Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Abha

For one person, living is cheaper in Abha: $1,049 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Abha
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Abha Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Abha

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,049

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Abha

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Sofia and in Abha actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,585 per month in Sofia vs $1,049 in Abha, rent included.

Sofia $1,585
Abha $1,049

A couple spends around $2,486 per month in Sofia vs $1,747 in Abha, rent included.

Sofia $2,486
Abha $1,747

A family of three spends $3,387 per month in Sofia vs $2,444 in Abha, rent included.

Sofia $3,387
Abha $2,444

Sofia costs about 51% more than Abha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 17% above the global median, while Abha is 22% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$5.18 SAR 19.45

219.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$50.7 SAR 190

33.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$7.22 SAR 27.09

61.77%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.64 SAR 6.14

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 SAR 4.90

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$3.11 SAR 11.67

9.65%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$0.63 SAR 2.38

274.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.22 SAR 0.82

659.09%

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)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$1.63 SAR 6.10

19.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.64 SAR 2.39

142.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$1.97 SAR 7.38

19.29%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$3.10 SAR 11.65

48.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$4.33 SAR 16.27

164.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$7.59 SAR 28.47

13.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$18.40 SAR 69.1

-5.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$2.08 SAR 7.82

3.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.94 SAR 7.27

2.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$1.64 SAR 6.14

11.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$1.61 SAR 6.05

165.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$2.18 SAR 8.18

-52.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$1.26 SAR 4.72

-29.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$0.34 SAR 1.27

250.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.51 SAR 1.93

62.75%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.40 SAR 16.53

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 SAR 4.61

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 SAR 5.35

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$9.12 SAR 34.21

-51.75%

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)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$0.85 SAR 3.20

8.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

$37.06 SAR 139

-24.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$2.99 SAR 11.22

-44.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$2.63 SAR 9.87

-67.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$14.25 SAR 53.5

16.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$0.59 SAR 2.22

194.92%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$28.7K SAR 107.7K

4.35%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$19.0K SAR 71.5K

31.34%

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

$158 BGN 275

$86.9 SAR 326

81.68%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$36.53 SAR 137

-41.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$75.9 SAR 285

-80.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$91.5 SAR 343

-48.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

$45.46 SAR 171

-38.80%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$15.73 SAR 59.1

-36.43%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$211 SAR 792

286.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$4,216 SAR 15.8K

247.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$30.04 SAR 113

189.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$69.8 SAR 262

-45.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$96.3 SAR 361

9.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$67.0 SAR 251

60.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$305 SAR 1,144

152.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$246 SAR 923

141.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$541 SAR 2,030

182.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$570 SAR 2,140

86.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$935 SAR 3,511

383.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$1,334 SAR 5,008

133.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

$2,239 SAR 8,402

-20.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

-51.83%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Abha: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Abha

$246 23.5% 58.5% $347

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Abha

$202 19.3% 29.7% $86

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Abha

$104 9.9% 59.1% $150

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Abha

$199 19% 2.6% $5.1

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Abha

$118 11.3% 22.2% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Abha

$123 11.7% 83.9% $56

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Abha

$57 5.4% 50.1% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $769 in Sofia versus $305 in Abha. 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 26% higher in Abha, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia versus $51 in Abha. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $202 – making Abha the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇸🇦 Abha

🕒 Local time

10:17 10:17 AM

11:17 11:17 AM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

236,157

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

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).

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).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sofia Abha 3,270 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Abha

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

Sofia vs Abha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia costs about 51% more than Abha, 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 $2,378 per month in Sofia and $1,574 in Abha. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Abha, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $305 there versus $769 in Sofia.

Groceries cost about 42% more in Sofia, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia and $51 in Abha. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,585 in Sofia and $1,049 in Abha. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Abha – 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.