BHD 2.30

$7.25 BHD 2.74

-16.14%

Cappuccino

$4.04 BHD 1.52

$5.03 BHD 1.90

-19.68%

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

$0.68 BHD 0.26

$0.84 BHD 0.32

-19.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 BHD 0.10

$0.30 BHD 0.11

-10.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.43 BHD 2.43

$6.51 BHD 2.46

-1.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.16 BHD 3.08

$9.82 BHD 3.71

-16.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 BHD 0.52

$1.39 BHD 0.53

-0.72%

White Bread (500g)

$0.63 BHD 0.24

$1.07 BHD 0.40

-41.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.81 BHD 0.68

$2.25 BHD 0.85

-19.56%

Eggs

$2.30 BHD 0.87

$2.21 BHD 0.83

4.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.84 BHD 2.96

$8.70 BHD 3.28

-9.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.92 BHD 2.23

$6.55 BHD 2.47

-9.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.38 BHD 3.16

$8.85 BHD 3.34

-5.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 BHD 0.87

$2.28 BHD 0.86

1.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 BHD 0.65

$2.25 BHD 0.85

-23.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 BHD 0.68

$1.95 BHD 0.74

-7.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.05 BHD 0.40

$1.38 BHD 0.52

-23.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 BHD 0.38

$1.01 BHD 0.38

-0.99%

Onion (1kg)

$0.67 BHD 0.25

$1.41 BHD 0.53

-52.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.54 BHD 0.20

$1.51 BHD 0.57

-64.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 BHD 0.21

$0.79 BHD 0.30

-30.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.43 BHD 2.05

$5.40 BHD 2.04

0.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.12 BHD 4.95

$18.59 BHD 7.02

-29.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 BHD 0.68

$3.66 BHD 1.38

-50.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 BHD 0.98

$2.57 BHD 0.97

0.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 BHD 0.31

$0.63 BHD 0.24

28.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.72 BHD 13.48

$36.50 BHD 13.77

-2.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.44 BHD 2.05

$5.34 BHD 2.02

1.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.42 BHD 1.29

$3.40 BHD 1.28

0.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.40 BHD 3.93

$16.00 BHD 6.04

-35.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.49 BHD 0.19

$0.69 BHD 0.26

-28.99%

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

$22.5K BHD 8,506

$25.6K BHD 9,660

-11.94%

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

$20.1K BHD 7,597

$19.7K BHD 7,442

2.08%

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

$133 BHD 50.3

$150 BHD 56.7

-11.35%

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

$24.43 BHD 9.22

$24.82 BHD 9.37

-1.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.66 BHD 13.08

$35.16 BHD 13.27

-1.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.9 BHD 27.51

$63.1 BHD 23.82

15.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.45 BHD 5.08

$30.87 BHD 11.65

-56.43%

Cinema Ticket

$10.52 BHD 3.97

$10.57 BHD 3.99

-0.47%

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

$481 BHD 182

$497 BHD 188

-3.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,589 BHD 2,109

$11.0K BHD 4,159

-49.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.99 BHD 10.94

$51.9 BHD 19.58

-44.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.34 BHD 8.06

$56.6 BHD 21.35

-62.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.4 BHD 25.06

$89.1 BHD 33.62

-25.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$39.70 BHD 14.98

$89.2 BHD 33.68

-55.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$916 BHD 346

$1,010 BHD 381

-9.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$429 BHD 162

$638 BHD 241

-32.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,535 BHD 579

$2,072 BHD 782

-25.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$862 BHD 325

$1,390 BHD 525

-38.00%

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)

$1,392 BHD 525

$2,318 BHD 875

-39.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.5

6.21

-11.43%

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

Last update for Riffa: October 18, 2026

Last update for Manama: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Riffa

$429 35.5%

Manama

$638 41% 48.5% $208

Groceries & Markets

Riffa

$203 16.7%

Manama

$250 16.1% 23.1% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Riffa

$192 15.9%

Manama

$210 13.5% 9.3% $18

Eating Out

Riffa

$161 13.3%

Manama

$182 11.7% 12.9% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Riffa

$94 7.8%

Manama

$84 5.4% 10.3% $9.7

Clothing & Footwear

Riffa

$70 5.8%

Manama

$129 8.3% 83.3% $59

Getting Around

Riffa

$61 5.1%

Manama

$61 4% 0.1% $0.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $916 in Riffa and $1,010 in Manama. 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: $39.00 in Riffa vs $54.0 in Manama for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $203 vs $250 per month, with Riffa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇭 Riffa

🇧🇭 Manama

🕒 Local time

19:05 7:05 PM

Same time as Riffa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

121,566

157,474 Capital

💱 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

Riffa Manama 11 km

From you

Riffa
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

Riffa vs Manama: 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.

On paper, salaries run 67% lower in Manama. 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: $916 in Riffa versus $1,010 in Manama. 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 $481 in Riffa versus $497 in Manama. 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, Riffa and Manama 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.