Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sanaa and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sanaa: $1,027 a month against $1,600 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Sanaa
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Sanaa Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Sanaa

🇾🇪 Yemen

$1,027

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,600

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,027 per month in Sanaa vs $1,600 in Sofia, rent included.

Sanaa $1,027
Sofia $1,600

A couple spends around $1,623 per month in Sanaa vs $2,490 in Sofia, rent included.

Sanaa $1,623
Sofia $2,490

A family of three spends $2,220 per month in Sanaa vs $3,380 in Sofia, rent included.

Sanaa $2,220
Sofia $3,380

Sanaa is about 36% cheaper than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sanaa sits 24% below the global median, while Sofia is 18% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.50 YER 1,534

$16.96 BGN 29.51

-61.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.73 YER 6,069

$68.3 BGN 119

-62.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.37 YER 2,211

$11.62 BGN 20.21

-19.36%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.02 YER 477

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 YER 610

Cappuccino

$3.78 YER 892

$3.43 BGN 5.98

10.20%

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

$1.12 YER 264

$2.34 BGN 4.08

-52.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 YER 131

$1.83 BGN 3.19

-69.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.41 BGN 5.93

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 BGN 7.73

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 YER 474

$1.97 BGN 3.42

2.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 YER 401

$1.49 BGN 2.59

14.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.99 YER 470

$2.33 BGN 4.05

-14.59%

Eggs

$3.75 YER 885

$4.41 BGN 7.68

-14.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.41 YER 4,107

$11.54 BGN 20.08

50.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.39 YER 1,980

$8.88 BGN 15.44

-5.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.97 YER 4,475

$17.51 BGN 30.46

8.34%

Apples (1kg)

$3.32 YER 783

$2.15 BGN 3.74

54.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 YER 249

$2.07 BGN 3.60

-49.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 YER 529

$1.93 BGN 3.37

16.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 YER 392

$4.25 BGN 7.39

-60.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 YER 357

$1.03 BGN 1.79

46.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 YER 313

$0.88 BGN 1.54

51.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 YER 283

$1.19 BGN 2.07

0.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 YER 159

$0.89 BGN 1.55

-24.72%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.49 YER 587

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 YER 438

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 YER 614

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.36 YER 1,265

$4.23 BGN 7.35

26.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.87 BGN 13.69

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.06

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 BGN 3.29

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 YER 104

$0.93 BGN 1.62

-52.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.2 YER 19.9K

$28.30 BGN 49.24

197.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.26 YER 1,005

$1.68 BGN 2.93

153.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.08 YER 492

$0.96 BGN 1.68

116.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.47 YER 1,763

$15.36 BGN 26.73

-51.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 YER 500

$1.77 BGN 3.09

19.77%

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

$17.1K YER 4.0M

$30.5K BGN 53.1K

-43.78%

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

$34.5K YER 8.1M

$25.1K BGN 43.6K

37.44%

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

$109 YER 25.6K

$157 BGN 273

-30.79%

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

$23.24 YER 5,481

$21.12 BGN 36.74

10.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$100 YER 23.7K

$15.32 BGN 26.65

555.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.4 YER 15.9K

$46.39 BGN 80.7

45.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 YER 3,899

$28.09 BGN 48.87

-41.15%

Cinema Ticket

$5.99 YER 1,413

$10.04 BGN 17.46

-40.34%

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

$118 YER 27.9K

$775 BGN 1,348

-84.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,167 YER 511.2K

$12.5K BGN 21.8K

-82.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.90 YER 9,884

$88.1 BGN 153

-52.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$123 YER 28.9K

$41.39 BGN 72.0

196.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$48.13 YER 11.4K

$107 BGN 186

-54.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.83 YER 9,632

$106 BGN 185

-61.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$224 YER 52.9K

$770 BGN 1,340

-70.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$97.0 YER 22.9K

$602 BGN 1,048

-83.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$408 YER 96.3K

$1,564 BGN 2,721

-73.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$273 YER 64.5K

$1,036 BGN 1,803

-73.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,161 YER 981.6K

$4,567 BGN 7,946

-8.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$798 YER 188.3K

$3,162 BGN 5,502

-74.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$196 YER 46.2K

$1,742 BGN 3,031

-88.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.25

2.89

289.27%

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

Last update for Sanaa: October 19, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sanaa

$271 26.4%

Sofia

$291 18.2% 7.2% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sanaa

$232 22.6%

Sofia

$194 12.1% 16.7% $39

Eating Out

Sanaa

$132 12.9%

Sofia

$254 15.9% 92.4% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Sanaa

$114 11.1%

Sofia

$154 9.6% 35.1% $40

Getting Around

Sanaa

$101 9.8%

Sofia

$39 2.4% 61.7% $62

Accommodation & Living

Sanaa

$97 9.4%

Sofia

$602 37.6% 521% $505

Sport & Entertainment

Sanaa

$79 7.7%

Sofia

$66 4.2% 16.3% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $224 in Sanaa versus $770 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 789% 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 $26.00 in Sanaa versus $68.0 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $271 vs $291 – making Sanaa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇾🇪 Sanaa

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

13:47 1:47 PM

Same time as Sanaa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,527,861 Capital

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Yemeni Rial YER ﷼

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 YER = 4.24 USD

1,000 YER = 3.77 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to YER – Yemeni Rial Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇾🇪 Yemeni Rial (﷼)

Yemeni Rial exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 236 YER (1,000 YER = 4.24 USD). 1 EUR = 265 YER (1,000 YER = 3.77 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

USD to YER in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sanaa Sofia 3,630 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Sanaa
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

Sanaa vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia costs about 56% more than Sanaa, 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 $1,541 per month in Sanaa and $2,400 in Sofia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sanaa, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 7% more in Sofia, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26.00 in Sanaa and $68.0 in Sofia. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sanaa, where all-in costs run around $1,027, than in Sofia at $1,600. In Sanaa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sanaa costs $1,027 versus $1,600 in Sofia. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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