Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al Mubarraz and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Mubarraz: $1,251 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Al Mubarraz
Learn more

Al Mubarraz Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index

Jump to prices

Al Mubarraz

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,251

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,251 per month in Al Mubarraz vs $1,585 in Sofia, rent included.

Al Mubarraz $1,251
Sofia $1,585

A couple spends around $1,894 per month in Al Mubarraz vs $2,486 in Sofia, rent included.

Al Mubarraz $1,894
Sofia $2,486

A family of three spends $2,538 per month in Al Mubarraz vs $3,387 in Sofia, rent included.

Al Mubarraz $2,538
Sofia $3,387

Al Mubarraz is about 21% cheaper than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Al Mubarraz sits 7% below the global median, while Sofia is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.36 SAR 27.64

$16.57 BGN 28.84

-55.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.62 SAR 137

$67.7 BGN 118

-45.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.00 SAR 30.02

$11.68 BGN 20.33

-31.51%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.08 SAR 7.79

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 SAR 7.89

Cappuccino

$4.47 SAR 16.76

$3.41 BGN 5.93

31.09%

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

$0.67 SAR 2.52

$2.36 BGN 4.11

-71.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 SAR 1.06

$1.67 BGN 2.91

-83.23%

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)

$1.73 SAR 6.50

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-10.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.33 SAR 4.99

$1.55 BGN 2.70

-14.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.47 SAR 9.27

$2.35 BGN 4.09

5.11%

Eggs

$2.99 SAR 11.21

$4.60 BGN 8.00

-35.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.63 SAR 39.90

$11.47 BGN 19.96

-7.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.59 SAR 36.01

$8.65 BGN 15.04

10.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.99 SAR 56.3

$17.34 BGN 30.17

-13.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 SAR 10.98

$2.15 BGN 3.73

36.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 SAR 7.06

$1.98 BGN 3.45

-5.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.51 SAR 9.41

$1.83 BGN 3.18

37.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.78 SAR 6.69

$4.27 BGN 7.43

-58.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 SAR 4.38

$1.04 BGN 1.82

12.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 SAR 4.99

$0.89 BGN 1.54

49.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 SAR 6.59

$1.19 BGN 2.06

47.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 SAR 2.17

$0.83 BGN 1.45

-30.12%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.98 SAR 11.19

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 SAR 6.59

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 SAR 9.33

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.59 SAR 28.48

$4.40 BGN 7.66

72.50%

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)

$1.02 SAR 3.82

$0.92 BGN 1.60

10.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.07 SAR 120

$28.11 BGN 48.91

14.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.27 SAR 12.27

$1.67 BGN 2.90

95.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.89 SAR 7.09

$0.85 BGN 1.49

122.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.53 SAR 50.8

$16.59 BGN 28.87

-18.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 SAR 2.40

$1.74 BGN 3.03

-63.22%

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

$26.3K SAR 98.7K

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

-12.14%

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

$21.8K SAR 81.8K

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

-12.84%

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

$107 SAR 402

$158 BGN 275

-32.22%

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

$29.24 SAR 110

$21.27 BGN 37.01

37.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.4 SAR 264

$15.12 BGN 26.30

365.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$78.5 SAR 295

$46.85 BGN 81.5

67.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

Cinema Ticket

$13.68 SAR 51.3

$10.00 BGN 17.39

36.80%

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

$552 SAR 2,073

$815 BGN 1,419

-32.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K SAR 62.0K

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

12.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 SAR 216

$87.1 BGN 152

-33.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.6 SAR 205

$38.28 BGN 66.6

42.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 SAR 386

$106 BGN 184

-2.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 SAR 392

$107 BGN 187

-2.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$557 SAR 2,092

$769 BGN 1,338

-27.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$363 SAR 1,363

$593 BGN 1,032

-38.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$914 SAR 3,432

$1,530 BGN 2,662

-40.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$611 SAR 2,293

$1,061 BGN 1,846

-42.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,728 SAR 6,485

$4,526 BGN 7,875

-61.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,143 SAR 4,289

$3,109 BGN 5,410

-63.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,069 SAR 4,010

$1,780 BGN 3,098

-39.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

2.89

91.70%

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

Last update for Al Mubarraz: November 1, 2026

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Al Mubarraz

$363 29%

Sofia

$593 37.4% 63.4% $230

Groceries & Markets

Al Mubarraz

$242 19.4%

Sofia

$288 18.2% 18.8% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al Mubarraz

$207 16.5%

Sofia

$194 12.3% 6% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Al Mubarraz

$144 11.5%

Sofia

$152 9.6% 5.9% $8.5

Eating Out

Al Mubarraz

$140 11.2%

Sofia

$254 16% 80.7% $113

Sport & Entertainment

Al Mubarraz

$106 8.5%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 36.9% $39

Getting Around

Al Mubarraz

$49 3.9%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 22.8% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $557 in Al Mubarraz 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 67% higher in Sofia. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Al Mubarraz versus $68 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $242 vs $288 – making Al Mubarraz the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Al Mubarraz

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

09:49 9:49 AM

08:49 8:49 AM

1 h behind Al Mubarraz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

290,802

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Al Mubarraz Sofia 3,070 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,251 in Al Mubarraz, $1,585 in Sofia – Al Mubarraz comes out roughly 21% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,876 per month in Al Mubarraz 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 Al Mubarraz, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $557 there versus $769 in Sofia.

Kindergarten costs $552 per month in Al Mubarraz and $815 in Sofia. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 19% more in Sofia, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,251 in Al Mubarraz and $1,585 in Sofia, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Al Mubarraz – 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.

If budget matters most, go with Al Mubarraz. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sofia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.