Cost of living comparison

compared to

Manama vs. Kuwait City Cost of Living Summary

Manama is 17.4% more expensive than Kuwait City.

Restaurants
pay 4.8% less in Manama
Groceries
pay 0.3% less in Manama
Transportation
pay 32.0% more in Manama
Housing
pay 21.2% more in Manama
Childcare
pay 10.2% more in Manama
Entertainment and Sports
pay 39.3% more in Manama
Clothing
pay 24.5% more in Manama

The cost of entertainment and sports, transportation, clothing, housing, and childcare in Manama are more expensive than in Kuwait City. Expenses including restaurants and groceries are lower in Manama.

Manama vs. Kuwait City Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Manama instead of Kuwait City, you would:

pay 4.8% less for restaurants

 
Kuwait City
Manama
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $11.45
KWD3.510
$6.63
BHD2.500
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$9.48
KWD2.910
$7.43
BHD2.800
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.56
KWD0.170
$0.80
BHD0.300

Improve prices ·

pay 0.3% less for groceries

 
Kuwait City
Manama
Bread
1 loaf
$1.32
KWD0.410
$1.13
BHD0.420
Local cheese (8 oz) $2.68
KWD0.820
$3.36
BHD1.260
Milk (1 gallon) $5.98
KWD1.840
$6.23
BHD2.350

Improve prices ·

pay 32.0% more for transportation

 
Kuwait City
Manama
Gasoline (1 gallon) $1.35
KWD0.420
$2.09
BHD0.790
Monthly public transit pass $44.15
KWD13.550
$31.83
BHD11.980
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $21,257.11
KWD6,525.510
$34,479.19
BHD12,981.900

Improve prices ·

pay 21.2% more for housing

 
Kuwait City
Manama
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$29.07
KWD8.920
$40.27
BHD15.160
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $923.87
KWD283.610
$803.25
BHD302.440
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $704.38
KWD216.230
$544.92
BHD205.170

Improve prices ·

pay 10.2% more for childcare

 
Kuwait City
Manama
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $306.59
KWD94.120
$306.00
BHD115.210
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $7,442.33
KWD2,284.650
$8,971.22
BHD3,377.790

Improve prices ·

pay 39.3% more for entertainment and sports

 
Kuwait City
Manama
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $3.27
KWD1.000
$7.96
BHD3.000
Cappuccino in mid-range area $5.74
KWD1.760
$5.26
BHD1.980
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$2.94
KWD0.900
$5.97
BHD2.250

Improve prices ·

pay 24.5% more for clothing

 
Kuwait City
Manama
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$39.65
KWD12.170
$48.07
BHD18.100
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$38.70
KWD11.880
$59.49
BHD22.400
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$85.03
KWD26.100
$86.20
BHD32.450

Improve prices ·
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
Share this

Compare countries by overall cost of living

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

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

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