Cost of living comparison
compared to
Sofia vs. Manama Cost of Living Summary
Sofia is 28.7% more expensive than Manama.
- Restaurants
-
pay 2.3 times more in Sofia
- Groceries
-
pay 23.4% more in Sofia
- Transportation
-
pay 22.4% more in Sofia
- Housing
-
pay 11.6% less in Sofia
- Childcare
-
pay 56.7% more in Sofia
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 37.9% less in Sofia
- Clothing
-
pay 17.4% more in Sofia
The cost of restaurants, childcare, groceries, transportation, and clothing in Sofia are more expensive than in Manama. Expenses including entertainment and sports and housing are lower in Sofia. Notably, restaurants is significantly more expensive in Sofia.
Sofia vs. Manama Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Sofia instead of Manama, you would:
pay 2.3 times more for restaurants
|
Manama
|
Sofia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$6.63
BHD2.500
|
$11.94
BGN20.12
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$7.43
BHD2.800
|
$9.40
BGN15.85
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.80
BHD0.300
|
$1.69
BGN2.86
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.33
BHD0.130
|
$1.35
BGN2.28
|
|
Manama vs. Sofia - Cost of restaurants
pay 23.4% more for groceries
|
Manama
|
Sofia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.13
BHD0.420
|
$1.27
BGN2.14
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$3.36
BHD1.260
|
$6.03
BGN10.16
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.23
BHD2.350
|
$7.17
BGN12.09
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.54
BHD0.960
|
$3.89
BGN6.56
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.21
BHD1.210
|
$3.74
BGN6.30
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.12
BHD0.420
|
$0.86
BGN1.45
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.97
BHD0.360
|
$0.88
BGN1.49
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.78
BHD0.290
|
$0.87
BGN1.46
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.59
BHD0.220
|
$1.26
BGN2.12
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.44
BHD0.170
|
$0.50
BGN0.85
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.58
BHD0.220
|
$0.43
BGN0.73
|
|
Manama vs. Sofia - Cost of groceries
pay 22.4% more for transportation
|
Manama
|
Sofia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.09
BHD0.790
|
$5.82
BGN9.81
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$31.83
BHD11.980
|
$29.84
BGN50.31
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$34,479.19
BHD12,981.900
|
$30,917.07
BGN52,118.45
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$32.89
BHD12.380
|
$9.19
BGN15.49
|
|
Manama vs. Sofia - Cost of transportation
pay 11.6% less for housing
|
Manama
|
Sofia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$40.27
BHD15.160
|
$14.81
BGN24.97
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$803.25
BHD302.440
|
$730.45
BGN1,231.35
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$544.92
BHD205.170
|
$549.13
BGN925.69
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$96.16
BHD36.210
|
$120.21
BGN202.65
|
|
Manama vs. Sofia - Cost of housing
pay 56.7% more for childcare
|
Manama
|
Sofia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$306.00
BHD115.210
|
$641.00
BGN1,080.57
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$8,971.22
BHD3,377.790
|
$9,323.50
BGN15,717.08
|
|
Manama vs. Sofia - Cost of childcare
pay 37.9% less for entertainment and sports
|
Manama
|
Sofia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$7.96
BHD3.000
|
$2.98
BGN5.03
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.26
BHD1.980
|
$2.61
BGN4.41
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$5.97
BHD2.250
|
$3.88
BGN6.54
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$71.13
BHD26.780
|
$44.47
BGN74.96
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$10.61
BHD3.990
|
$10.15
BGN17.10
|
|
Manama vs. Sofia - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 17.4% more for clothing
|
Manama
|
Sofia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$48.07
BHD18.100
|
$71.40
BGN120.37
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$59.49
BHD22.400
|
$36.83
BGN62.09
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$86.20
BHD32.450
|
$109.77
BGN185.05
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$88.52
BHD33.330
|
$116.74
BGN196.79
|
|
Manama vs. Sofia - Cost of clothing
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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