Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ar-rass and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Ar-rass: $1,162 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Ar-rass
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Ar-rass Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index

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Ar-rass

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,162

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,162 in Ar-rass versus $1,585 in Sofia.

Ar-rass $1,162
Sofia $1,585

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,717 in Ar-rass versus $2,486 in Sofia.

Ar-rass $1,717
Sofia $2,486

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,272 in Ar-rass versus $3,387 in Sofia.

Ar-rass $2,272
Sofia $3,387

Living in Ar-rass costs roughly 27% less than in Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ar-rass is 14% below, Sofia is 17% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.73 SAR 25.27

$16.57 BGN 28.84

-59.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.53 SAR 141

$67.7 BGN 118

-44.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.20 SAR 30.78

$11.68 BGN 20.33

-29.79%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.81 SAR 6.79

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 SAR 8.23

Cappuccino

$3.29 SAR 12.36

$3.41 BGN 5.93

-3.52%

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

$0.88 SAR 3.30

$2.36 BGN 4.11

-62.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 SAR 1.01

$1.67 BGN 2.91

-83.83%

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)

$1.81 SAR 6.81

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-6.70%

White Bread (500g)

$0.38 SAR 1.43

$1.55 BGN 2.70

-75.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 SAR 6.85

$2.35 BGN 4.09

-22.55%

Eggs

$3.67 SAR 13.78

$4.60 BGN 8.00

-20.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.77 SAR 25.40

$11.47 BGN 19.96

-40.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.99 SAR 29.97

$8.65 BGN 15.04

-7.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 SAR 48.43

$17.34 BGN 30.17

-25.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.14 SAR 8.03

$2.15 BGN 3.73

-0.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 SAR 6.48

$1.98 BGN 3.45

-12.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 SAR 6.17

$1.83 BGN 3.18

-10.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 SAR 5.84

$4.27 BGN 7.43

-63.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.25 SAR 4.68

$1.04 BGN 1.82

20.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 SAR 5.01

$0.89 BGN 1.54

49.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 SAR 4.73

$1.19 BGN 2.06

5.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 SAR 2.17

$0.83 BGN 1.45

-30.12%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.01 SAR 11.29

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 SAR 7.33

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 SAR 7.94

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.88 SAR 29.58

$4.40 BGN 7.66

79.09%

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)

$0.96 SAR 3.60

$0.92 BGN 1.60

4.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.22 SAR 158

$28.11 BGN 48.91

50.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.61 SAR 9.78

$1.67 BGN 2.90

56.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 SAR 5.60

$0.85 BGN 1.49

75.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.93 SAR 52.3

$16.59 BGN 28.87

-16.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.61 SAR 2.27

$1.74 BGN 3.03

-64.94%

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

$25.3K SAR 95.1K

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

-15.37%

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

$21.7K SAR 81.4K

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

-13.27%

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

$94.9 SAR 356

$158 BGN 275

-39.88%

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

$24.18 SAR 90.7

$21.27 BGN 37.01

13.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.3 SAR 226

$15.12 BGN 26.30

298.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.79 SAR 164

$46.85 BGN 81.5

-6.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

Cinema Ticket

$13.26 SAR 49.78

$10.00 BGN 17.39

32.60%

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

$417 SAR 1,565

$815 BGN 1,419

-48.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.2K SAR 42.0K

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

-23.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.38 SAR 159

$87.1 BGN 152

-51.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 SAR 209

$38.28 BGN 66.6

45.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.9 SAR 368

$106 BGN 184

-7.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.6 SAR 280

$107 BGN 187

-30.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$562 SAR 2,110

$769 BGN 1,338

-26.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$416 SAR 1,560

$593 BGN 1,032

-29.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$383 SAR 1,439

$1,530 BGN 2,662

-74.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 SAR 2,327

$1,061 BGN 1,846

-41.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,915 SAR 7,189

$4,526 BGN 7,875

-57.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,353 SAR 5,078

$3,109 BGN 5,410

-56.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,732 SAR 6,501

$1,780 BGN 3,098

-2.70%

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 Ar-rass: 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

Ar-rass

$416 35.8%

Sofia

$593 37.4% 42.7% $178

Groceries & Markets

Ar-rass

$197 16.9%

Sofia

$288 18.2% 46.3% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ar-rass

$179 15.4%

Sofia

$194 12.3% 8.3% $15

Eating Out

Ar-rass

$123 10.5%

Sofia

$254 16% 107% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Ar-rass

$122 10.5%

Sofia

$152 9.6% 24.9% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Ar-rass

$70 6.1%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 4.9% $3.5

Getting Around

Ar-rass

$56 4.8%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 32.8% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $562 in Ar-rass and $769 in Sofia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 3% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $38 in Ar-rass vs $68 in Sofia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $197 vs $288 per month, with Ar-rass cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Ar-rass

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

12:30 12:30 PM

11:30 11:30 AM

1 h behind Ar-rass

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

121,359

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 = 4.22 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

Ar-rass Sofia 2,620 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ar-rass
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

Ar-rass vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,162 in Ar-rass and $1,585 in Sofia, so Ar-rass is about 27% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 3% lower in Ar-rass. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $562 in Ar-rass versus $769 in Sofia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $417 in Ar-rass versus $815 in Sofia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 46% higher in Sofia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Ar-rass gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Ar-rass wins on affordability, Sofia on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.