Cost of living in Bahrain - 2017

It may sound trivial but I like to go out in Bahrain occasionally, usually on a Thursday or Friday evening. Sad to say but the cost of a drink in a bar or a dinner in a good restaurant has gone through the roof.

I had two small bottles of South African cider in the Crown Plaza last night, I could not believe the bill, 8 BD for two small drinks. In the UK this equates to over £16, we would never dream of paying this.

Good restaurants are also way over priced, from now on my nightlife is virtually non-existent.

How much does it cost to rent an apartment/house in Bahrain? = 1 bhk 100 to150 bhd
2bhk 200 to 250 bhd

> How much do you pay for your public transport tickets (bus, subway, train, tram)? =bus 200 fills ,500 fills full day pass ,taxi little expensive ,private taxi cheaper,

> Staple food: what do people eat and how much do they pay for basic food like bread, rice = motley people is non vegetarian eating chicken mutton ,chicken 1.5 bhd 1kg ,mutton 2.5 bhd to3 bhd 1 kg, bread is cheap here 250 fills and ,rice is also not expansive 150 fills is normal one ,premium one is 1 bhd 1kg , lot of economic restaurant  for daily service class people which they  provide one time serving 400 fills to 800 fill ,

>What is your monthly grocery budget? = I live with my wife and two kid (13,11 year) my grocery budget is 50 bhd monthly

> How much does it cost to fill up your car's fuel tank? = fuel is very cheep full tank you
can fill in 3 to 5 bhd,

> How much do you pay for electricity/gas/water etc.? = I am using 2 ac and tv  refrigerator etc my monthly bill is 10 to 15 bhd, gas is 2.50 bhd

How much do you pay for your Internet/phone subscription? = phone with 10  GB internet plus calls  4 bhd ,home internet enough 120 GB 10 BHD ,

How much do you pay for your lunch pack on weekdays= ecnomic restaurant 600 fills to 1 bhd , good restaurant 1 bhd to 2 bhd

> How much do you pay for an espresso coffee = 1 bhd

> How much do you pay for a cinema ticket? = 3 bhd

> How much does a gym membership cost in Bahrain? = 10 bhd to 15 bhd monthly normal good gym ,

> How much does it cost to rent an apartment/house in Bahrain?  Min 180BD (1 BHK in city like manama,gudaibiya) & from 50BD (single person room/bed sharing)

> How much do you pay for your public transport tickets (bus, subway, train, tram)? 250 fils per trip (between any stops in bahrain) and 600 fils one day pass

> Staple food: what do people eat and how much do they pay for basic food like bread, rice or pasta? 4 BD for 5 kg rice,300 fils for bread

>What is your monthly grocery budget? Need min 2.5BD if you want to eat outside and 40-50BD if you cooking in your home.

> How much does it cost to see a physician/doctor/specialist in Bahrain ? 5 BD is consultation fees and min 3 BD for basic test(urine/blood).

> How much do you pay for electricity/gas/water etc.? 10% of rent for municipality and 10~20BD for electricity and water.

> How much do you pay for your Internet/phone subscription? min 5~6 BD for phone and internet.

> How much do you pay for a cinema ticket? 1.5~3BD

> How much does a gym membership cost in Bahrain?  10BD per month.

Most compounds have their own gym - if you can rent in a compound it's free.  Property finder.bh have a huge range of accommodation from 200BD [for a flat] to the "sky is the limit" villas  . . .
I rent privately for 700BD [3 bed] pm .  . .  I pay around about 8-10 BD pm, for power & water.  Just me & 2 dogs.  Council tax - 70BD on that.
Council/Municipality tax is 10% of your rent.
Power and Water - depends on your usage of course.  Power is going to rise in cost during March. 
Groceries cost me about 30 BD pm . . .  petrol costs me around 7BD to fill up each time ..  I drive a Mazda CRV.  Meals in restaurants,  vary depending on what you want to eat and where you go to get it.  Home delivery is available from nearly all food outlets and restaurants..  Food generally is good quality.   Compared to Australia, eating "out" here in Bahrain is reasonably priced.  Places like Starbucks, DOME, Costa, etc., Coffee is around 1.8 BD..   standard size....  I rarely go to the cinema, so can't comment on that one.
I put 4BD on my Tab pm for internet.  I put 10BD on my smart phone pm.  Sometimes I top up the smart phone in between.

