Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Al Mubarraz

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Mubarraz: $1,251 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 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 Mubarraz
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Al Mubarraz Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Al Mubarraz

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,251

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,585 per month in Sofia vs $1,251 in Al Mubarraz, rent included.

Sofia $1,585
Al Mubarraz $1,251

A couple spends around $2,486 per month in Sofia vs $1,894 in Al Mubarraz, rent included.

Sofia $2,486
Al Mubarraz $1,894

A family of three spends $3,387 per month in Sofia vs $2,538 in Al Mubarraz, rent included.

Sofia $3,387
Al Mubarraz $2,538

Sofia costs about 27% more than Al Mubarraz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 17% above the global median, while Al Mubarraz is 7% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$7.36 SAR 27.64

125.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$36.62 SAR 137

84.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$8.00 SAR 30.03

46.00%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.08 SAR 7.80

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 SAR 7.89

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$4.47 SAR 16.76

-23.71%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$0.67 SAR 2.52

252.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.28 SAR 1.06

496.43%

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

$1.73 SAR 6.50

12.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$1.33 SAR 4.99

16.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$2.47 SAR 9.27

-4.86%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$2.99 SAR 11.21

53.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$10.63 SAR 39.90

7.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$9.59 SAR 36.01

-9.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$14.99 SAR 56.3

15.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$2.93 SAR 10.98

-26.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.88 SAR 7.06

5.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$2.51 SAR 9.41

-27.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$1.78 SAR 6.69

139.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$1.17 SAR 4.38

-11.11%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$1.33 SAR 4.99

-33.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$1.76 SAR 6.59

-32.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.58 SAR 2.17

43.10%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.98 SAR 11.19

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 SAR 6.59

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 SAR 9.33

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$7.59 SAR 28.48

-42.03%

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

$1.02 SAR 3.82

-9.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

$32.07 SAR 120

-12.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$3.27 SAR 12.27

-48.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$1.89 SAR 7.09

-55.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$13.53 SAR 50.8

22.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$0.64 SAR 2.40

171.88%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$26.3K SAR 98.7K

13.81%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$21.8K SAR 81.8K

14.74%

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

$158 BGN 275

$107 SAR 402

47.55%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$29.24 SAR 110

-27.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$70.4 SAR 264

-78.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$78.5 SAR 295

-40.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$13.68 SAR 51.3

-26.90%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$552 SAR 2,073

47.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$16.5K SAR 62.0K

-11.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$57.6 SAR 216

51.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$54.6 SAR 205

-29.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$103 SAR 386

2.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$104 SAR 392

2.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$557 SAR 2,092

37.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$363 SAR 1,363

63.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$914 SAR 3,432

67.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$611 SAR 2,293

73.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$1,728 SAR 6,485

161.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$1,143 SAR 4,289

172.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

$1,069 SAR 4,011

66.61%

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 Mubarraz: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Al Mubarraz

$363 29% 38.8% $230

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Al Mubarraz

$242 19.4% 15.8% $46

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Al Mubarraz

$140 11.2% 44.7% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Al Mubarraz

$207 16.5% 6.4% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Al Mubarraz

$144 11.5% 5.6% $8.5

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Al Mubarraz

$106 8.5% 58.4% $39

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Al Mubarraz

$49 3.9% 29.5% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $769 in Sofia versus $557 in Al Mubarraz. 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 67% higher in Sofia. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia versus $37 in Al Mubarraz. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $242 – making Al Mubarraz the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇸🇦 Al Mubarraz

🕒 Local time

19:44 7:44 PM

20:44 8:44 PM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

290,802

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

From you

Sofia
Al Mubarraz

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 Mubarraz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,585 in Sofia, $1,251 in Al Mubarraz – Al Mubarraz comes out roughly 21% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,378 per month in Sofia and $1,876 in Al Mubarraz. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Al Mubarraz, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $557 there versus $769 in Sofia.

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

Groceries cost about 19% more in Sofia, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,585 in Sofia and $1,251 in Al Mubarraz, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Al Mubarraz – 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.

If budget matters most, go with Al Mubarraz. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sofia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.