Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Ha'il

For one person, living is cheaper in Ha’il: $1,073 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 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
51

Cost of Living Index in Ha'il
Learn more

Ha'il Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Ha'il

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,073

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Ha'il

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,585 in Sofia versus $1,073 in Ha’il.

Sofia $1,585
Ha'il $1,073

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,486 in Sofia versus $1,623 in Ha’il.

Sofia $2,486
Ha'il $1,623

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,387 in Sofia versus $2,174 in Ha’il.

Sofia $3,387
Ha'il $2,174

Living in Sofia is roughly 48% more expensive than in Ha’il, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 17% above, Ha’il is 21% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$5.40 SAR 20.28

206.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$36.86 SAR 138

83.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$5.91 SAR 22.17

97.63%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 SAR 4.38

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 SAR 8.32

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$2.60 SAR 9.77

31.15%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$0.61 SAR 2.30

286.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.23 SAR 0.86

626.09%

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

$1.69 SAR 6.34

14.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.86 SAR 3.21

80.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$1.88 SAR 7.05

25.00%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$1.93 SAR 7.26

138.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$6.68 SAR 25.08

71.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$8.88 SAR 33.31

-2.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$8.15 SAR 30.58

112.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$1.49 SAR 5.59

44.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.52 SAR 5.70

30.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$1.27 SAR 4.77

44.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$1.94 SAR 7.28

120.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$1.29 SAR 4.85

-19.38%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$1.61 SAR 6.05

-44.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$1.23 SAR 4.61

-3.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.48 SAR 1.79

72.92%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.64 SAR 9.92

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 SAR 6.47

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 SAR 6.78

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$6.77 SAR 25.42

-35.01%

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

$0.91 SAR 3.43

1.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

$36.03 SAR 135

-21.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$2.67 SAR 10.04

-37.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$1.77 SAR 6.65

-51.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$13.27 SAR 49.82

25.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$0.64 SAR 2.41

171.88%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$31.0K SAR 116.5K

-3.52%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$21.8K SAR 81.8K

14.77%

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

$158 BGN 275

$52.8 SAR 198

198.75%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$21.29 SAR 79.9

-0.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$45.84 SAR 172

-67.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$66.0 SAR 248

-29.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

$26.26 SAR 98.6

5.94%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$14.67 SAR 55.1

-31.83%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$419 SAR 1,571

94.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$12.1K SAR 45.5K

20.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$42.92 SAR 161

102.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$55.5 SAR 208

-30.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$97.9 SAR 367

7.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$83.5 SAR 313

28.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$241 SAR 904

219.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$406 SAR 1,525

45.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$361 SAR 1,355

323.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$618 SAR 2,321

71.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$1,982 SAR 7,437

128.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$1,201 SAR 4,507

158.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

$1,081 SAR 4,056

64.73%

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 Ha'il: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Ha'il

$406 37.9% 31.5% $187

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Ha'il

$179 16.7% 37.9% $109

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Ha'il

$96 8.9% 62.3% $158

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Ha'il

$120 11.2% 38.2% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Ha'il

$126 11.7% 17.3% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Ha'il

$95 8.9% 42.6% $28

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Ha'il

$51 4.8% 35.8% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $769 in Sofia and $241 in Ha’il. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 65% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $68 in Sofia vs $37 in Ha’il for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $179 per month, with Ha’il cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇸🇦 Ha'il

🕒 Local time

11:29 11:29 AM

12:29 12:29 PM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

310,897

💱 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 Ha'il 2,370 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Ha'il

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 Ha'il: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ha’il wins on cost – living expenses run 32% lower than in Sofia. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ha’il the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 65% higher in Sofia, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $769 in Sofia versus $241 in Ha’il. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $815 in Sofia versus $419 in Ha’il. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 61% higher in Sofia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Ha’il is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Safety-wise, Sofia and Ha’il are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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