Cost of living comparison

compared to

Seoul vs. Manama Cost of Living Summary

Seoul is 36.5% more expensive than Manama.

Restaurants
pay 62.6% more in Seoul
Groceries
pay 2.5 times more in Seoul
Transportation
pay 15.2% more in Seoul
Housing
pay 1.9% less in Seoul
Childcare
pay 79.6% more in Seoul
Entertainment and Sports
pay 38.1% less in Seoul
Clothing
pay 7.8% less in Seoul

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

Seoul vs. Manama Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Seoul instead of Manama, you would:

pay 62.6% more for restaurants

 
Manama
Seoul
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $6.63
BHD2.490
$8.49
₩12,514
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$7.43
BHD2.790
$6.30
₩9,281
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.80
BHD0.300
$1.64
₩2,415

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pay 2.5 times more for groceries

 
Manama
Seoul
Bread
1 loaf
$1.13
BHD0.420
$3.24
₩4,772
Local cheese (8 oz) $3.36
BHD1.260
$6.79
₩10,011
Milk (1 gallon) $6.23
BHD2.340
$7.85
₩11,566

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pay 15.2% more for transportation

 
Manama
Seoul
Gasoline (1 gallon) $2.09
BHD0.790
$4.43
₩6,530
Monthly public transit pass $31.83
BHD11.970
$45.99
₩67,782
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $34,479.19
BHD12,972.800
$25,072.36
₩36,951,647

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pay 1.9% less for housing

 
Manama
Seoul
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$40.27
BHD15.150
$20.56
₩30,296
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $803.25
BHD302.220
$925.55
₩1,364,083
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $544.92
BHD205.020
$559.33
₩824,340

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pay 79.6% more for childcare

 
Manama
Seoul
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $306.00
BHD115.130
$360.15
₩530,786
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $8,971.22
BHD3,375.420
$21,667.04
₩31,932,878

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pay 38.1% less for entertainment and sports

 
Manama
Seoul
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $7.96
BHD2.990
$3.54
₩5,214
Cappuccino in mid-range area $5.26
BHD1.980
$3.70
₩5,450
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$5.97
BHD2.250
$3.18
₩4,693

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pay 7.8% less for clothing

 
Manama
Seoul
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$48.07
BHD18.090
$49.77
₩73,344
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$59.49
BHD22.380
$39.49
₩58,201
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$86.20
BHD32.430
$74.94
₩110,450

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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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