Moving to Bahrain from Iceland
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Iceland to Bahrain — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Iceland to Bahrain, you would find that Bahrain is 43.1% cheaper than Iceland overall. A ISK9,402,000 salary in Iceland would need to be roughly BHD13,633 in Bahrain to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Arabic. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Manama averages 86°F vs 45°F in Reykjavik, making it significantly warmer.
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How your spending power changes when you relocate from Iceland to Bahrain.
What does your salary buy?
ISK9,402,000 → BHD13,633
To maintain the same standard of living in Bahrain
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 68.7% less
Groceries
pay 50.5% less
Transportation
pay 42.9% less
Housing
pay 36.0% less
Childcare
pay 35.7% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 21.2% less
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
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Key Indicator Comparison
How Iceland and Bahrain stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Iceland generally does better on safety, though Bahrain leads in homicide rate.
How's the healthcare?
annual government + private spending per person
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
share of adults with obesity
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
Iceland generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Bahrain leads in healthcare spending per person.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Iceland performs better than Bahrain across all environment metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
annual consumption — reflects grid capacity
share of households with internet
Iceland performs better than Bahrain across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
the highest marginal rate on personal income
Bahrain generally does better on employment & economy, though Iceland leads in gdp per capita.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
government spending on education as % of GDP
Iceland performs better than Bahrain across all family life metrics.
Data: Directorate of Internal Revenue, The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators, World Bank
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Reykjavik | Manama |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 37°/28°F (3°/-2°C) | 71°/60°F (22°/16°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 48°/38°F (9°/4°C) | 92°/78°F (33°/25°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 54°/45°F (12°/7°C) | 99°/86°F (37°/30°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 39°/31°F (4°/-1°C) | 82°/70°F (28°/21°C) |
View all months
| Month | Reykjavik | Manama |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 35°/27°F (1.9°/-3.0°C) | 68°/57°F (20.0°/14.1°C) |
| Feb | 37°/28°F (2.8°/-2.1°C) | 70°/59°F (21.2°/14.9°C) |
| Mar | 38°/28°F (3.2°/-2.0°C) | 76°/64°F (24.7°/17.8°C) |
| Apr | 42°/33°F (5.7°/0.4°C) | 85°/71°F (29.2°/21.5°C) |
| May | 49°/38°F (9.4°/3.6°C) | 93°/79°F (34.1°/26.0°C) |
| Jun | 53°/44°F (11.7°/6.7°C) | 98°/84°F (36.4°/28.8°C) |
| Jul | 56°/47°F (13.3°/8.3°C) | 100°/87°F (37.9°/30.4°C) |
| Aug | 55°/46°F (13.0°/7.9°C) | 100°/87°F (38.0°/30.5°C) |
| Sep | 50°/41°F (10.1°/5.0°C) | 98°/83°F (36.5°/28.6°C) |
| Oct | 44°/36°F (6.8°/2.2°C) | 92°/78°F (33.1°/25.5°C) |
| Nov | 38°/30°F (3.4°/-1.3°C) | 82°/70°F (27.8°/21.2°C) |
| Dec | 36°/27°F (2.2°/-2.8°C) | 72°/61°F (22.3°/16.2°C) |
Data:
Icelandic Meteorological Office,
Bahrain Meteorological Services
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Iceland and Bahrain. To live, work, or study long-term in Bahrain, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Bahrain's immigration authority.
Iceland passport holder visiting Bahrain
Visa on Arrival
Bahrain passport holder visiting Iceland
Visa RequiredData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Bahrain than Iceland?
Generally yes: Bahrain runs about 52% cheaper than Iceland on average, though it depends heavily on the city.
How much money do I need to move to Bahrain?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a ISK9,402,000 comparable salary, that's around BHD3,408 in Bahrain for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Bahrain?
With 18.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Bahrain can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Iceland and Bahrain.
Is Bahrain safe for expats?
Iceland generally does better on safety, though Bahrain leads in homicide rate. The homicide rate in Bahrain is 0.1 per 100,000 people, compared to 1.1 in Iceland.
How is healthcare in Bahrain compared to Iceland?
Iceland generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Bahrain leads in healthcare spending per person. There are 8.4 doctors per 10,000 people in Bahrain, compared to 45.2 in Iceland. Bahrain scores 76 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Iceland: 89).
What's the weather like in Bahrain compared to Iceland?
The average high temperature in Manama is 86°F, compared to 45°F in Reykjavik. Manama receives around 2.8 in of rainfall per year, while Reykjavik gets 31.4 in.
What language do they speak in Bahrain?
The official language in Bahrain is Arabic. In Iceland, the official language is Icelandic.
