Cost of living comparison

Bhutan

compared to

Bahrain

Manama vs. Thimphu Cost of Living Summary

Manama is 3.2 times more expensive than Thimphu.

Restaurants: pay 77.8% more in Manama
Groceries: pay 51.3% more in Manama
Transportation: pay 2.2 times more in Manama
Housing: pay 6.5 times more in Manama
Childcare: pay 14.5 times more in Manama
Entertainment and Sports: pay 2.4 times more in Manama
Clothing: pay 2.1 times more in Manama

The cost of childcare, housing, entertainment and sports, transportation, clothing, and restaurants in Manama are more expensive than in Thimphu. Notably, childcare, housing, and entertainment and sports are significantly more expensive in Manama.

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Manama vs. Thimphu Cost Breakdown

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

Display currency: USD

pay 77.8% more for restaurants

	Thimphu	Manama
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$2.58 BTN245.70	$5.30 BHD2.010	+105.2%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$4.91 BTN466.83	$7.43 BHD2.810	+51.2%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.50 BTN47.50	$0.86 BHD0.330	+72.8%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.18 BTN17.20	$0.31 BHD0.120	+69.4%
Average			+77.8%

Thimphu vs. Manama - Cost of restaurants

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pay 51.3% more for groceries

	Thimphu	Manama
Bread 1 loaf	$1.07 BTN101.96	$1.08 BHD0.410	+1.0%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$1.88 BTN178.54	$4.33 BHD1.640	+130.6%
Milk (1 gallon)	$3.03 BTN288.32	$5.35 BHD2.030	+76.4%
Eggs 1 dozen	$1.88 BTN178.87	$2.27 BHD0.860	+20.4%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$1.79 BTN170.51	$2.95 BHD1.120	+64.3%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.15 BTN109.22	$1.06 BHD0.400	-7.7%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.69 BTN65.75	$1.04 BHD0.390	+50.0%
Oranges (1 lb)	$0.73 BTN69.10	$0.87 BHD0.330	+19.4%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.33 BTN31.76	$0.64 BHD0.240	+92.8%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.26 BTN24.52	$0.47 BHD0.180	+80.7%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.31 BTN29.53	$0.63 BHD0.240	+103.2%
Average			+51.3%

Thimphu vs. Manama - Cost of groceries

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pay 2.2 times more for transportation

	Thimphu	Manama
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$2.79 BTN264.82	$2.53 BHD0.960	-9.4%
Monthly public transit pass	$5.17 BTN491.40	$37.13 BHD14.060	+618.1%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$16,591.53 BTN2M	$37,115.81 BHD14,058.540	+123.7%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$13.18 BTN1,253.06	$32.88 BHD12.460	+149.4%
Average			+120.7%

Thimphu vs. Manama - Cost of transportation

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pay 6.5 times more for housing

	Thimphu	Manama
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$24.17 BTN2,297.69	$35.14 BHD13.310	+45.4%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$127.00 BTN12,071.65	$995.34 BHD377.010	+683.7%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$86.02 BTN8,176.19	$645.13 BHD244.360	+650.0%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$25.81 BTN2,452.87	$117.06 BHD44.340	+353.6%
Average			+552.1%

Thimphu vs. Manama - Cost of housing

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pay 14.5 times more for childcare

	Thimphu	Manama
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$44.98 BTN4,275.09	$489.38 BHD185.370	+988.1%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$568.68 BTN54,053.67	$11,017.71 BHD4,173.230	+1837.4%
Average			+1351.9%

Thimphu vs. Manama - Cost of childcare

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pay 2.4 times more for entertainment and sports

	Thimphu	Manama
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$2.58 BTN245.70	$6.63 BHD2.510	+156.5%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$1.28 BTN121.21	$4.94 BHD1.870	+287.2%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$3.88 BTN368.55	$5.30 BHD2.010	+36.8%
Monthly membership at local gym	$46.53 BTN4,422.57	$62.98 BHD23.860	+35.4%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$3.10 BTN294.84	$10.61 BHD4.020	+242.0%
Average			+139.5%

Thimphu vs. Manama - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 2.1 times more for clothing

	Thimphu	Manama
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$49.97 BTN4,750.10	$51.08 BHD19.350	+2.2%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$24.99 BTN2,375.05	$57.58 BHD21.810	+130.5%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$67.21 BTN6,388.16	$87.84 BHD33.270	+30.7%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$13.96 BTN1,326.77	$89.50 BHD33.900	+541.2%
Average			+110.8%

Thimphu 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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