Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jizan and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Jizan: $928 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Jizan
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Jizan Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Jizan

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$928

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $928 per month in Jizan vs $1,585 in Sofia, rent included.

Jizan $928
Sofia $1,585

A couple spends around $1,525 per month in Jizan vs $2,486 in Sofia, rent included.

Jizan $1,525
Sofia $2,486

A family of three spends $2,122 per month in Jizan vs $3,387 in Sofia, rent included.

Jizan $2,122
Sofia $3,387

Jizan is about 41% cheaper than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Jizan sits 31% below the global median, while Sofia is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.34 SAR 20.04

$16.57 BGN 28.84

-67.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.65 SAR 141

$67.7 BGN 118

-44.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.17 SAR 26.91

$11.68 BGN 20.33

-38.61%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.70 SAR 6.39

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 SAR 7.15

Cappuccino

$3.13 SAR 11.75

$3.41 BGN 5.93

-8.21%

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

$0.75 SAR 2.80

$2.36 BGN 4.11

-68.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 SAR 1.05

$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)

$1.67 SAR 6.25

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-13.92%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 SAR 3.69

$1.55 BGN 2.70

-36.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 SAR 8.05

$2.35 BGN 4.09

-8.94%

Eggs

$2.96 SAR 11.11

$4.60 BGN 8.00

-35.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.79 SAR 29.22

$11.47 BGN 19.96

-32.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.21 SAR 19.54

$8.65 BGN 15.04

-39.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.50 SAR 54.4

$17.34 BGN 30.17

-16.38%

Apples (1kg)

$1.85 SAR 6.96

$2.15 BGN 3.73

-13.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 SAR 5.89

$1.98 BGN 3.45

-20.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 SAR 7.96

$1.83 BGN 3.18

15.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 SAR 5.56

$4.27 BGN 7.43

-65.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.34 SAR 5.03

$1.04 BGN 1.82

28.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 SAR 5.52

$0.89 BGN 1.54

65.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 SAR 4.79

$1.19 BGN 2.06

7.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 SAR 2.81

$0.83 BGN 1.45

-9.64%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.64 SAR 6.14

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 SAR 6.89

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 SAR 6.08

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.62 SAR 24.86

$4.40 BGN 7.66

50.45%

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)

$1.09 SAR 4.08

$0.92 BGN 1.60

18.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.84 SAR 85.7

$28.11 BGN 48.91

-18.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.69 SAR 10.10

$1.67 BGN 2.90

61.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.41 SAR 12.78

$0.85 BGN 1.49

301.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.10 SAR 60.4

$16.59 BGN 28.87

-2.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.65 SAR 2.44

$1.74 BGN 3.03

-62.64%

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

$43.1K SAR 161.8K

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

43.98%

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

$17.2K SAR 64.6K

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

-31.22%

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

$105 SAR 395

$158 BGN 275

-33.33%

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

$36.04 SAR 135

$21.27 BGN 37.01

69.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.7 SAR 239

$15.12 BGN 26.30

321.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$97.1 SAR 364

$46.85 BGN 81.5

107.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$37.39 SAR 140

$27.82 BGN 48.41

34.40%

Cinema Ticket

$15.78 SAR 59.2

$10.00 BGN 17.39

57.80%

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

$202 SAR 758

$815 BGN 1,419

-75.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,059 SAR 15.2K

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

-72.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.36 SAR 125

$87.1 BGN 152

-61.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.5 SAR 208

$38.28 BGN 66.6

44.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 SAR 450

$106 BGN 184

13.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$47.35 SAR 178

$107 BGN 187

-55.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$270 SAR 1,013

$769 BGN 1,338

-64.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$131 SAR 492

$593 BGN 1,032

-77.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$484 SAR 1,817

$1,530 BGN 2,662

-68.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$353 SAR 1,325

$1,061 BGN 1,846

-66.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$796 SAR 2,986

$4,526 BGN 7,875

-82.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,609 SAR 6,039

$1,780 BGN 3,098

-9.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

73.01%

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

Last update for Jizan: November 1, 2026

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jizan

$205 22.1%

Sofia

$194 12.3% 5.2% $11

Groceries & Markets

Jizan

$195 21.1%

Sofia

$288 18.2% 47.3% $92

Accommodation & Living

Jizan

$131 14.1%

Sofia

$593 37.4% 353% $462

Sport & Entertainment

Jizan

$129 13.9%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 48% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Jizan

$115 12.4%

Sofia

$152 9.6% 32.1% $37

Eating Out

Jizan

$106 11.4%

Sofia

$254 16% 140% $148

Getting Around

Jizan

$47 5.1%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 19.6% $9.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $270 in Jizan 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 11% higher in Sofia, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Jizan versus $68 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $195 vs $288 – making Jizan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Jizan

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

08:42 8:42 AM

07:42 7:42 AM

1 h behind Jizan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,743

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

Jizan Sofia 3,400 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Jizan
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

Jizan vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia costs about 71% more than Jizan, 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 $1,392 per month in Jizan 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 Jizan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $270 there versus $769 in Sofia.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $928 in Jizan and $1,585 in Sofia. That makes Jizan about 41% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 19% less in Jizan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $928 in Jizan and $1,585 in Sofia. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Jizan – 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 Jizan. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sofia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.