Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sanad and Manama

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.

61

Cost of Living Index in Sanad
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Sanad Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Manama
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Manama Living Index

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Sanad

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$1,285

/mo nomad

Manama

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$1,566

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Sanad $1,285
Manama $1,566

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

Sanad $1,988
Manama $2,442

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

Sanad $2,690
Manama $3,319

Living in Sanad costs roughly 18% less than in Manama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.24 BHD 1.98

$5.22 BHD 1.97

0.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.4 BHD 20.14

$53.5 BHD 20.16

-0.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.34 BHD 2.77

$7.87 BHD 2.97

-6.73%

Cappuccino

$4.79 BHD 1.81

$4.67 BHD 1.76

2.57%

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

$0.84 BHD 0.32

$0.85 BHD 0.32

-1.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 BHD 0.11

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.49 BHD 2.45

$6.75 BHD 2.55

-3.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.78 BHD 3.69

$10.22 BHD 3.86

-4.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 BHD 0.55

$1.40 BHD 0.53

3.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 BHD 0.42

$1.11 BHD 0.42

-0.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BHD 0.88

$2.28 BHD 0.86

2.19%

Eggs

$2.25 BHD 0.85

$2.31 BHD 0.87

-2.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.61 BHD 3.25

$8.81 BHD 3.32

-2.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.51 BHD 2.45

$6.44 BHD 2.43

1.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.78 BHD 3.31

$8.45 BHD 3.19

3.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.41 BHD 0.91

$2.29 BHD 0.86

5.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.22 BHD 0.84

$2.23 BHD 0.84

-0.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BHD 0.73

Tomato (1kg)

$1.39 BHD 0.52

$1.38 BHD 0.52

0.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.01 BHD 0.38

Onion (1kg)

$1.35 BHD 0.51

$1.42 BHD 0.54

-4.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 BHD 0.58

$1.55 BHD 0.58

-0.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 BHD 0.31

$0.84 BHD 0.32

-2.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.27 BHD 1.99

$5.39 BHD 2.03

-2.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.39 BHD 6.94

$18.82 BHD 7.10

-2.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.67 BHD 1.39

$3.63 BHD 1.37

1.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 BHD 0.98

$2.63 BHD 0.99

-1.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 BHD 0.29

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.68 BHD 13.84

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.25 BHD 1.98

$5.26 BHD 1.98

-0.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.35 BHD 1.26

$3.52 BHD 1.33

-4.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.68 BHD 5.91

$15.84 BHD 5.98

-1.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.69 BHD 0.26

$0.70 BHD 0.26

-1.43%

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

$26.1K BHD 9,834

$26.3K BHD 9,929

-0.96%

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

$19.4K BHD 7,319

$19.8K BHD 7,467

-1.98%

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

$150 BHD 56.8

$154 BHD 58.1

-2.25%

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

$15.60 BHD 5.88

$24.50 BHD 9.24

-36.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.62 BHD 13.06

$34.60 BHD 13.05

0.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.6 BHD 30.01

$68.4 BHD 25.81

16.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.54 BHD 11.52

Cinema Ticket

$10.57 BHD 3.99

$10.73 BHD 4.05

-1.49%

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

$615 BHD 232

$614 BHD 231

0.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K BHD 4,099

$11.4K BHD 4,303

-4.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.2 BHD 19.30

$50.5 BHD 19.05

1.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.7 BHD 22.12

$57.5 BHD 21.70

1.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.9 BHD 33.14

$87.3 BHD 32.92

0.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.7 BHD 33.47

$88.2 BHD 33.26

0.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$650 BHD 245

$1,010 BHD 381

-35.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$404 BHD 153

$642 BHD 242

-37.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,322 BHD 499

$2,120 BHD 800

-37.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$783 BHD 295

$1,300 BHD 490

-39.79%

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)

$1,178 BHD 444

$2,384 BHD 899

-50.57%

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 Sanad: November 2, 2026

Last update for Manama: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sanad

$404 31.5%

Manama

$642 41% 58.9% $238

Groceries & Markets

Sanad

$251 19.5%

Manama

$250 16% 0.3% $0.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sanad

$201 15.6%

Manama

$213 13.6% 6.2% $12

Eating Out

Sanad

$178 13.9%

Manama

$180 11.5% 1.2% $2.2

Clothing & Footwear

Sanad

$129 10%

Manama

$128 8.2% 1% $1.3

Sport & Entertainment

Sanad

$101 7.8%

Manama

$90 5.7% 10.8% $11

Getting Around

Sanad

$22 * 1.7%

Manama

$63 4% 185% $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 $650 in Sanad and $1,010 in Manama. 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 Sanad vs $53 in Manama. Groceries flip the comparison at $251 vs $250, with Manama cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇭 Sanad

🇧🇭 Manama

🕒 Local time

02:55 2:55 AM

Same time as Sanad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,000

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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Between locations

Sanad Manama 8 km

From you

Sanad
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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

Sanad vs Manama: 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.

On paper, salaries run 51% lower in Sanad. 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: $650 in Sanad versus $1,010 in Manama. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

All in, you’ll spend $1,285 per month in Sanad versus $1,566 in Manama – 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, Sanad and Manama 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.