Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Al Majma'ah

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Majma’ah: $1,300 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 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
62

Cost of Living Index in Al Majma'ah
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Al Majma'ah Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Al Majma'ah

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,300

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Al Majma'ah

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

A single person spends $1,585 per month in Sofia vs $1,300 in Al Majma’ah, rent included.

Sofia $1,585
Al Majma'ah $1,300

A couple spends around $2,486 per month in Sofia vs $2,000 in Al Majma’ah, rent included.

Sofia $2,486
Al Majma'ah $2,000

A family of three spends $3,387 per month in Sofia vs $2,700 in Al Majma’ah, rent included.

Sofia $3,387
Al Majma'ah $2,700

Sofia costs about 22% more than Al Majma’ah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 17% above the global median, while Al Majma’ah is 4% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$7.96 SAR 29.87

108.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$66.6 SAR 250

1.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$8.09 SAR 30.37

44.38%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 SAR 8.03

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 SAR 11.16

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$4.45 SAR 16.71

-23.37%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$0.84 SAR 3.16

180.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.33 SAR 1.24

406.06%

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

$1.82 SAR 6.84

6.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$1.33 SAR 5.00

16.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$2.46 SAR 9.24

-4.47%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$2.99 SAR 11.22

53.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$10.35 SAR 38.84

10.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$9.52 SAR 35.73

-9.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$15.25 SAR 57.2

13.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$2.92 SAR 10.94

-26.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.97 SAR 7.39

0.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$2.49 SAR 9.36

-26.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$1.72 SAR 6.46

148.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$1.17 SAR 4.39

-11.11%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$1.28 SAR 4.81

-30.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$1.68 SAR 6.31

-29.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.57 SAR 2.14

45.61%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.93 SAR 11.00

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 SAR 6.55

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 SAR 8.95

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$7.55 SAR 28.34

-41.72%

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

$1.00 SAR 3.77

-8.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

$38.68 SAR 145

-27.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$3.28 SAR 12.33

-49.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$1.83 SAR 6.87

-53.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$13.39 SAR 50.3

23.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$0.65 SAR 2.44

167.69%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$26.4K SAR 99.1K

13.33%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$22.4K SAR 84.1K

11.66%

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

$158 BGN 275

$107 SAR 400

48.07%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$29.12 SAR 109

-26.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$69.8 SAR 262

-78.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$71.6 SAR 269

-34.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$13.98 SAR 52.5

-28.47%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$552 SAR 2,072

47.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$16.5K SAR 62.1K

-11.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$58.3 SAR 219

49.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$53.2 SAR 200

-27.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$101 SAR 378

4.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$105 SAR 393

2.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$552 SAR 2,071

39.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$408 SAR 1,533

45.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$883 SAR 3,313

73.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$614 SAR 2,304

72.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$2,020 SAR 7,582

124.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$1,119 SAR 4,202

177.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

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 Majma'ah: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Al Majma'ah

$408 31.4% 31.1% $185

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Al Majma'ah

$242 18.7% 15.8% $45

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Al Majma'ah

$146 11.2% 42.4% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Al Majma'ah

$206 15.8% 5.8% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Al Majma'ah

$143 11% 6.3% $9.6

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Al Majma'ah

$100 7.7% 49% $33

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Al Majma'ah

$55 4.2% 46.2% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $769 in Sofia versus $552 in Al Majma’ah. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia versus $67 in Al Majma’ah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $242 – making Al Majma’ah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇸🇦 Al Majma'ah

🕒 Local time

04:57 4:57 AM

05:57 5:57 AM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

💱 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 7, 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 7, 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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Highest

Between locations

Sofia Al Majma'ah 2,740 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Al Majma'ah

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 Majma'ah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia costs about 22% more than Al Majma’ah, 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 $1,949 in Al Majma’ah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Al Majma’ah, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $552 there versus $769 in Sofia.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,585 in Sofia and $1,300 in Al Majma’ah. That makes Al Majma’ah about 18% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $815 per month in Sofia and $552 in Al Majma’ah. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,585 in Sofia and $1,300 in Al Majma’ah. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Al Majma’ah – 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.