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:

Display currency: USD

pay 4.8% less for restaurants

	Kuwait City	Manama
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$11.45 KWD3.490	$6.63 BHD2.490	-42.1%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$9.48 KWD2.890	$7.43 BHD2.790	-21.7%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.56 KWD0.170	$0.80 BHD0.300	+42.4%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.33 KWD0.100	$0.33 BHD0.130	+2.3%
Average			-4.8%

Kuwait City vs. Manama - Cost of restaurants

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pay 0.3% less for groceries

	Kuwait City	Manama
Bread 1 loaf	$1.32 KWD0.400	$1.13 BHD0.420	-14.7%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$2.68 KWD0.820	$3.36 BHD1.260	+25.2%
Milk (1 gallon)	$5.98 KWD1.820	$6.23 BHD2.340	+4.2%
Eggs 1 dozen	$1.95 KWD0.600	$2.54 BHD0.950	+30.0%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$3.21 KWD0.980	$3.21 BHD1.200	-0.1%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.06 KWD0.320	$1.12 BHD0.420	+6.2%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.88 KWD0.270	$0.97 BHD0.360	+9.6%
Oranges (1 lb)	$0.77 KWD0.230	$0.78 BHD0.290	+1.4%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.78 KWD0.240	$0.59 BHD0.220	-24.7%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.60 KWD0.180	$0.44 BHD0.170	-26.2%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.68 KWD0.210	$0.58 BHD0.220	-14.6%
Average			-0.3%

Kuwait City vs. Manama - Cost of groceries

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pay 32.0% more for transportation

	Kuwait City	Manama
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$1.35 KWD0.410	$2.09 BHD0.790	+54.8%
Monthly public transit pass	$44.15 KWD13.470	$31.83 BHD11.940	-27.9%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$21,257.11 KWD6,485.210	$34,479.19 BHD12,933.140	+62.2%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$23.71 KWD7.230	$32.89 BHD12.340	+38.7%
Average			+32.0%

Kuwait City vs. Manama - Cost of transportation

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pay 21.2% more for housing

	Kuwait City	Manama
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$29.07 KWD8.870	$40.27 BHD15.100	+38.5%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$923.87 KWD281.860	$803.25 BHD301.300	-13.1%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$704.38 KWD214.890	$544.92 BHD204.400	-22.6%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$52.86 KWD16.130	$96.16 BHD36.070	+81.9%
Average			+21.2%

Kuwait City vs. Manama - Cost of housing

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pay 10.2% more for childcare

	Kuwait City	Manama
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$306.59 KWD93.540	$306.00 BHD114.780	-0.2%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$7,442.33 KWD2,270.530	$8,971.22 BHD3,365.100	+20.5%
Average			+10.2%

Kuwait City vs. Manama - Cost of childcare

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pay 39.3% more for entertainment and sports

	Kuwait City	Manama
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$3.27 KWD1.000	$7.96 BHD2.980	+143.3%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$5.74 KWD1.750	$5.26 BHD1.970	-8.3%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$2.94 KWD0.900	$5.97 BHD2.240	+102.8%
Monthly membership at local gym	$108.17 KWD33.000	$71.13 BHD26.680	-34.2%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$11.45 KWD3.490	$10.61 BHD3.980	-7.3%
Average			+39.3%

Kuwait City vs. Manama - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 24.5% more for clothing

	Kuwait City	Manama
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$39.65 KWD12.100	$48.07 BHD18.030	+21.2%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$38.70 KWD11.810	$59.49 BHD22.310	+53.7%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$85.03 KWD25.940	$86.20 BHD32.330	+1.4%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$72.67 KWD22.170	$88.52 BHD33.200	+21.8%
Average			+24.5%

Kuwait City 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: February 2026

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