Smiles - M

We have been here for 5 years now and the cost of living here has become very high. The cost of petrol even though it's low compared to the UK has doubled here now. EWA charges for us have doubled and they are set to go up again this April.

When we first came out here the cost of living was reasonable but not cheap. The fact that we didn't pay tax made it sustainable at that time. The government are trying to increase income by taxes and it has now become less attractive Stayfresh no here for much longer. The cost of private schools, social activities, EWA, general groceries, alcohol, eating out,  dentistry and healthcare now outweighs paying taxes in the UK so we will return home once my son finishes his current studies here.  Anyone considering moving here now should really look into the cost of living and the expected tax increases on expats before making their decision.

Living cost in Bahrain ....
>Renting an apartment:                        650 - 1700 $ 
>Public transport tickets (only bus):   0.8 $ (1.3$ for full day ticket)
>Bread, rice or pasta:                            0.3 - 1.5 $
>Monthly grocery budget:                    550 $ (Family with 2 kids).
>Physician/doctor/specialist fees:       70 $ (Consultation only).
>Schooling monthly budget:                550 - 1300 $
>To fill up car's fuel tank:                      16 $
>Electricity & water:                               50 - 70 $
>Municipality:                                         10% of rent.
>Phone & internet subscription:         30 $
>Lunch pack on weekdays:                  15 $
>Espresso coffee:                                   3 $
>Cinema ticket:                                       8 $ (19$ for luxury cinema).
>Gym membership cost:                       65 - 95 $

Everything is so expensive in Bahrain.. All the time I have feeling that I pay 3 times more and get 3 times less quality (clothes, going out , paying so much for going out and not  having fun cause here no fun at all wherever I go everywhere night ladies i got fed up) even when I bye clothes I have impression that the clothes are not original I.e Bershka or Nike or Zara not same quality here like in Europe. I feel like they are selling me falsificates.. And the taxi omg it's rip off it's the most expensive taxi in the middle east

Hi,

This is always a difficult topic to answer as it will differ greatly from person to person,  what benefits they are offered at work, and what they are used to. The above figures all look reasonable. My rent is on the higher side as is the cost to fill up the car, but that is location and vehicle based. Personally I have come from living in London so find most things are reasonable. Alcohol is more expensive, but then you would expect that.

What I would encourage any potential expat to consider is the increasing costs though. Utilities are the main one here where water is due to increase almost 10 fold over the next three years (80 fils per unit to 750) and electricity 5 fold (6 fils per unit to 29). This is a considerable cost.

If you have a 2 bed typical costs (based on government figures) would be below. it is worth bearing in mind that this is not based on high usage, in fact it is relatively conservative, but does account for aircon units (however not constantly on)

additional 25bd per month 2017
additional 50bd per month 2018
additional 100bd per month 2019

I would suspect that with the introduction of VAT this year, we will start to see some price inflation on a number of good (even those exempt!)

Hope this helps!

From my experience these are my responses to these questions-

> How much does it cost to rent an apartment/house in Bahrain? 
It obviously depends on where and what you want for your money but in general i see it as follows:
-To rent your own 1 or 2 bed apartment is anything from 300BD+
-To rent your own 3+bed apartment is anything from 500BD+ (also hard to find at low cost)
-To rent a room in a 2+ bed shared apartment is anything from 150BD+
-To rent your own villa (3+ bedrooms) is anything from 500BD+

> How much do you pay for your public transport tickets (bus, subway, train, tram)?
I have never used the public transport (only buses available) but have heard it is around 0.600BD for the day


> Staple food: what do people eat and how much do they pay for basic food like bread, rice or pasta?
Bread- 0.300BD
Rice- 0.200BD/kg
Pasta- 0.600BD/kg

>What is your monthly grocery budget?
As a single person 40BD
A couple 65BD

> How much does it cost to see a physician/doctor/specialist in Bahrain ?  ALOT!

