Cost of living comparison

Malaysia

compared to

Bahrain

Manama vs. Kuala Lumpur Cost of Living Summary

Manama is 31.1% more expensive than Kuala Lumpur.

Restaurants: pay 15.9% more in Manama
Groceries: pay 10.8% less in Manama
Transportation: pay 30.6% more in Manama
Housing: pay 75.3% more in Manama
Childcare: pay 17.2% more in Manama
Entertainment and Sports: pay 55.9% more in Manama
Clothing: pay 1.7% less in Manama

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

Planning a move to Bahrain? Get up to 5 free, no-obligation quotes from vetted international movers. Get free quotes →

Manama vs. Kuala Lumpur Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Manama instead of Kuala Lumpur, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 15.9% more for restaurants

	Kuala Lumpur	Manama
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$4.89 MYR19.98	$5.30 BHD2.010	+8.4%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$4.89 MYR19.98	$7.43 BHD2.810	+51.7%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.81 MYR3.30	$0.86 BHD0.330	+6.8%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.46 MYR1.88	$0.31 BHD0.120	-33.5%
Average			+15.9%

Kuala Lumpur vs. Manama - Cost of restaurants

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 10.8% less for groceries

	Kuala Lumpur	Manama
Bread 1 loaf	$1.09 MYR4.47	$1.08 BHD0.410	-1.0%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$7.00 MYR28.58	$4.33 BHD1.640	-38.1%
Milk (1 gallon)	$7.96 MYR32.51	$5.35 BHD2.030	-32.8%
Eggs 1 dozen	$2.53 MYR10.32	$2.27 BHD0.860	-10.3%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$2.02 MYR8.25	$2.95 BHD1.120	+45.9%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.55 MYR6.32	$1.06 BHD0.400	-31.5%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.82 MYR3.34	$1.04 BHD0.390	+26.7%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.04 MYR4.23	$0.87 BHD0.330	-16.2%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.71 MYR2.91	$0.64 BHD0.240	-9.4%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.59 MYR2.41	$0.47 BHD0.180	-21.2%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.62 MYR2.54	$0.63 BHD0.240	+1.6%
Average			-10.8%

Kuala Lumpur vs. Manama - Cost of groceries

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 30.6% more for transportation

	Kuala Lumpur	Manama
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$3.22 MYR13.14	$2.53 BHD0.960	-21.5%
Monthly public transit pass	$12.24 MYR49.96	$37.13 BHD14.060	+203.4%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$41,736.41 MYR170K	$37,115.81 BHD14,058.540	-11.1%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$11.01 MYR44.96	$32.88 BHD12.460	+198.6%
Average			+30.6%

Kuala Lumpur vs. Manama - Cost of transportation

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 75.3% more for housing

	Kuala Lumpur	Manama
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$26.27 MYR107.27	$35.14 BHD13.310	+33.7%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$617.87 MYR2,522.90	$995.34 BHD377.010	+61.1%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$371.37 MYR1,516.38	$645.13 BHD244.360	+73.7%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$47.56 MYR194.21	$117.06 BHD44.340	+146.1%
Average			+75.3%

Kuala Lumpur vs. Manama - Cost of housing

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 17.2% more for childcare

	Kuala Lumpur	Manama
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$299.09 MYR1,221.23	$489.38 BHD185.370	+63.6%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$13,124.70 MYR53,590.76	$11,017.71 BHD4,173.230	-16.1%
Average			+17.2%

Kuala Lumpur vs. Manama - Cost of childcare

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 55.9% more for entertainment and sports

	Kuala Lumpur	Manama
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$4.40 MYR17.99	$6.63 BHD2.510	+50.5%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$3.10 MYR12.64	$4.94 BHD1.870	+59.5%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$4.40 MYR17.99	$5.30 BHD2.010	+20.4%
Monthly membership at local gym	$48.89 MYR199.62	$62.98 BHD23.860	+28.8%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$5.02 MYR20.48	$10.61 BHD4.020	+111.5%
Average			+55.9%

Kuala Lumpur vs. Manama - Cost of entertainment and sports

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 1.7% less for clothing

	Kuala Lumpur	Manama
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$71.46 MYR291.78	$51.08 BHD19.350	-28.5%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$41.92 MYR171.18	$57.58 BHD21.810	+37.4%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$86.22 MYR352.05	$87.84 BHD33.270	+1.9%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$96.07 MYR392.29	$89.50 BHD33.900	-6.8%
Average			-1.7%

Kuala Lumpur vs. Manama - Cost of clothing

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this

Compare further: Kuala Lumpur vs. Manama

Salary Calculator · Free tool

What salary would you need in Manama?

More cost comparisons

Kuala Lumpur vs.

Beijing

Kuala Lumpur vs.

Lima

Kuala Lumpur vs.

Paris

Kuala Lumpur vs.

Washington

Kuala Lumpur vs.

London

Kuala Lumpur vs.

Vienna

Kuala Lumpur vs.

Cairo

Kuala Lumpur vs.

Madrid

Share this

Compare countries by overall cost of living

See the cost of living in Malaysia vs. Bahrain. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Malaysia and Bahrain.

Help us improve these prices

MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate. Learn more

Add prices for Kuala Lumpur

Add prices for Manama

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Manama or Kuala Lumpur. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.