Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Jizan

For one person, living is cheaper in Jizan: $928 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Jizan
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Jizan Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Jizan

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$928

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Jizan

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

A single person spends $1,585 per month in Sofia vs $928 in Jizan, rent included.

Sofia $1,585
Jizan $928

A couple spends around $2,486 per month in Sofia vs $1,525 in Jizan, rent included.

Sofia $2,486
Jizan $1,525

A family of three spends $3,387 per month in Sofia vs $2,122 in Jizan, rent included.

Sofia $3,387
Jizan $2,122

Sofia costs about 71% more than Jizan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 17% above the global median, while Jizan is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$5.34 SAR 20.04

210.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$37.65 SAR 141

79.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$7.17 SAR 26.91

62.90%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.70 SAR 6.39

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 SAR 7.15

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$3.13 SAR 11.75

8.95%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$0.75 SAR 2.80

214.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.28 SAR 1.05

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

$1.67 SAR 6.25

16.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.98 SAR 3.69

58.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$2.14 SAR 8.05

9.81%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$2.96 SAR 11.11

55.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$7.79 SAR 29.22

47.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$5.21 SAR 19.54

66.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$14.50 SAR 54.4

19.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$1.85 SAR 6.96

16.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.57 SAR 5.89

26.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$2.12 SAR 7.96

-13.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$1.48 SAR 5.56

188.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$1.34 SAR 5.03

-22.39%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$1.47 SAR 5.52

-39.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$1.28 SAR 4.79

-7.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.75 SAR 2.81

10.67%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.64 SAR 6.14

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 SAR 6.89

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 SAR 6.08

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$6.62 SAR 24.86

-33.53%

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

$1.09 SAR 4.08

-15.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

$22.84 SAR 85.7

23.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$2.69 SAR 10.10

-37.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$3.41 SAR 12.78

-75.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$16.10 SAR 60.4

3.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$0.65 SAR 2.44

167.69%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$43.1K SAR 161.8K

-30.55%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$17.2K SAR 64.6K

45.38%

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

$158 BGN 275

$105 SAR 395

50.00%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$36.04 SAR 135

-40.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$63.7 SAR 239

-76.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$97.1 SAR 364

-51.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

$37.39 SAR 140

-25.60%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$15.78 SAR 59.2

-36.63%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$202 SAR 758

303.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$4,059 SAR 15.2K

260.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$33.36 SAR 125

161.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$55.5 SAR 208

-30.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$120 SAR 450

-11.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$47.35 SAR 178

126.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$270 SAR 1,013

184.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$131 SAR 492

352.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$484 SAR 1,817

215.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$353 SAR 1,325

200.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$796 SAR 2,986

468.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

$1,609 SAR 6,039

10.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

-42.20%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Jizan: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Jizan

$131 14.1% 77.9% $462

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Jizan

$195 21.1% 32.1% $92

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Jizan

$106 11.4% 58.2% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Jizan

$205 22.1% 5.5% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Jizan

$115 12.4% 24.3% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Jizan

$129 13.9% 92.4% $62

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Jizan

$47 5.1% 24.3% $9.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $769 in Sofia versus $270 in Jizan. 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 11% higher in Sofia, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia versus $38 in Jizan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $195 – making Jizan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇸🇦 Jizan

🕒 Local time

10:18 10:18 AM

11:18 11:18 AM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

127,743

💱 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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Between locations

Sofia Jizan 3,400 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Jizan

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 Jizan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia costs about 71% more than Jizan, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,378 per month in Sofia and $1,392 in Jizan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Jizan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $270 there versus $769 in Sofia.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,585 in Sofia and $928 in Jizan. That makes Jizan about 41% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 19% less in Jizan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,585 in Sofia and $928 in Jizan. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Jizan – 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 Jizan. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sofia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.