Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seef and Madinat Hamad

For one person, living is cheaper in Madinat Hamad: $1,192 a month against $1,679 in Seef, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Seef
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Seef Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Madinat Hamad
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Madinat Hamad Living Index

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Seef

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$1,679

/mo nomad

Madinat Hamad

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$1,192

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seef and in Madinat Hamad

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

A single person spends $1,679 per month in Seef vs $1,192 in Madinat Hamad, rent included.

Seef $1,679
Madinat Hamad $1,192

A couple spends around $2,636 per month in Seef vs $1,906 in Madinat Hamad, rent included.

Seef $2,636
Madinat Hamad $1,906

A family of three spends $3,592 per month in Seef vs $2,620 in Madinat Hamad, rent included.

Seef $3,592
Madinat Hamad $2,620

Seef costs about 41% more than Madinat Hamad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Seef sits 24% above the global median, while Madinat Hamad is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.27 BHD 3.12

$2.60 BHD 0.98

218.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.0 BHD 20.37

$52.6 BHD 19.82

2.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.18 BHD 3.09

$7.62 BHD 2.87

7.35%

Cappuccino

$5.06 BHD 1.91

$2.62 BHD 0.99

93.13%

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

$1.49 BHD 0.56

$0.89 BHD 0.33

67.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 BHD 0.31

$0.32 BHD 0.12

153.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.64 BHD 4.01

$6.44 BHD 2.43

65.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$18.53 BHD 6.99

$9.77 BHD 3.68

89.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.27 BHD 0.85

$1.44 BHD 0.54

57.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.29 BHD 0.49

$1.03 BHD 0.39

25.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 BHD 1.21

$2.39 BHD 0.90

34.31%

Eggs

$1.49 BHD 0.56

$2.02 BHD 0.76

-26.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 BHD 4.04

$8.86 BHD 3.34

20.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.07 BHD 2.29

$6.41 BHD 2.42

-5.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 BHD 6.02

$8.36 BHD 3.15

90.91%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 BHD 1.16

$2.18 BHD 0.82

41.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 BHD 0.76

$1.62 BHD 0.61

25.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.56 BHD 0.97

$1.90 BHD 0.72

34.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.89 BHD 0.71

$1.35 BHD 0.51

40.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 BHD 0.38

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 BHD 0.39

$1.03 BHD 0.39

0.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.90 BHD 0.72

$1.50 BHD 0.56

26.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 BHD 0.15

$0.50 BHD 0.19

-22.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.95 BHD 1.49

$5.17 BHD 1.95

-23.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.64 BHD 7.03

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.85 BHD 1.45

$3.66 BHD 1.38

5.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 BHD 0.99

$2.71 BHD 1.02

-2.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.65 BHD 0.24

$0.64 BHD 0.24

1.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.6 BHD 24.75

$34.51 BHD 13.01

90.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.53 BHD 1.33

$5.15 BHD 1.94

-31.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.37 BHD 1.27

$2.59 BHD 0.98

30.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.27 BHD 2.36

$16.06 BHD 6.06

-60.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.60 BHD 0.23

$0.39 BHD 0.15

53.85%

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

$25.7K BHD 9,693

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

$19.9K BHD 7,510

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

$98.6 BHD 37.17

$155 BHD 58.3

-36.29%

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

$26.59 BHD 10.03

$23.42 BHD 8.83

13.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.22 BHD 17.43

$18.89 BHD 7.12

144.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.7 BHD 27.41

$118 BHD 44.36

-38.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$53.9 BHD 20.34

Cinema Ticket

$10.70 BHD 4.04

$5.21 BHD 1.96

105.37%

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

$619 BHD 233

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,802 BHD 2,942

$11.1K BHD 4,194

-29.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 BHD 25.78

$51.5 BHD 19.41

32.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.7 BHD 19.88

$57.5 BHD 21.67

-8.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.5 BHD 35.26

$87.0 BHD 32.80

7.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.9 BHD 30.15

$90.4 BHD 34.10

-11.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$946 BHD 357

$397 BHD 150

138.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$691 BHD 261

$312 BHD 118

121.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,081 BHD 785

$797 BHD 300

161.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,395 BHD 526

$670 BHD 253

108.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,393 BHD 1,280

$669 BHD 252

407.08%

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 Seef: November 3, 2026

Last update for Madinat Hamad: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seef

$691 41.2%

Madinat Hamad

$312 26.2% 54.8% $379

Eating Out

Seef

$251 14.9%

Madinat Hamad

$132 11.1% 47.5% $119

Groceries & Markets

Seef

$251 * 14.9%

Madinat Hamad

$239 20.1% 4.6% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seef

$171 10.2%

Madinat Hamad

$197 16.5% 15% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Seef

$133 7.9%

Madinat Hamad

$129 10.8% 2.8% $3.7

Sport & Entertainment

Seef

$94 5.6%

Madinat Hamad

$128 10.7% 36.1% $34

Getting Around

Seef

$89 5.3%

Madinat Hamad

$55 4.6% 37.7% $33

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $946 in Seef versus $397 in Madinat Hamad. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Seef are about 5.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $54 in Seef versus $53 in Madinat Hamad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $239 – making Madinat Hamad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇭 Seef

🇧🇭 Madinat Hamad

🕒 Local time

14:30 2:30 PM

Same time as Seef

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,564

133,350

💱 Currency

Bahraini Dinar BHD .د.ب

📈 Exchange rate

1 BHD = 2.65 USD

1 BHD = 2.37 EUR

1 BHD = 2.65 USD

1 BHD = 2.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Seef Madinat Hamad 13 km

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Seef
Madinat Hamad

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

Seef vs Madinat Hamad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,679 in Seef, $1,192 in Madinat Hamad – Madinat Hamad comes out roughly 29% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,519 per month in Seef and $1,788 in Madinat Hamad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Madinat Hamad, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $397 there versus $946 in Seef.

Public transport costs about 48% less in Madinat Hamad. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,679 in Seef and $1,192 in Madinat Hamad. That makes Madinat Hamad about 29% cheaper.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,679 in Seef and $1,192 in Madinat Hamad, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Madinat Hamad costs $1,192 versus $1,679 in Seef. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Madinat Hamad. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Seef makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.