Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Al Khobar

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Khobar: $1,471 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 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
71

Cost of Living Index in Al Khobar
Learn more

Al Khobar Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Al Khobar

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,471

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,585 in Sofia versus $1,471 in Al Khobar.

Sofia $1,585
Al Khobar $1,471

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,486 in Sofia versus $2,231 in Al Khobar.

Sofia $2,486
Al Khobar $2,231

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,387 in Sofia versus $2,991 in Al Khobar.

Sofia $3,387
Al Khobar $2,991

Living in Sofia is roughly 8% more expensive than in Al Khobar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sofia 17% above, Al Khobar 9% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$6.74 SAR 25.29

145.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$60.2 SAR 226

12.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$8.14 SAR 30.57

43.49%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.60 SAR 9.76

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 SAR 10.03

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$4.35 SAR 16.33

-21.61%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$0.94 SAR 3.54

151.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.41 SAR 1.53

307.32%

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

$1.65 SAR 6.18

17.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$1.24 SAR 4.67

25.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$2.46 SAR 9.24

-4.47%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$2.35 SAR 8.81

95.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$7.42 SAR 27.87

54.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$10.09 SAR 37.87

-14.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$11.69 SAR 43.86

48.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$2.72 SAR 10.20

-20.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.71 SAR 6.40

15.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$1.98 SAR 7.43

-7.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$1.74 SAR 6.52

145.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$1.42 SAR 5.33

-26.76%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$1.67 SAR 6.25

-46.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$1.65 SAR 6.18

-27.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.53 SAR 2.01

56.60%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.62 SAR 9.82

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 SAR 5.92

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 SAR 7.03

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$6.80 SAR 25.50

-35.29%

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

$0.93 SAR 3.49

-1.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

$54.5 SAR 204

-48.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$1.76 SAR 6.61

-5.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$2.68 SAR 10.07

-68.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$14.22 SAR 53.4

16.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$0.63 SAR 2.38

176.19%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$66.8K SAR 250.9K

-55.21%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$21.4K SAR 80.3K

16.86%

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

$158 BGN 275

$96.9 SAR 364

62.94%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$32.58 SAR 122

-34.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$68.3 SAR 256

-77.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$80.1 SAR 301

-41.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

$36.17 SAR 136

-23.09%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$15.22 SAR 57.1

-34.30%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$599 SAR 2,249

36.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$18.6K SAR 69.9K

-21.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$63.5 SAR 238

37.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$83.0 SAR 311

-53.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$97.4 SAR 366

8.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$94.8 SAR 356

13.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$762 SAR 2,860

0.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$584 SAR 2,192

1.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$1,226 SAR 4,602

24.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$912 SAR 3,424

16.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$1,437 SAR 5,392

215.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$1,037 SAR 3,894

199.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

$1,872 SAR 7,028

-4.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

5.88

-50.85%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Al Khobar: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Al Khobar

$584 39.7% 1.5% $9.1

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Al Khobar

$217 14.8% 24.6% $71

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Al Khobar

$136 9.2% 46.4% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Al Khobar

$198 13.4% 1.8% $3.5

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Al Khobar

$152 10.4% 0.2% $0.2

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Al Khobar

$111 7.5% 65.4% $44

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Al Khobar

$73 5% 94.5% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $769 in Sofia and $762 in Al Khobar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Al Khobar pays 5% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68 in Sofia vs $60 in Al Khobar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $217 per month, with Al Khobar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇸🇦 Al Khobar

🕒 Local time

10:17 10:17 AM

11:17 11:17 AM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

219,679

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sofia Al Khobar 3,040 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Al Khobar

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 Khobar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al Khobar wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Sofia. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Al Khobar the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 5% lower in Sofia. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $769 in Sofia versus $762 in Al Khobar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Sofia runs roughly 48% less than in Al Khobar. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $815 in Sofia versus $599 in Al Khobar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Al Khobar is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Safety-wise, Sofia and Al Khobar are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.