Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Al-hawiyah

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-hawiyah: $1,121 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Al-hawiyah
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Al-hawiyah Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Al-hawiyah

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,121

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Al-hawiyah

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 Al-hawiyah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,585 in Sofia versus $1,121 in Al-hawiyah.

Sofia $1,585
Al-hawiyah $1,121

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,486 in Sofia versus $1,611 in Al-hawiyah.

Sofia $2,486
Al-hawiyah $1,611

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,387 in Sofia versus $2,100 in Al-hawiyah.

Sofia $3,387
Al-hawiyah $2,100

Living in Sofia is roughly 41% more expensive than in Al-hawiyah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 17% above, Al-hawiyah is 17% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$4.40 SAR 16.52

276.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$26.04 SAR 97.7

159.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$7.07 SAR 26.54

65.21%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.49 SAR 5.59

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 SAR 5.85

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$2.61 SAR 9.81

30.65%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$0.68 SAR 2.54

247.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.23 SAR 0.86

626.09%

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

$1.88 SAR 7.05

3.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.93 SAR 3.48

66.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$2.15 SAR 8.07

9.30%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$2.69 SAR 10.11

71.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$5.95 SAR 22.34

92.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$11.65 SAR 43.72

-25.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$12.81 SAR 48.07

35.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$2.06 SAR 7.72

4.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.62 SAR 6.08

22.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$1.82 SAR 6.82

0.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$1.49 SAR 5.59

186.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$1.30 SAR 4.87

-20.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$1.44 SAR 5.40

-38.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$1.08 SAR 4.07

10.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.73 SAR 2.74

13.70%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.68 SAR 10.05

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 SAR 7.81

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 SAR 5.91

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$7.79 SAR 29.23

-43.52%

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

$1.10 SAR 4.11

-16.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

$37.15 SAR 139

-24.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$1.69 SAR 6.33

-1.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$2.67 SAR 10.03

-68.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$14.24 SAR 53.5

16.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$0.64 SAR 2.41

171.88%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$26.2K SAR 98.3K

14.36%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$21.3K SAR 79.9K

17.46%

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

$158 BGN 275

$65.5 SAR 246

141.19%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$34.01 SAR 128

-37.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$61.7 SAR 231

-75.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$71.1 SAR 267

-34.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$14.91 SAR 56.0

-32.93%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$483 SAR 1,813

68.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$5,279 SAR 19.8K

177.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$13.32 SAR 50.0

553.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$55.5 SAR 208

-30.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$39.73 SAR 149

165.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$52.5 SAR 197

104.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$635 SAR 2,383

21.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$422 SAR 1,585

40.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$824 SAR 3,092

85.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$584 SAR 2,192

81.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$1,930 SAR 7,245

134.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$1,066 SAR 4,000

191.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

5.25

-44.95%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Al-hawiyah: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Al-hawiyah

$422 37.7% 28.8% $171

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Al-hawiyah

$217 19.3% 24.8% $71

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Al-hawiyah

$91 8.2% 64% $162

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Al-hawiyah

$161 14.4% 17.1% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Al-hawiyah

$72 6.5% 52.4% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Al-hawiyah

$101 9% 50.9% $34

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Al-hawiyah

$57 5.1% 50% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $769 in Sofia and $635 in Al-hawiyah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68 in Sofia vs $26 in Al-hawiyah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $217 per month, with Al-hawiyah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇸🇦 Al-hawiyah

🕒 Local time

21:21 9:21 PM

22:21 10:21 PM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

148,151

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.514 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.238 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 = 1.94 BGN (1 BGN = 0.514 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.19 SAR (1 SAR = 0.238 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Al-hawiyah 2,850 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Al-hawiyah

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 Al-hawiyah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,585 in Sofia and $1,121 in Al-hawiyah, so Al-hawiyah is about 29% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,378 in Sofia and $1,682 in Al-hawiyah to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $769 in Sofia versus $635 in Al-hawiyah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Al-hawiyah – a meal for two runs $26 versus $68 in Sofia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,585 per month in Sofia versus $1,121 in Al-hawiyah – Al-hawiyah is about 29% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Al-hawiyah gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.