Cost of living comparison

compared to

Manama vs. Bandar Seri Begawan Cost of Living Summary

Manama is 20.8% more expensive than Bandar Seri Begawan.

Restaurants: pay 10.9% more in Manama
Groceries: pay 15.3% less in Manama
Transportation: pay 18.7% more in Manama
Housing: pay 14.4% more in Manama
Childcare: pay 26.5% more in Manama
Entertainment and Sports: pay 2.0 times more in Manama
Clothing: pay 12.3% less in Manama

The cost of entertainment and sports, childcare, transportation, housing, and restaurants in Manama are more expensive than in Bandar Seri Begawan. Expenses including groceries and clothing are lower in Manama. Notably, entertainment and sports is significantly more expensive in Manama.

Manama vs. Bandar Seri Begawan Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Manama instead of Bandar Seri Begawan, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 10.9% more for restaurants

	Bandar Seri Begawan	Manama
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$3.68 BND4.76	$6.63 BHD2.490	+80.4%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$6.15 BND7.97	$7.43 BHD2.790	+20.7%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.97 BND1.26	$0.80 BHD0.300	-17.7%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.55 BND0.72	$0.33 BHD0.130	-39.7%
Average			+10.9%

Bandar Seri Begawan vs. Manama - Cost of restaurants

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pay 15.3% less for groceries

	Bandar Seri Begawan	Manama
Bread 1 loaf	$1.73 BND2.25	$1.13 BHD0.420	-35.0%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$3.61 BND4.68	$3.36 BHD1.260	-6.9%
Milk (1 gallon)	$6.83 BND8.85	$6.23 BHD2.340	-8.8%
Eggs 1 dozen	$2.24 BND2.90	$2.54 BHD0.960	+13.4%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$2.02 BND2.61	$3.21 BHD1.210	+58.8%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.40 BND1.82	$1.12 BHD0.420	-20.0%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.98 BND1.27	$0.97 BHD0.360	-1.6%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.32 BND1.70	$0.78 BHD0.290	-40.9%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$1.14 BND1.48	$0.59 BHD0.220	-48.6%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.76 BND0.99	$0.44 BHD0.170	-41.9%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.92 BND1.19	$0.58 BHD0.220	-37.1%
Average			-15.3%

Bandar Seri Begawan vs. Manama - Cost of groceries

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pay 18.7% more for transportation

	Bandar Seri Begawan	Manama
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$1.48 BND1.91	$2.09 BHD0.790	+41.8%
Monthly public transit pass	??	$31.83 BHD11.970
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$38,674.88 BND50,099.86	$34,479.19 BHD12,972.800	-10.8%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$26.30 BND34.07	$32.89 BHD12.370	+25.0%
Average			+18.7%

Bandar Seri Begawan vs. Manama - Cost of transportation

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pay 14.4% more for housing

	Bandar Seri Begawan	Manama
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$68.09 BND88.21	$40.27 BHD15.150	-40.9%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$719.61 BND932.19	$803.25 BHD302.220	+11.6%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$451.29 BND584.60	$544.92 BHD205.020	+20.7%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$57.89 BND75.00	$96.16 BHD36.180	+66.1%
Average			+14.4%

Bandar Seri Begawan vs. Manama - Cost of housing

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pay 26.5% more for childcare

	Bandar Seri Begawan	Manama
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$156.63 BND202.90	$306.00 BHD115.130	+95.4%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$15,593.11 BND20,199.49	$8,971.22 BHD3,375.420	-42.5%
Average			+26.5%

Bandar Seri Begawan vs. Manama - Cost of childcare

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pay 2.0 times more for entertainment and sports

	Bandar Seri Begawan	Manama
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$1.93 BND2.50	$7.96 BHD2.990	+311.5%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$3.71 BND4.81	$5.26 BHD1.980	+41.7%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$15.47 BND20.04	$5.97 BHD2.250	-61.4%
Monthly membership at local gym	$31.59 BND40.93	$71.13 BHD26.760	+125.1%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$5.41 BND7.01	$10.61 BHD3.990	+95.9%
Average			+102.6%

Bandar Seri Begawan vs. Manama - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 12.3% less for clothing

	Bandar Seri Begawan	Manama
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$95.43 BND123.62	$48.07 BHD18.090	-49.6%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$68.10 BND88.22	$59.49 BHD22.380	-12.7%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$116.07 BND150.36	$86.20 BHD32.430	-25.7%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$63.82 BND82.68	$88.52 BHD33.310	+38.7%
Average			-12.3%

Bandar Seri Begawan vs. Manama - 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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