Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Al-Ula

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-Ula: $1,230 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Al-Ula
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Al-Ula Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Al-Ula

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,230

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Al-Ula

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

A single person spends $1,585 per month in Sofia vs $1,230 in Al-Ula, rent included.

Sofia $1,585
Al-Ula $1,230

A couple spends around $2,486 per month in Sofia vs $1,822 in Al-Ula, rent included.

Sofia $2,486
Al-Ula $1,822

A family of three spends $3,387 per month in Sofia vs $2,414 in Al-Ula, rent included.

Sofia $3,387
Al-Ula $2,414

Sofia costs about 29% more than Al-Ula, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 17% above the global median, while Al-Ula is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$7.49 SAR 28.12

121.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$37.71 SAR 142

79.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$7.94 SAR 29.80

47.10%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.83 SAR 6.85

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 SAR 8.55

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$3.20 SAR 12.02

6.56%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$0.88 SAR 3.30

168.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.25 SAR 0.94

568.00%

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

$1.94 SAR 7.26

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$1.24 SAR 4.64

25.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$2.35 SAR 8.81

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$2.43 SAR 9.11

89.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$7.55 SAR 28.35

51.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$8.07 SAR 30.29

7.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$12.55 SAR 47.10

38.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$2.13 SAR 8.00

0.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.53 SAR 5.73

29.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$1.56 SAR 5.86

17.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$1.64 SAR 6.14

160.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$1.26 SAR 4.74

-17.46%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$1.28 SAR 4.79

-30.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$1.27 SAR 4.77

-6.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.55 SAR 2.05

50.91%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.01 SAR 11.28

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 SAR 6.63

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 SAR 7.47

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$6.76 SAR 25.38

-34.91%

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

$1.07 SAR 4.03

-14.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

$37.17 SAR 140

-24.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$2.65 SAR 9.96

-36.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$1.56 SAR 5.85

-45.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$16.08 SAR 60.3

3.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$0.69 SAR 2.58

152.17%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$30.1K SAR 112.9K

-0.45%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$22.0K SAR 82.7K

13.47%

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

$158 BGN 275

$112 SAR 419

41.49%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$32.23 SAR 121

-34.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$74.4 SAR 279

-79.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$83.8 SAR 315

-44.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$13.90 SAR 52.2

-28.06%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$460 SAR 1,728

77.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$11.0K SAR 41.3K

33.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$37.58 SAR 141

131.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$56.7 SAR 213

-32.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$99.3 SAR 373

6.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$84.9 SAR 318

26.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$604 SAR 2,266

27.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$393 SAR 1,474

51.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$900 SAR 3,379

69.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$612 SAR 2,296

73.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$1,857 SAR 6,969

143.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$1,089 SAR 4,088

185.47%

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-Ula: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Al-Ula

$393 31.9% 33.8% $200

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Al-Ula

$204 16.6% 29.2% $84

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Al-Ula

$127 10.3% 50% $127

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Al-Ula

$218 17.7% 12.3% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Al-Ula

$125 10.2% 17.7% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Al-Ula

$112 9.1% 67% $45

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Al-Ula

$52 4.2% 37.6% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $769 in Sofia versus $604 in Al-Ula. 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 $38 in Al-Ula. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $204 – making Al-Ula the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇸🇦 Al-Ula

🕒 Local time

01:41 1:41 AM

02:41 2:41 AM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

32,413

💱 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 5, 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.21 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sofia Al-Ula 2,230 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Al-Ula

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-Ula: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,585 in Sofia, $1,230 in Al-Ula – Al-Ula comes out roughly 22% 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 $1,845 in Al-Ula. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Al-Ula, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $604 there versus $769 in Sofia.

Kindergarten costs $815 per month in Sofia and $460 in Al-Ula. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 41% 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 $1,230 in Al-Ula, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Al-Ula – 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.