Cost of living comparison

Oman

compared to

Bahrain

Manama vs. Muscat Cost of Living Summary

Manama is 6.4% more expensive than Muscat.

Restaurants: pay 0.2% less in Manama
Groceries: pay 10.7% less in Manama
Transportation: pay 1.7% less in Manama
Housing: pay 26.5% more in Manama
Childcare: pay 33.5% more in Manama
Entertainment and Sports: pay 14.1% less in Manama
Clothing: pay 4.8% more in Manama

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

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Manama vs. Muscat Cost Breakdown

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

Display currency: USD

pay 0.2% less for restaurants

	Muscat	Manama
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$5.20 OMR1.990	$5.30 BHD2.010	+2.0%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$7.80 OMR2.980	$7.43 BHD2.810	-4.8%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.88 OMR0.340	$0.86 BHD0.330	-1.6%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.28 OMR0.110	$0.31 BHD0.120	+8.8%
Average			-0.2%

Muscat vs. Manama - Cost of restaurants

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pay 10.7% less for groceries

	Muscat	Manama
Bread 1 loaf	$1.21 OMR0.460	$1.08 BHD0.410	-10.7%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$3.66 OMR1.400	$4.33 BHD1.640	+18.3%
Milk (1 gallon)	$8.79 OMR3.360	$5.35 BHD2.030	-39.1%
Eggs 1 dozen	$2.98 OMR1.140	$2.27 BHD0.860	-24.0%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$3.17 OMR1.210	$2.95 BHD1.120	-6.9%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.63 OMR0.620	$1.06 BHD0.400	-35.1%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.90 OMR0.340	$1.04 BHD0.390	+15.5%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.08 OMR0.410	$0.87 BHD0.330	-19.6%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.58 OMR0.220	$0.64 BHD0.240	+10.4%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.54 OMR0.210	$0.47 BHD0.180	-13.9%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.57 OMR0.220	$0.63 BHD0.240	+10.4%
Average			-10.7%

Muscat vs. Manama - Cost of groceries

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pay 1.7% less for transportation

	Muscat	Manama
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$2.35 OMR0.900	$2.53 BHD0.960	+7.3%
Monthly public transit pass	$78.03 OMR29.840	$37.13 BHD14.060	-52.4%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$25,485.84 OMR9,746.120	$37,115.81 BHD14,058.540	+45.6%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$24.06 OMR9.200	$32.88 BHD12.460	+36.7%
Average			-1.7%

Muscat vs. Manama - Cost of transportation

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pay 26.5% more for housing

	Muscat	Manama
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$70.55 OMR26.980	$35.14 BHD13.310	-50.2%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$680.91 OMR260.390	$995.34 BHD377.010	+46.2%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$453.13 OMR173.280	$645.13 BHD244.360	+42.4%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$136.85 OMR52.330	$117.06 BHD44.340	-14.5%
Average			+26.5%

Muscat vs. Manama - Cost of housing

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pay 33.5% more for childcare

	Muscat	Manama
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$287.32 OMR109.880	$489.38 BHD185.370	+70.3%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$10,536.61 OMR4,029.340	$11,017.71 BHD4,173.230	+4.6%
Average			+33.5%

Muscat vs. Manama - Cost of childcare

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pay 14.1% less for entertainment and sports

	Muscat	Manama
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$13.00 OMR4.970	$6.63 BHD2.510	-49.0%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$5.07 OMR1.940	$4.94 BHD1.870	-2.6%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$6.50 OMR2.480	$5.30 BHD2.010	-18.4%
Monthly membership at local gym	$62.02 OMR23.720	$62.98 BHD23.860	+1.6%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$10.40 OMR3.980	$10.61 BHD4.020	+2.0%
Average			-14.1%

Muscat vs. Manama - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 4.8% more for clothing

	Muscat	Manama
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$56.51 OMR21.610	$51.08 BHD19.350	-9.6%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$43.24 OMR16.540	$57.58 BHD21.810	+33.2%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$89.59 OMR34.260	$87.84 BHD33.270	-1.9%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$87.56 OMR33.480	$89.50 BHD33.900	+2.2%
Average			+4.8%

Muscat vs. Manama - Cost of clothing

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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

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