Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al Khobar and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Khobar: $1,471 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

71

Cost of Living Index in Al Khobar
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Al Khobar Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index

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Al Khobar

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,471

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Al Khobar 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 Al Khobar and in Sofia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,471 in Al Khobar versus $1,585 in Sofia.

Al Khobar $1,471
Sofia $1,585

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,231 in Al Khobar versus $2,486 in Sofia.

Al Khobar $2,231
Sofia $2,486

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,991 in Al Khobar versus $3,387 in Sofia.

Al Khobar $2,991
Sofia $3,387

Living in Al Khobar costs roughly 7% less than in Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Al Khobar 9% above, Sofia 17% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.74 SAR 25.29

$16.57 BGN 28.84

-59.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 SAR 226

$67.7 BGN 118

-11.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.14 SAR 30.57

$11.68 BGN 20.33

-30.31%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.60 SAR 9.76

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 SAR 10.03

Cappuccino

$4.35 SAR 16.33

$3.41 BGN 5.93

27.57%

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

$0.94 SAR 3.54

$2.36 BGN 4.11

-60.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 SAR 1.53

$1.67 BGN 2.91

-75.45%

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)

$1.65 SAR 6.18

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-14.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.24 SAR 4.67

$1.55 BGN 2.70

-20.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.46 SAR 9.24

$2.35 BGN 4.09

4.68%

Eggs

$2.35 SAR 8.81

$4.60 BGN 8.00

-48.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.42 SAR 27.86

$11.47 BGN 19.96

-35.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.09 SAR 37.87

$8.65 BGN 15.04

16.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.69 SAR 43.86

$17.34 BGN 30.17

-32.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 SAR 10.20

$2.15 BGN 3.73

26.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 SAR 6.40

$1.98 BGN 3.45

-13.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 SAR 7.43

$1.83 BGN 3.18

8.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.74 SAR 6.52

$4.27 BGN 7.43

-59.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.42 SAR 5.33

$1.04 BGN 1.82

36.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 SAR 6.25

$0.89 BGN 1.54

87.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 SAR 6.18

$1.19 BGN 2.06

38.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 SAR 2.01

$0.83 BGN 1.45

-36.14%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.62 SAR 9.82

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 SAR 5.92

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 SAR 7.03

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.80 SAR 25.50

$4.40 BGN 7.66

54.55%

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)

$0.93 SAR 3.49

$0.92 BGN 1.60

1.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.5 SAR 204

$28.11 BGN 48.91

93.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.76 SAR 6.61

$1.67 BGN 2.90

5.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.68 SAR 10.07

$0.85 BGN 1.49

215.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.22 SAR 53.4

$16.59 BGN 28.87

-14.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.63 SAR 2.38

$1.74 BGN 3.03

-63.79%

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

$66.8K SAR 250.9K

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

123.28%

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

$21.4K SAR 80.3K

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

-14.43%

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

$96.9 SAR 364

$158 BGN 275

-38.63%

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

$32.58 SAR 122

$21.27 BGN 37.01

53.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.3 SAR 256

$15.12 BGN 26.30

351.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$80.1 SAR 301

$46.85 BGN 81.5

70.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.17 SAR 136

$27.82 BGN 48.41

30.01%

Cinema Ticket

$15.22 SAR 57.1

$10.00 BGN 17.39

52.20%

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

$599 SAR 2,249

$815 BGN 1,419

-26.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.6K SAR 69.9K

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

27.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.5 SAR 238

$87.1 BGN 152

-27.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$83.0 SAR 311

$38.28 BGN 66.6

116.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.4 SAR 366

$106 BGN 184

-7.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.8 SAR 356

$107 BGN 187

-11.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$762 SAR 2,860

$769 BGN 1,338

-0.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$584 SAR 2,192

$593 BGN 1,032

-1.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,226 SAR 4,602

$1,530 BGN 2,662

-19.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$912 SAR 3,424

$1,061 BGN 1,846

-13.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,437 SAR 5,392

$4,526 BGN 7,875

-68.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,037 SAR 3,894

$3,109 BGN 5,410

-66.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,872 SAR 7,028

$1,780 BGN 3,098

5.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.88

2.89

103.46%

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

Last update for Al Khobar: November 3, 2026

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Al Khobar

$584 39.7%

Sofia

$593 37.4% 1.6% $9.1

Groceries & Markets

Al Khobar

$217 14.8%

Sofia

$288 18.2% 32.6% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al Khobar

$198 13.4%

Sofia

$194 12.3% 1.8% $3.5

Clothing & Footwear

Al Khobar

$152 10.4%

Sofia

$152 9.6% 0.2% $0.2

Eating Out

Al Khobar

$136 9.2%

Sofia

$254 16% 86.6% $118

Sport & Entertainment

Al Khobar

$111 7.5%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 39.5% $44

Getting Around

Al Khobar

$73 5%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 48.6% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $762 in Al Khobar and $769 in Sofia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Al Khobar pays 5% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $60 in Al Khobar vs $68 in Sofia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $217 vs $288 per month, with Al Khobar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Al Khobar

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

04:58 4:58 AM

03:58 3:58 AM

1 h behind Al Khobar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

219,679

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

Al Khobar Sofia 3,040 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Al Khobar
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

Al Khobar vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al Khobar wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Sofia. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Al Khobar the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 5% higher in Al Khobar, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $762 in Al Khobar versus $769 in Sofia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Sofia runs roughly 48% less than in Al Khobar. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $599 in Al Khobar versus $815 in Sofia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Al Khobar is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Al Khobar and Sofia are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.