Cost of living comparison

compared to

South Africa vs. Bahrain Cost of Living Summary

South Africa is 15.5% cheaper than Bahrain overall.

Restaurants: pay 3.0% more in South Africa
Groceries: pay 10.2% less in South Africa
Transportation: pay 42.0% more in South Africa
Housing: pay 25.6% less in South Africa
Childcare: pay 48.2% less in South Africa
Entertainment and Sports: pay 57.9% less in South Africa
Clothing: pay 11.3% less in South Africa

The cost of transportation and restaurants in South Africa are more expensive than in Bahrain. Expenses including entertainment and sports, childcare, housing, clothing, and groceries are lower in South Africa.

South Africa vs. Bahrain Cost Breakdown

If you lived in South Africa instead of Bahrain, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 3.0% more for restaurants

	Bahrain	South Africa
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$7.21 BHD2.720	$9.33 ZAR159.73	+29.4%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$7.93 BHD2.990	$5.11 ZAR87.49	-35.5%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$1.19 BHD0.450	$1.03 ZAR17.65	-13.4%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.61 BHD0.230	$0.80 ZAR13.74	+31.4%
Average			+3.0%

Bahrain vs. South Africa - Cost of restaurants

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pay 10.2% less for groceries

	Bahrain	South Africa
Bread 1 loaf	$1.21 BHD0.450	$1.00 ZAR17.16	-16.9%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$4.09 BHD1.540	$3.88 ZAR66.47	-5.1%
Milk (1 gallon)	$5.90 BHD2.220	$4.37 ZAR74.79	-25.9%
Eggs 1 dozen	$2.36 BHD0.890	$2.33 ZAR39.93	-1.0%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$2.93 BHD1.110	$2.13 ZAR36.52	-27.3%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.20 BHD0.450	$0.73 ZAR12.46	-39.1%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.95 BHD0.360	$0.65 ZAR11.16	-31.5%
Oranges (1 lb)	$0.96 BHD0.360	$0.68 ZAR11.70	-29.0%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.70 BHD0.260	$0.71 ZAR12.14	+1.2%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.40 BHD0.150	$0.59 ZAR10.02	+46.1%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.52 BHD0.190	$0.60 ZAR10.27	+16.1%
Average			-10.2%

Bahrain vs. South Africa - Cost of groceries

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pay 42.0% more for transportation

	Bahrain	South Africa
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$1.65 BHD0.620	$4.92 ZAR84.25	+198.5%
Monthly public transit pass	$33.42 BHD12.580	$56.18 ZAR961.29	+68.1%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$32,268.99 BHD12,149.730	$21,394.82 ZAR366,106.47	-33.7%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$26.52 BHD9.990	$9.34 ZAR159.79	-64.8%
Average			+42.0%

Bahrain vs. South Africa - Cost of transportation

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pay 25.6% less for housing

	Bahrain	South Africa
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$38.12 BHD14.350	$39.36 ZAR673.48	+3.2%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$936.43 BHD352.580	$404.16 ZAR6,915.94	-56.8%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$677.45 BHD255.070	$361.59 ZAR6,187.51	-46.6%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$89.98 BHD33.880	$88.13 ZAR1,508.04	-2.1%
Average			-25.6%

Bahrain vs. South Africa - Cost of housing

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pay 48.2% less for childcare

	Bahrain	South Africa
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$350.81 BHD132.090	$173.48 ZAR2,968.50	-50.6%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$7,301.63 BHD2,749.170	$3,962.11 ZAR67,799.29	-45.7%
Average			-48.2%

Bahrain vs. South Africa - Cost of childcare

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pay 57.9% less for entertainment and sports

	Bahrain	South Africa
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$7.56 BHD2.850	$2.18 ZAR37.27	-71.2%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$5.10 BHD1.920	$2.05 ZAR35.06	-59.8%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$5.40 BHD2.030	$2.96 ZAR50.72	-45.2%
Monthly membership at local gym	$95.69 BHD36.030	$30.26 ZAR517.83	-68.4%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$12.47 BHD4.690	$6.85 ZAR117.19	-45.1%
Average			-57.9%

Bahrain vs. South Africa - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 11.3% less for clothing

	Bahrain	South Africa
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$60.07 BHD22.620	$50.74 ZAR868.31	-15.5%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$48.73 BHD18.350	$32.75 ZAR560.46	-32.8%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$87.52 BHD32.950	$94.19 ZAR1,611.79	+7.6%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$85.80 BHD32.300	$81.80 ZAR1,399.67	-4.7%
Average			-11.3%

Bahrain vs. South Africa - Cost of clothing

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025

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