Manama has been ranked second among Arab cities for quality of life in Numbeo’s 2026 Mid-Year index, reinforcing Bahrain’s capital as one of the region’s most attractive urban centres for residents. The city recorded an overall score of 171.9 points, placing it behind Muscat but ahead of several major Gulf hubs including Doha, Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The ranking assesses daily living conditions through factors such as safety, buying power, healthcare, housing affordability, commuting, pollution, climate and living costs. Manama’s latest result also marks a modest improvement on its 2025 mid-year score, indicating a stronger performance across key quality-of-life measures.
Strong regional performance
Muscat topped the Arab city list with 180.3 points, while Manama followed with 171.9. Doha ranked next with 169.2 points, narrowly ahead of Abu Dhabi at 169.0 and Dubai at about 168.7.
Manama’s score rose from 170.5 in the 2025 Mid-Year index, an increase of around 1.4 points. The improvement helped the city maintain a leading position among Gulf and Arab urban centres.
Safety and purchasing power stand out
Safety was one of Manama’s strongest indicators, with the city scoring 82.0 in that category. Purchasing power was also high at 122.1, reflecting the relative ability of residents to afford goods and services.
The healthcare measure stood at 67.7, while the cost of living score was listed at 45.4. Manama also recorded 30.8 for traffic commute time, 62.3 for pollution and 64.3 for climate.
Housing helps overall score
Housing affordability contributed to Manama’s position. Its property price-to-income ratio was 5.0, with lower figures considered more favourable under Numbeo’s methodology.
This measure compares property prices with income levels and is used as one of the components in the broader quality-of-life calculation.
Index based on multiple measures
Numbeo’s Quality of Life Index combines eight indicators: purchasing power, safety, healthcare, cost of living, property prices against income, traffic commute time, pollution and climate. Crime is included within the safety category rather than measured separately.
The platform says its results are generated from an empirical formula using contributor data and surveys. The index is not an official government statistic, and live city rankings may change during the year. The 171.9 score refers specifically to the 2026 Mid-Year table.