Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Manama

For one person, living costs are similar in Sofia and in Manama: $1,585 and $1,566 a month, rent and utilities included.

76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Manama
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Manama Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Manama

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$1,566

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,585 in Sofia versus $1,566 in Manama.

Sofia $1,585
Manama $1,566

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,486 in Sofia versus $2,442 in Manama.

Sofia $2,486
Manama $2,442

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,387 in Sofia versus $3,319 in Manama.

Sofia $3,387
Manama $3,319

Monthly costs are close between Sofia and Manama; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sofia 17% above, Manama 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$5.22 BHD 1.97

217.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$53.5 BHD 20.16

26.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$7.87 BHD 2.97

48.41%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$4.67 BHD 1.76

-26.98%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$0.85 BHD 0.32

177.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.30 BHD 0.11

456.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$6.75 BHD 2.54

-40.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$10.22 BHD 3.85

-55.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$1.40 BHD 0.53

38.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$1.11 BHD 0.42

39.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$2.28 BHD 0.86

3.07%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$2.31 BHD 0.87

99.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$8.81 BHD 3.32

30.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$6.44 BHD 2.43

34.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$8.45 BHD 3.19

105.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$2.29 BHD 0.86

-6.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$2.23 BHD 0.84

-11.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$1.93 BHD 0.73

-5.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$1.38 BHD 0.52

209.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$1.01 BHD 0.38

2.97%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$1.42 BHD 0.54

-37.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$1.55 BHD 0.58

-23.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.84 BHD 0.32

-1.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$5.39 BHD 2.03

-18.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$18.82 BHD 7.10

-60.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$3.63 BHD 1.37

-68.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$2.63 BHD 0.99

-27.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$0.77 BHD 0.29

19.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

$36.68 BHD 13.83

-23.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$5.26 BHD 1.98

-68.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$3.52 BHD 1.33

-75.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$15.84 BHD 5.97

4.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$0.70 BHD 0.26

148.57%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$26.3K BHD 9,926

13.73%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$19.8K BHD 7,465

26.36%

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

$158 BGN 275

$154 BHD 58.0

2.57%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$24.50 BHD 9.24

-13.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$34.60 BHD 13.05

-56.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$68.4 BHD 25.80

-31.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

$30.54 BHD 11.52

-8.91%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$10.73 BHD 4.05

-6.80%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$614 BHD 231

32.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$11.4K BHD 4,302

28.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$50.5 BHD 19.05

72.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$57.5 BHD 21.69

-33.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$87.3 BHD 32.91

20.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$88.2 BHD 33.25

21.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$1,010 BHD 381

-23.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$642 BHD 242

-7.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$2,120 BHD 799

-27.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$1,300 BHD 490

-18.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$2,588 BHD 976

74.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$1,992 BHD 751

56.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

$2,384 BHD 899

-25.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

6.21

-53.46%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Manama: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Manama

$642 41% 8.3% $49

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Manama

$250 16% 13.1% $38

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Manama

$180 11.5% 29% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Manama

$213 13.6% 9.7% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Manama

$128 8.2% 16.2% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Manama

$90 5.7% 34.4% $23

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Manama

$63 4% 66% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $769 in Sofia and $1,010 in Manama. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Manama pays 34% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $68 in Sofia vs $53 in Manama for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $250 per month, with Manama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇧🇭 Manama

🕒 Local time

06:34 6:34 AM

07:34 7:34 AM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

157,474 Capital

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Bahraini Dinar BHD .د.ب

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

1 BHD = 2.65 USD

1 BHD = 2.36 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BHD, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.512 EUR).

Bahraini Dinar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.377 BHD (1 BHD = 2.65 USD). 1 EUR = 0.423 BHD (1 BHD = 2.36 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sofia Manama 3,080 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
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

Sofia vs Manama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 25% lower in Sofia. 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: $769 in Sofia 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 Sofia runs roughly 23% less than in Manama. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Sofia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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.

Safety-wise, Sofia and Manama are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.