Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medina and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Medina: $1,327 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

64

Cost of Living Index in Medina
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Medina Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Medina

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,327

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,327 per month in Medina vs $1,585 in Sofia, rent included.

Medina $1,327
Sofia $1,585

A couple spends around $1,779 per month in Medina vs $2,486 in Sofia, rent included.

Medina $1,779
Sofia $2,486

A family of three spends $2,231 per month in Medina vs $3,387 in Sofia, rent included.

Medina $2,231
Sofia $3,387

Medina is about 16% cheaper than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Medina sits 2% below the global median, while Sofia is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.53 SAR 20.75

$16.57 BGN 28.84

-66.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 SAR 121

$67.7 BGN 118

-52.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.20 SAR 30.77

$11.68 BGN 20.33

-29.79%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.62 SAR 6.10

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 SAR 6.31

Cappuccino

$2.60 SAR 9.76

$3.41 BGN 5.93

-23.75%

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

$0.73 SAR 2.72

$2.36 BGN 4.11

-69.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 SAR 0.94

$1.67 BGN 2.91

-85.03%

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)

$1.48 SAR 5.57

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-23.71%

White Bread (500g)

$0.92 SAR 3.46

$1.55 BGN 2.70

-40.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 SAR 8.89

$2.35 BGN 4.09

0.85%

Eggs

$2.00 SAR 7.51

$4.60 BGN 8.00

-56.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.35 SAR 20.08

$11.47 BGN 19.96

-53.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.09 SAR 26.61

$8.65 BGN 15.04

-18.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.52 SAR 47.00

$17.34 BGN 30.17

-27.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 SAR 8.82

$2.15 BGN 3.73

9.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 SAR 7.49

$1.98 BGN 3.45

1.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 SAR 8.43

$1.83 BGN 3.18

22.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 SAR 5.51

$4.27 BGN 7.43

-65.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.37 SAR 5.14

$1.04 BGN 1.82

31.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.32 SAR 4.95

$0.89 BGN 1.54

48.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 SAR 3.46

$1.19 BGN 2.06

-22.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 SAR 2.63

$0.83 BGN 1.45

-15.66%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.34 SAR 5.04

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 SAR 5.56

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 SAR 5.88

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.41 SAR 27.82

$4.40 BGN 7.66

68.41%

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)

$1.08 SAR 4.06

$0.92 BGN 1.60

17.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.54 SAR 137

$28.11 BGN 48.91

29.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 SAR 5.07

$1.67 BGN 2.90

-19.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 SAR 6.40

$0.85 BGN 1.49

101.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.71 SAR 21.42

$16.59 BGN 28.87

-65.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.65 SAR 2.43

$1.74 BGN 3.03

-62.64%

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

$42.0K SAR 157.8K

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

40.44%

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

$20.5K SAR 76.8K

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

-18.14%

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

$147 SAR 552

$158 BGN 275

-6.81%

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

$28.09 SAR 105

$21.27 BGN 37.01

32.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$87.7 SAR 329

$15.12 BGN 26.30

480.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$78.4 SAR 294

$46.85 BGN 81.5

67.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.93 SAR 33.52

$27.82 BGN 48.41

-67.90%

Cinema Ticket

$13.10 SAR 49.15

$10.00 BGN 17.39

31.00%

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

$291 SAR 1,091

$815 BGN 1,419

-64.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,499 SAR 20.6K

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

-62.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.75 SAR 142

$87.1 BGN 152

-56.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.3 SAR 196

$38.28 BGN 66.6

36.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.7 SAR 247

$106 BGN 184

-37.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.6 SAR 258

$107 BGN 187

-35.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$562 SAR 2,109

$769 BGN 1,338

-26.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$515 SAR 1,931

$593 BGN 1,032

-13.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$753 SAR 2,825

$1,530 BGN 2,662

-50.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$560 SAR 2,102

$1,061 BGN 1,846

-47.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,284 SAR 8,574

$4,526 BGN 7,875

-49.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,323 SAR 4,966

$3,109 BGN 5,410

-57.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,233 SAR 4,627

$1,780 BGN 3,098

-30.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.17

2.89

44.29%

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

Last update for Medina: 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

Medina

$515 38.8%

Sofia

$593 37.4% 15.3% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medina

$263 19.8%

Sofia

$194 12.3% 26.1% $69

Groceries & Markets

Medina

$190 14.3%

Sofia

$288 18.2% 51.8% $98

Sport & Entertainment

Medina

$105 7.9%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 36.1% $38

Eating Out

Medina

$104 7.8%

Sofia

$254 16% 144% $150

Clothing & Footwear

Medina

$101 7.6%

Sofia

$152 9.6% 50.7% $51

Getting Around

Medina

$51 3.8%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 25.7% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $562 in Medina 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 44% higher in Sofia. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Medina versus $68 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $190 vs $288 – making Medina the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Medina

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

12:29 12:29 PM

11:29 11:29 AM

1 h behind Medina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,100,093

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medina Sofia 2,520 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Medina
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

Medina vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia costs about 19% more than Medina, 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 $1,991 per month in Medina 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 Medina, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $562 there versus $769 in Sofia.

Kindergarten costs $291 per month in Medina 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 52% more in Sofia, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,327 in Medina and $1,585 in Sofia. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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