Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madinat Hamad and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Madinat Hamad: $1,192 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Madinat Hamad
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Madinat Hamad Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Madinat Hamad

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$1,192

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,192 per month in Madinat Hamad vs $1,585 in Sofia, rent included.

Madinat Hamad $1,192
Sofia $1,585

A couple spends around $1,909 per month in Madinat Hamad vs $2,486 in Sofia, rent included.

Madinat Hamad $1,909
Sofia $2,486

A family of three spends $2,627 per month in Madinat Hamad vs $3,387 in Sofia, rent included.

Madinat Hamad $2,627
Sofia $3,387

Madinat Hamad is about 25% cheaper than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Madinat Hamad sits 12% below the global median, while Sofia is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.60 BHD 0.98

$16.57 BGN 28.84

-84.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.6 BHD 19.82

$67.7 BGN 118

-22.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.62 BHD 2.87

$11.68 BGN 20.33

-34.76%

Cappuccino

$2.62 BHD 0.99

$3.41 BGN 5.93

-23.17%

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

$0.89 BHD 0.33

$2.36 BGN 4.11

-62.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 BHD 0.12

$1.67 BGN 2.91

-80.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.44 BHD 2.43

$3.99 BGN 6.94

61.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.77 BHD 3.68

$4.53 BGN 7.88

115.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 BHD 0.54

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-25.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 BHD 0.39

$1.55 BGN 2.70

-33.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 BHD 0.90

$2.35 BGN 4.09

1.70%

Eggs

$2.02 BHD 0.76

$4.60 BGN 8.00

-56.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.86 BHD 3.34

$11.47 BGN 19.96

-22.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.41 BHD 2.42

$8.65 BGN 15.04

-25.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.36 BHD 3.15

$17.34 BGN 30.17

-51.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.18 BHD 0.82

$2.15 BGN 3.73

1.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 BHD 0.61

$1.98 BGN 3.45

-18.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.90 BHD 0.72

$1.83 BGN 3.18

3.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.35 BHD 0.51

$4.27 BGN 7.43

-68.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 BHD 0.38

$1.04 BGN 1.82

-1.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 BHD 0.39

$0.89 BGN 1.54

15.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.50 BHD 0.56

$1.19 BGN 2.06

26.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 BHD 0.19

$0.83 BGN 1.45

-39.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.17 BHD 1.95

$4.40 BGN 7.66

17.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.64 BHD 7.03

$7.42 BGN 12.91

151.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.66 BHD 1.38

$1.16 BGN 2.01

215.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 BHD 1.02

$1.90 BGN 3.30

42.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.64 BHD 0.24

$0.92 BGN 1.60

-30.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.51 BHD 13.01

$28.11 BGN 48.91

22.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.15 BHD 1.94

$1.67 BGN 2.90

208.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.59 BHD 0.98

$0.85 BGN 1.49

204.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.06 BHD 6.06

$16.59 BGN 28.87

-3.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.39 BHD 0.15

$1.74 BGN 3.03

-77.59%

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

$25.7K BHD 9,693

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

-14.14%

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

$19.9K BHD 7,510

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

-20.38%

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

$155 BHD 58.3

$158 BGN 275

-1.99%

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

$23.42 BHD 8.83

$21.27 BGN 37.01

10.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.89 BHD 7.12

$15.12 BGN 26.30

24.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$118 BHD 44.36

$46.85 BGN 81.5

151.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$53.9 BHD 20.34

$27.82 BGN 48.41

93.89%

Cinema Ticket

$5.21 BHD 1.96

$10.00 BGN 17.39

-47.90%

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

$619 BHD 233

$815 BGN 1,419

-24.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K BHD 4,194

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

-24.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.5 BHD 19.41

$87.1 BGN 152

-40.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 BHD 21.67

$38.28 BGN 66.6

50.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 BHD 32.80

$106 BGN 184

-17.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 BHD 34.10

$107 BGN 187

-15.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$397 BHD 150

$769 BGN 1,338

-48.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$312 BHD 118

$593 BGN 1,032

-47.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$797 BHD 300

$1,530 BGN 2,662

-47.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$670 BHD 253

$1,061 BGN 1,846

-36.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$669 BHD 252

$1,780 BGN 3,098

-62.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.21

2.89

114.88%

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

Last update for Madinat Hamad: October 31, 2026

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Madinat Hamad

$312 26.2%

Sofia

$593 37.4% 90.1% $281

Groceries & Markets

Madinat Hamad

$239 20.1%

Sofia

$288 18.2% 20.3% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madinat Hamad

$197 16.5%

Sofia

$194 12.3% 1.4% $2.8

Eating Out

Madinat Hamad

$132 11.1%

Sofia

$254 16% 92.5% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Madinat Hamad

$129 10.8%

Sofia

$152 9.6% 18.1% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Madinat Hamad

$128 10.7%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 47.8% $61

Getting Around

Madinat Hamad

$55 4.6%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 31.6% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $397 in Madinat Hamad 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 in Sofia are about 2.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $53 in Madinat Hamad versus $68 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $239 vs $288 – making Madinat Hamad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇭 Madinat Hamad

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

14:58 2:58 PM

13:58 1:58 PM

1 h behind Madinat Hamad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

133,350

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Bahraini Dinar BHD .د.ب

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 BHD = 2.65 USD

1 BHD = 2.36 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to BHD – Bahraini Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇭 Bahraini Dinar (.د.ب)

Bahraini Dinar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.377 BHD (1 BHD = 2.65 USD). 1 EUR = 0.424 BHD (1 BHD = 2.36 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 BHD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Madinat Hamad Sofia 3,080 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Madinat Hamad
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

Madinat Hamad vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,192 in Madinat Hamad, $1,585 in Sofia – Madinat Hamad comes out roughly 25% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,788 per month in Madinat Hamad 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 Madinat Hamad, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $397 there versus $769 in Sofia.

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

Kindergarten costs $619 per month in Madinat Hamad and $815 in Sofia. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,192 in Madinat Hamad and $1,585 in Sofia, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Sofia has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,192 in Madinat Hamad to $1,585 in Sofia. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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