Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saudi Arabia and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Saudi Arabia: $1,282 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Saudi Arabia
Sofia, Bulgaria
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
$1,282
/mo nomad
Sofia
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
$1,585
/mo nomad
🙂 Solo nomad: Saudi Arabia is 14.1% cheaper than Sofia without rent, and 19.1% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Saudi Arabia is 20.3% cheaper than Sofia without rent, and 25.3% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Saudi Arabia
Sofia
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.52 SAR 24.47
$16.57 BGN 28.84
-60.65%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$39.48 SAR 148
$67.7 BGN 118
-41.67%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.95 SAR 29.82
$11.68 BGN 20.33
-31.93%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.90 SAR 7.11
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.08 SAR 7.82
-
-
Cappuccino
$3.81 SAR 14.29
$3.41 BGN 5.93
11.73%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.74 SAR 2.77
$2.36 BGN 4.11
-68.64%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.27 SAR 1.02
$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
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Saudi Arabia
Sofia
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.70 SAR 6.40
$1.94 BGN 3.38
-12.37%
White Bread (500g)
$1.07 SAR 4.01
$1.55 BGN 2.70
-30.97%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.19 SAR 8.21
$2.35 BGN 4.09
-6.81%
Eggs
$2.60 SAR 9.77
$4.60 BGN 8.00
-43.48%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.60 SAR 28.53
$11.47 BGN 19.96
-33.74%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.05 SAR 30.22
$8.65 BGN 15.04
-6.94%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.47 SAR 50.6
$17.34 BGN 30.17
-22.32%
Apples (1kg)
$2.27 SAR 8.50
$2.15 BGN 3.73
5.58%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 SAR 6.49
$1.98 BGN 3.45
-12.63%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.71 SAR 6.42
$1.83 BGN 3.18
-6.56%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.60 SAR 6.01
$4.27 BGN 7.43
-62.53%
Potato (1kg)
$1.29 SAR 4.83
$1.04 BGN 1.82
24.04%
Onion (1kg)
$1.34 SAR 5.02
$0.89 BGN 1.54
50.56%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.28 SAR 4.82
$1.19 BGN 2.06
7.56%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.56 SAR 2.12
$0.83 BGN 1.45
-32.53%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
$4.25 SAR 15.96
-
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.65 SAR 6.18
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.16 SAR 8.11
-
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.27 SAR 27.30
$4.40 BGN 7.66
65.23%
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
-
🚌 Getting Around
Saudi Arabia
Sofia
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.07 SAR 4.02
$0.92 BGN 1.60
16.30%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$37.45 SAR 141
$28.11 BGN 48.91
33.23%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.71 SAR 10.16
$1.67 BGN 2.90
62.28%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.60 SAR 9.76
$0.85 BGN 1.49
205.88%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$13.28 SAR 49.86
$16.59 BGN 28.87
-19.95%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.59 SAR 2.22
$1.74 BGN 3.03
-66.09%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.1K SAR 112.8K
$29.9K BGN 52.1K
0.40%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.8K SAR 82.0K
$25.0K BGN 43.5K
-12.66%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Saudi Arabia
Sofia
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$97.1 SAR 364
$158 BGN 275
-38.48%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$31.17 SAR 117
$21.27 BGN 37.01
46.54%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$67.2 SAR 252
$15.12 BGN 26.30
344.51%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Saudi Arabia
Sofia
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$76.4 SAR 287
$46.85 BGN 81.5
62.99%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$38.32 SAR 144
$27.82 BGN 48.41
37.74%
Cinema Ticket
$14.37 SAR 53.9
$10.00 BGN 17.39
43.70%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Saudi Arabia
Sofia
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$458 SAR 1,718
$815 BGN 1,419
-43.87%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.6K SAR 54.7K
$14.6K BGN 25.5K
-0.55%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Saudi Arabia
Sofia
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$47.19 SAR 177
$87.1 BGN 152
-45.81%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$57.0 SAR 214
$38.28 BGN 66.6
48.85%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$89.1 SAR 334
$106 BGN 184
-15.66%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$84.4 SAR 317
$107 BGN 187
-21.22%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Saudi Arabia
Sofia
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$637 SAR 2,392
$769 BGN 1,338
-17.11%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$468 SAR 1,757
$593 BGN 1,032
-21.08%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$999 SAR 3,749
$1,530 BGN 2,662
-34.70%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$705 SAR 2,646
$1,061 BGN 1,846
-33.54%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,107 SAR 7,907
$4,526 BGN 7,875
-53.45%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,253 SAR 4,702
$3,109 BGN 5,410
-59.71%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Saudi Arabia
Sofia
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,869 SAR 7,015
$1,780 BGN 3,098
4.99%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.4
2.89
86.85%

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

Last update for Saudi Arabia: 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
Saudi Arabia
$468
Sofia
$593 26.7% $125
Groceries & Markets
Saudi Arabia
$205
Sofia
$288 40.1% $82
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Saudi Arabia
$195
Sofia
$194 0.6% $1.2
Eating Out
Saudi Arabia
$126
Sofia
$254 102% $128
Clothing & Footwear
Saudi Arabia
$125
Sofia
$152 21.8% $27
Sport & Entertainment
Saudi Arabia
$105
Sofia
$67 36.4% $38
Getting Around
Saudi Arabia
$57
Sofia
$38 34.3% $20
Good to know
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
🇧🇬 Sofia
🕒 Local time
18:56 6:56 PM
17:56 5:56 PM
1 h behind Saudi Arabia
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
33,000,000
1,286,383 Capital
💱 Currency
Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س
Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.
Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Saudi Arabia Sofia 2,930 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Saudi Arabia
  • 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

Saudi Arabia vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar countries

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?