Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Al Mukalla

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Mukalla: $847 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Sofia outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Al Mukalla

🇾🇪 Yemen

$847

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,585 in Sofia versus $847 in Al Mukalla.

Sofia $1,585
Al Mukalla $847

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,486 in Sofia versus $1,661 in Al Mukalla.

Sofia $2,486
Al Mukalla $1,661

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,387 in Sofia versus $2,475 in Al Mukalla.

Sofia $3,387
Al Mukalla $2,475

Living in Sofia is roughly 87% more expensive than in Al Mukalla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 17% above, Al Mukalla is 37% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$16.84 YER 3,972

-1.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$83.4 YER 19.7K

-18.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$8.36 YER 1,972

-59.21%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.87 YER 206

91.95%

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

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$10.81 YER 2,551

-57.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$14.96 YER 3,528

-23.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$25.94 YER 6,120

-66.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$60.0 YER 14.2K

-71.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$14.89 YER 3,514

-85.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$6.19 YER 1,460

-68.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$5.14 YER 1,212

-64.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$3.47 YER 819

23.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$7.47 YER 1,763

-86.08%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$4.16 YER 980

-78.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$2.55 YER 602

-67.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

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

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

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

$158 BGN 275

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

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

$815 BGN 1,419

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Al Mukalla: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Al Mukalla

–

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Al Mukalla

–

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Al Mukalla

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Al Mukalla

–

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Al Mukalla

–

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Al Mukalla

–

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Al Mukalla

–

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $68 in Sofia vs $83 in Al Mukalla for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $609 per month, with Sofia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇾🇪 Al Mukalla

🕒 Local time

04:41 4:41 AM

05:41 5:41 AM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

176,942

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Yemeni Rial YER ﷼

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.514 EUR

1,000 YER = 4.24 USD

1,000 YER = 3.79 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

YER, 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).

Yemeni Rial exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 236 YER (1,000 YER = 4.24 USD). 1 EUR = 264 YER (1,000 YER = 3.79 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

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Between locations

Sofia Al Mukalla 3,980 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

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Sofia
Al Mukalla

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 Mukalla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al Mukalla is about 47% cheaper overall, especially in eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,378 in Sofia and $1,271 in Al Mukalla 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.

Shoppers in Sofia pay roughly 53% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Sofia – a meal for two runs $68 versus $83 in Al Mukalla. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $847 in Al Mukalla versus $1,585 in Sofia, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Al Mukalla but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Al Mukalla the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.