Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Abha and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Abha: $1,049 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Abha
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Abha Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Abha

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,049

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Abha and in Sofia

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Abha and in Sofia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,049 per month in Abha vs $1,585 in Sofia, rent included.

Abha $1,049
Sofia $1,585

A couple spends around $1,747 per month in Abha vs $2,486 in Sofia, rent included.

Abha $1,747
Sofia $2,486

A family of three spends $2,444 per month in Abha vs $3,387 in Sofia, rent included.

Abha $2,444
Sofia $3,387

Abha is about 34% cheaper than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Abha sits 22% below the global median, while Sofia is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.18 SAR 19.45

$16.57 BGN 28.84

-68.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.7 SAR 190

$67.7 BGN 118

-25.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.22 SAR 27.09

$11.68 BGN 20.33

-38.18%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.64 SAR 6.14

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 SAR 4.90

Cappuccino

$3.11 SAR 11.67

$3.41 BGN 5.93

-8.80%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 SAR 2.38

$2.36 BGN 4.11

-73.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 SAR 0.82

$1.67 BGN 2.91

-86.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 SAR 6.10

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-15.98%

White Bread (500g)

$0.64 SAR 2.39

$1.55 BGN 2.70

-58.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 SAR 7.38

$2.35 BGN 4.09

-16.17%

Eggs

$3.10 SAR 11.65

$4.60 BGN 8.00

-32.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.33 SAR 16.27

$11.47 BGN 19.96

-62.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.59 SAR 28.47

$8.65 BGN 15.04

-12.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.40 SAR 69.1

$17.34 BGN 30.17

6.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.08 SAR 7.82

$2.15 BGN 3.73

-3.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 SAR 7.27

$1.98 BGN 3.45

-2.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 SAR 6.14

$1.83 BGN 3.18

-10.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 SAR 6.05

$4.27 BGN 7.43

-62.30%

Potato (1kg)

$2.18 SAR 8.18

$1.04 BGN 1.82

109.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 SAR 4.72

$0.89 BGN 1.54

41.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.34 SAR 1.27

$1.19 BGN 2.06

-71.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 SAR 1.93

$0.83 BGN 1.45

-38.55%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.40 SAR 16.53

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 SAR 4.61

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 SAR 5.35

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.12 SAR 34.21

$4.40 BGN 7.66

107.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 SAR 3.20

$0.92 BGN 1.60

-7.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.06 SAR 139

$28.11 BGN 48.91

31.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 SAR 11.22

$1.67 BGN 2.90

79.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.63 SAR 9.87

$0.85 BGN 1.49

209.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.25 SAR 53.5

$16.59 BGN 28.87

-14.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.59 SAR 2.22

$1.74 BGN 3.03

-66.09%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$28.7K SAR 107.7K

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

-4.17%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$19.0K SAR 71.5K

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

-23.86%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$86.9 SAR 326

$158 BGN 275

-44.96%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$36.53 SAR 137

$21.27 BGN 37.01

71.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.9 SAR 285

$15.12 BGN 26.30

402.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.5 SAR 343

$46.85 BGN 81.5

95.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.46 SAR 171

$27.82 BGN 48.41

63.41%

Cinema Ticket

$15.73 SAR 59.1

$10.00 BGN 17.39

57.30%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$211 SAR 792

$815 BGN 1,419

-74.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,216 SAR 15.8K

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

-71.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.04 SAR 113

$87.1 BGN 152

-65.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.8 SAR 262

$38.28 BGN 66.6

82.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.3 SAR 361

$106 BGN 184

-8.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.0 SAR 251

$107 BGN 187

-37.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$305 SAR 1,144

$769 BGN 1,338

-60.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$246 SAR 923

$593 BGN 1,032

-58.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$541 SAR 2,030

$1,530 BGN 2,662

-64.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$570 SAR 2,141

$1,061 BGN 1,846

-46.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$935 SAR 3,511

$4,526 BGN 7,875

-79.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,334 SAR 5,008

$3,109 BGN 5,410

-57.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,239 SAR 8,402

$1,780 BGN 3,098

25.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

107.61%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Abha: November 2, 2026

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Abha

$246 23.5%

Sofia

$593 37.4% 141% $347

Groceries & Markets

Abha

$202 19.3%

Sofia

$288 18.2% 42.3% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Abha

$199 19%

Sofia

$194 12.3% 2.6% $5.1

Sport & Entertainment

Abha

$123 11.7%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 45.6% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Abha

$118 11.3%

Sofia

$152 9.6% 28.5% $34

Eating Out

Abha

$104 9.9%

Sofia

$254 16% 144% $150

Getting Around

Abha

$57 5.4%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 33.4% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $305 in Abha versus $769 in Sofia. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 26% higher in Abha, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $51 in Abha versus $68 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $202 vs $288 – making Abha the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Abha

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

07:34 7:34 AM

06:34 6:34 AM

1 h behind Abha

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

236,157

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇦 Saudi Riyal (ر.س)

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.21 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.512 EUR).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Abha Sofia 3,270 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Abha
Sofia

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Abha vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia costs about 51% more than Abha, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,574 per month in Abha and $2,378 in Sofia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Abha, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $305 there versus $769 in Sofia.

Groceries cost about 42% more in Sofia, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $51 in Abha and $68 in Sofia. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,049 in Abha and $1,585 in Sofia. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Abha – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.