Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Ar-rass

For one person, living is cheaper in Ar-rass: $1,162 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Ar-rass
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Ar-rass Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Ar-rass

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,162

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Ar-rass

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,585 in Sofia versus $1,162 in Ar-rass.

Sofia $1,585
Ar-rass $1,162

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,486 in Sofia versus $1,717 in Ar-rass.

Sofia $2,486
Ar-rass $1,717

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,387 in Sofia versus $2,272 in Ar-rass.

Sofia $3,387
Ar-rass $2,272

Living in Sofia is roughly 36% more expensive than in Ar-rass, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 17% above, Ar-rass is 14% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$6.73 SAR 25.27

146.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$37.53 SAR 141

80.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$8.20 SAR 30.78

42.44%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.81 SAR 6.79

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 SAR 8.23

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$3.29 SAR 12.36

3.65%

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

$0.27 SAR 1.01

518.52%

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

$1.81 SAR 6.81

7.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.38 SAR 1.43

307.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$1.82 SAR 6.85

29.12%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$3.67 SAR 13.78

25.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$6.77 SAR 25.40

69.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$7.99 SAR 29.97

8.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$12.90 SAR 48.43

34.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$2.14 SAR 8.03

0.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.73 SAR 6.48

14.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$1.64 SAR 6.17

11.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$1.56 SAR 5.84

173.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$1.25 SAR 4.68

-16.80%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$1.33 SAR 5.01

-33.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$1.26 SAR 4.73

-5.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.58 SAR 2.17

43.10%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.01 SAR 11.29

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 SAR 7.33

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 SAR 7.94

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$7.88 SAR 29.58

-44.16%

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

$0.96 SAR 3.60

-4.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

$42.22 SAR 158

-33.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$2.61 SAR 9.78

-36.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$1.49 SAR 5.60

-42.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$13.93 SAR 52.3

19.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$0.61 SAR 2.27

185.25%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$25.3K SAR 95.1K

18.16%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$21.7K SAR 81.4K

15.30%

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

$158 BGN 275

$94.9 SAR 356

66.34%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$24.18 SAR 90.7

-12.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$60.3 SAR 226

-74.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$43.79 SAR 164

6.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$13.26 SAR 49.78

-24.59%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$417 SAR 1,565

95.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$11.2K SAR 42.0K

30.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$42.38 SAR 159

105.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$55.8 SAR 209

-31.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$97.9 SAR 368

7.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$74.6 SAR 280

43.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$562 SAR 2,110

36.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$416 SAR 1,560

42.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$383 SAR 1,439

299.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$620 SAR 2,327

71.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$1,915 SAR 7,189

136.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$1,353 SAR 5,078

129.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

$1,732 SAR 6,501

2.77%

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 Ar-rass: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Ar-rass

$416 35.8% 29.9% $178

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Ar-rass

$197 16.9% 31.7% $91

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Ar-rass

$123 10.5% 51.7% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Ar-rass

$179 15.4% 7.6% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Ar-rass

$122 10.5% 20% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Ar-rass

$70 6.1% 5.2% $3.5

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Ar-rass

$56 4.8% 48.8% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $769 in Sofia and $562 in Ar-rass. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 3% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $68 in Sofia vs $38 in Ar-rass for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $197 per month, with Ar-rass cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇸🇦 Ar-rass

🕒 Local time

11:30 11:30 AM

12:30 12:30 PM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

121,359

💱 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 Ar-rass 2,620 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Ar-rass

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 Ar-rass: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,585 in Sofia and $1,162 in Ar-rass, so Ar-rass is about 27% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,378 in Sofia and $1,744 in Ar-rass 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $769 in Sofia versus $562 in Ar-rass. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $815 in Sofia versus $417 in Ar-rass. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 46% higher in Sofia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Ar-rass gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Ar-rass wins on affordability, Sofia on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.