Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Khamis Mushayt

For one person, living is cheaper in Khamis Mushayt: $1,113 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 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
56

Cost of Living Index in Khamis Mushayt
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Khamis Mushayt Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Khamis Mushayt

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,113

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Khamis Mushayt

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,585 in Sofia versus $1,113 in Khamis Mushayt.

Sofia $1,585
Khamis Mushayt $1,113

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,486 in Sofia versus $1,645 in Khamis Mushayt.

Sofia $2,486
Khamis Mushayt $1,645

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,387 in Sofia versus $2,178 in Khamis Mushayt.

Sofia $3,387
Khamis Mushayt $2,178

Living in Sofia is roughly 42% more expensive than in Khamis Mushayt, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 17% above, Khamis Mushayt is 18% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$4.56 SAR 17.11

263.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$32.11 SAR 121

110.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$6.89 SAR 25.87

69.52%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.72 SAR 6.47

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 SAR 7.97

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$2.94 SAR 11.04

15.99%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$0.68 SAR 2.56

247.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.21 SAR 0.79

695.24%

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

$1.63 SAR 6.11

19.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.39 SAR 1.46

297.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$3.28 SAR 12.31

-28.35%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$2.43 SAR 9.11

89.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$6.41 SAR 24.06

78.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$5.54 SAR 20.80

56.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$12.76 SAR 47.89

35.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$2.23 SAR 8.35

-3.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.69 SAR 6.32

17.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$1.60 SAR 6.02

14.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$1.61 SAR 6.02

165.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$1.21 SAR 4.56

-14.05%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$1.31 SAR 4.91

-32.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$1.29 SAR 4.83

-7.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.52 SAR 1.96

59.62%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.60 SAR 9.76

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 SAR 6.65

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 SAR 8.23

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$6.81 SAR 25.56

-35.39%

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

$0.92 SAR 3.47

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

$35.04 SAR 132

-19.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$2.69 SAR 10.09

-37.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$1.90 SAR 7.14

-55.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$13.69 SAR 51.4

21.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$0.64 SAR 2.42

171.88%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$32.9K SAR 123.6K

-9.09%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$22.5K SAR 84.3K

11.33%

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

$158 BGN 275

$103 SAR 386

53.64%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$32.00 SAR 120

-33.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$59.3 SAR 223

-74.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$77.6 SAR 291

-39.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$13.30 SAR 49.93

-24.81%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$443 SAR 1,661

84.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$10.2K SAR 38.2K

43.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$42.84 SAR 161

103.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$62.1 SAR 233

-38.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$100 SAR 375

5.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$86.1 SAR 323

24.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$484 SAR 1,818

58.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$355 SAR 1,333

66.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$939 SAR 3,524

62.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$551 SAR 2,069

92.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$2,026 SAR 7,605

123.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$1,134 SAR 4,257

174.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

$1,567 SAR 5,880

13.64%

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 Khamis Mushayt: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Khamis Mushayt

$355 31.9% 40.1% $238

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Khamis Mushayt

$182 16.3% 36.9% $106

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Khamis Mushayt

$96 8.6% 62.2% $158

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Khamis Mushayt

$194 17.4% 0.1% $0.2

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Khamis Mushayt

$131 11.8% 13.9% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Khamis Mushayt

$104 9.4% 55.9% $37

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Khamis Mushayt

$51 4.6% 35% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $769 in Sofia and $484 in Khamis Mushayt. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 14% 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 $32 in Khamis Mushayt for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $182 per month, with Khamis Mushayt cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇸🇦 Khamis Mushayt

🕒 Local time

12:24 12:24 PM

13:24 1:24 PM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

430,828

💱 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 Khamis Mushayt 3,270 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Khamis Mushayt

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 Khamis Mushayt: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Khamis Mushayt wins on cost – living expenses run 30% lower than in Sofia. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Khamis Mushayt the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 14% 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 $484 in Khamis Mushayt. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Sofia runs roughly 20% less than in Khamis Mushayt. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $815 in Sofia versus $443 in Khamis Mushayt. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Khamis Mushayt 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 Khamis Mushayt are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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