In my 1st week in Bahrain I broke my wrist and in total cost me 150BD for the xray, consultation, cast and cast removal. That is the only experience I have had. If you have insurance then it is much much cheaper

> What is your children's schooling monthly budget?
N/A

> How much does it cost to fill up your car's fuel tank?
My car is a small car and costs 3 - 3.5BD larger cars more

> How much do you pay for electricity/gas/water etc.?
Always had this included in the rent, but they do put a maximum limit which for me is 20BD/month. I have never gone over this limit.

> How much do you pay for your Internet/phone subscription?
I have a sim only with viva and pay 1BD/month for unlimited internet and (viva to viva)calls and 100min calls to other (including international).

> How much do you pay for your lunch pack on weekdays?
I prepare my own lunch at home and bring it in with me. Cheapest way.

> How much do you pay for an espresso coffee?
Don't drink it

> How much do you pay for a cinema ticket?
3BD seems to be standard at all cinemas.

> How much does a gym membership cost in Bahrain?
I am a member of the rugby club which is 160BD/year includes other facilities as well as a gym.

Apartments: There are lot of options. A Fully Furnished 1BHK or Studio will cost between BD 200 to BD 270 per month. For a 2 BHK (Fully Furnished it will cost around BD 350 to BD 700.
For unfurnished 1 BHK will cost something around BD 120 - BD 180 and unfurnished 2 BHK it will cost around BD 180 to BD 250. Also note that a lot of expats (Single or Family) prefer to stay in shared apartments as this cuts the cost by half. Location is also a major factor that determines the rent. For budget and mid range homes Manama, Gudaibiya, Hoora, Riffa, Tubli are good locations and for high range people might look for apartments in Juffair, Saar, Amwaj, Um Al Hasam, Mahooz etc.

Food: The staple food here is rice and bread. All kinds of vegetables, fruits, meat, pulses, spices are available and is never a constraint for any expat. Cost of food items can be estimated to be double of that in India.

Grocery: Monthly grocery budget including fresh & frozen food items for a family of 4 can be estimated between BD 150 to BD 200.

Dine Out: Lunch/Dinner (Buffet) at any 1st Class restaurant will cost around BD 5 per head. There are standard hotels where one can have meals from BD 0.5 - BD 2.

Medical: Most of the expats are covered under medical insurance as such it doesn't pinch one's pocket. However, if one visits a GP the cost will be BD 5 and that for specialist will be BD 20 if one is not covered under insurance. Most of the medicines are also covered under the insurance.

School: Indian School or Asian school both under CBSE will  cost around BD 40 - BD 50 per month including transport. DPS will cost around BD 100 per month.

Fuel: Fuel is very cheap. You can have your full tank at BD 5.

Electricity/Water/Gas: The Electricity and Water charges are increasing every year. This will cost around BD 15 - BD 40 per month depending upon usage. Please note that many apartments charge rent which is inclusive of electricity and water.

Telephone: Mobile phones will cost between BD 5 - BD 10 for 300 - 500 free minutes to other networks and 8 -10 GB data.

Misc: Multiplex tickets will cost BD 3 per head, a bottle of (standard) scotch will cost around BD 20 - BD 30, a coffee will cost BD 1.2 - BD 2, KFC Basket will cost BD 2.5, Gym membership will cost BD 7 - BD 30 per month depending upon the facilities.

I have a job proposal in a hospital with 4000 salary and the following benefits
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WORKING HOURS : 48 hours per week.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

-   Free housing (Allowance up to US $ 1750/month)

-   Annual air tickets for the holidays for the employee, the spouse and two (2) children under the age of 18. Bahrain to homeland.

-    Education allowance for up to 2 children- US$ 5500/annum/child

-        Health coverage for the employee and family in the hospital

-        Medical indemnity insurance

-    All licensing, social insurance and visa fees


Thirty (30) days Vacation time + Fifteen (15) days public holidays + Seven (7) days educational leave for CME -> Total 52 days off per year

Is this a job? What qualifications do you need and what is the job description?

Is this job offer?