Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Al Hufuf

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Hufuf: $1,118 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Al Hufuf
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Al Hufuf Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Al Hufuf

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,118

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Al Hufuf

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 Hufuf actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,585 per month in Sofia vs $1,118 in Al Hufuf, rent included.

Sofia $1,585
Al Hufuf $1,118

A couple spends around $2,486 per month in Sofia vs $1,688 in Al Hufuf, rent included.

Sofia $2,486
Al Hufuf $1,688

A family of three spends $3,387 per month in Sofia vs $2,258 in Al Hufuf, rent included.

Sofia $3,387
Al Hufuf $2,258

Sofia costs about 42% more than Al Hufuf, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$6.83 SAR 25.64

142.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$52.2 SAR 196

29.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$7.11 SAR 26.69

64.28%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 SAR 8.09

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 SAR 5.86

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$3.76 SAR 14.12

-9.31%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$0.64 SAR 2.41

268.75%

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

$1.74 SAR 6.54

11.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.81 SAR 3.05

91.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$2.45 SAR 9.19

-4.08%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$1.93 SAR 7.26

138.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$6.72 SAR 25.21

70.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$5.99 SAR 22.48

44.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$14.77 SAR 55.4

17.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$1.55 SAR 5.82

38.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.77 SAR 6.65

11.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$1.35 SAR 5.07

35.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$1.04 SAR 3.92

310.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$1.05 SAR 3.93

-0.95%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.76 SAR 2.86

17.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$1.36 SAR 5.12

-12.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.54 SAR 2.02

53.70%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.85 SAR 10.71

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 SAR 6.87

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 SAR 9.25

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$6.54 SAR 24.55

-32.72%

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

$1.09 SAR 4.08

-15.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

$32.35 SAR 121

-13.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$3.22 SAR 12.10

-48.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$1.81 SAR 6.80

-53.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$13.18 SAR 49.47

25.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$0.59 SAR 2.23

194.92%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$26.0K SAR 97.4K

15.31%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$22.0K SAR 82.5K

13.73%

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

$158 BGN 275

$105 SAR 393

50.80%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$30.00 SAR 113

-29.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$69.5 SAR 261

-78.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$107 SAR 400

-56.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$13.93 SAR 52.3

-28.21%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$573 SAR 2,150

42.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$16.9K SAR 63.3K

-13.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$17.03 SAR 63.9

411.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$18.43 SAR 69.2

107.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$42.10 SAR 158

150.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$31.79 SAR 119

237.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$550 SAR 2,063

39.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$374 SAR 1,403

58.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$758 SAR 2,843

101.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$583 SAR 2,188

82.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$1,714 SAR 6,432

164.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$1,116 SAR 4,189

178.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

$2,403 SAR 9,018

-25.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

5.54

-47.83%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Al Hufuf: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Al Hufuf

$374 33.4% 37% $219

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Al Hufuf

$183 16.4% 36.4% $105

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Al Hufuf

$125 11.1% 50.9% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Al Hufuf

$204 18.3% 5.1% $9.9

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Al Hufuf

$49 4.4% 67.7% $103

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Al Hufuf

$135 12% 101% $68

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Al Hufuf

$49 4.4% 29.9% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $769 in Sofia versus $550 in Al Hufuf. 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 35% higher in Al Hufuf, 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 $52 in Al Hufuf. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $183 – making Al Hufuf the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇸🇦 Al Hufuf

🕒 Local time

20:28 8:28 PM

21:28 9:28 PM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

660,788

💱 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 Al Hufuf 3,070 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Al Hufuf

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 Hufuf: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sofia is pricier by about 42%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,378 per month in Sofia and $1,678 in Al Hufuf. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Al Hufuf, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $550 there versus $769 in Sofia.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia and $52 in Al Hufuf. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,585 in Sofia and $1,118 in Al Hufuf. That makes Al Hufuf about 29% cheaper.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Al Hufuf, where all-in costs run around $1,118, than in Sofia at $1,585. In Al Hufuf it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Al Hufuf – 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.