Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saar and Budaiya

For one person, living is cheaper in Budaiya: $812 a month against $1,997 in Saar, rent and utilities included – about $14,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Budaiya
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Budaiya Living Index

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Saar

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$1,997

/mo nomad

Budaiya

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$812

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Saar and in Budaiya

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,997 in Saar versus $812 in Budaiya.

Saar $1,997
Budaiya $812

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,761 in Saar versus $1,288 in Budaiya.

Saar $2,761
Budaiya $1,288

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,525 in Saar versus $1,763 in Budaiya.

Saar $3,525
Budaiya $1,763

Living in Saar is roughly 146% more expensive than in Budaiya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

The two cities straddle the global median: Saar is 47% above, Budaiya is 40% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.55 BHD 3.98

$5.44 BHD 2.05

93.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 BHD 12.25

$52.2 BHD 19.67

-37.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.80 BHD 4.07

$6.61 BHD 2.49

63.39%

Cappuccino

$5.98 BHD 2.26

$5.03 BHD 1.90

18.89%

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

$1.65 BHD 0.62

$0.84 BHD 0.32

96.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 BHD 0.35

$0.28 BHD 0.11

235.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.07 BHD 2.29

$6.78 BHD 2.56

-10.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.55 BHD 3.60

$9.98 BHD 3.77

-4.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 BHD 0.64

$1.39 BHD 0.52

21.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.28 BHD 0.48

$1.05 BHD 0.40

21.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.69 BHD 1.01

$2.39 BHD 0.90

12.55%

Eggs

$2.71 BHD 1.02

$2.24 BHD 0.84

20.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 BHD 4.91

$8.45 BHD 3.19

53.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.47 BHD 2.44

$6.59 BHD 2.49

-1.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.64 BHD 5.90

$8.45 BHD 3.19

85.09%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 BHD 1.54

$2.35 BHD 0.89

73.19%

Banana (1kg)

$2.32 BHD 0.88

$2.22 BHD 0.84

4.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.79 BHD 1.43

$1.94 BHD 0.73

95.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 BHD 0.74

$1.45 BHD 0.55

35.86%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 BHD 0.25

$1.02 BHD 0.38

-34.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 BHD 0.63

$1.43 BHD 0.54

16.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 BHD 0.58

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 BHD 0.30

$0.79 BHD 0.30

1.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.37 BHD 2.03

Wine (Bottle)

$26.32 BHD 9.93

$18.20 BHD 6.87

44.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.68 BHD 1.39

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 BHD 0.98

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 BHD 0.31

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.27 BHD 1.99

$5.22 BHD 1.97

0.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 BHD 1.29

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.15 BHD 6.09

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.60 BHD 0.23

$0.69 BHD 0.26

-13.04%

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

$26.5K BHD 9,987

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

$19.9K BHD 7,509

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

$132 BHD 49.73

$151 BHD 57.0

-12.70%

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

$24.28 BHD 9.16

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.53 BHD 11.89

$34.89 BHD 13.16

-9.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$160 BHD 60.4

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$105 BHD 39.79

Cinema Ticket

$15.44 BHD 5.82

$10.40 BHD 3.92

48.46%

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

$551 BHD 208

$614 BHD 232

-10.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,837 BHD 2,956

$10.9K BHD 4,129

-28.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.1 BHD 34.36

$50.6 BHD 19.08

80.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.25 BHD 15.18

$57.2 BHD 21.56

-29.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BHD 39.53

$89.5 BHD 33.74

17.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 BHD 39.44

$88.8 BHD 33.50

17.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,319 BHD 497

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$936 BHD 353

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,121 BHD 800

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,182 BHD 446

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,110 BHD 796

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,393 BHD 903

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 Saar: October 24, 2026

Last update for Budaiya: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Saar

–

Budaiya

$248 30.6%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saar

–

Budaiya

$210 25.9%

Eating Out

Saar

–

Budaiya

$182 22.4%

Clothing & Footwear

Saar

–

Budaiya

$129 15.8%

Getting Around

Saar

–

Budaiya

$22 * 2.8%

Sport & Entertainment

Saar

–

Budaiya

$21 * 2.6%

Accommodation & Living

Saar

–

Budaiya

- * 0%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $32 in Saar vs $52 in Budaiya. Groceries flip the comparison at $297 vs $248, with Budaiya cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇭 Saar

🇧🇭 Budaiya

🕒 Local time

04:54 4:54 AM

Same time as Saar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,000

30,702

💱 Currency

Bahraini Dinar BHD .د.ب

📈 Exchange rate

1 BHD = 2.65 USD

1 BHD = 2.38 EUR

1 BHD = 2.65 USD

1 BHD = 2.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Saar Budaiya 5 km

From you

Saar
Budaiya

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

Saar vs Budaiya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Budaiya wins on cost – living expenses run 59% lower than in Saar. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Budaiya the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,996 in Saar and $1,219 in Budaiya to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Saar. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,997 per month in Saar versus $812 in Budaiya – Budaiya is about 59% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Budaiya 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, Saar and Budaiya are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.