Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Riyadh

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,585 a month against $1,738 in Riyadh, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Riyadh outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
82

Cost of Living Index in Riyadh
Learn more

Riyadh Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Riyadh

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,738

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Riyadh

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,585 in Sofia versus $1,738 in Riyadh.

Sofia $1,585
Riyadh $1,738

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,486 in Sofia versus $2,575 in Riyadh.

Sofia $2,486
Riyadh $2,575

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,387 in Sofia versus $3,413 in Riyadh.

Sofia $3,387
Riyadh $3,413

Living in Sofia costs roughly 9% less than in Riyadh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sofia 17% above, Riyadh 29% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$8.20 SAR 30.79

102.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$65.6 SAR 246

3.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$8.05 SAR 30.20

45.09%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.10 SAR 7.87

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 SAR 10.74

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$4.43 SAR 16.64

-23.02%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$0.87 SAR 3.28

171.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.33 SAR 1.25

406.06%

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

$1.80 SAR 6.75

7.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$1.29 SAR 4.83

20.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$2.34 SAR 8.80

0.43%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$3.11 SAR 11.67

47.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$10.65 SAR 39.96

7.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$9.36 SAR 35.12

-7.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$15.07 SAR 56.6

15.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$2.92 SAR 10.95

-26.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.95 SAR 7.32

1.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$2.49 SAR 9.35

-26.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$1.70 SAR 6.39

151.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$1.18 SAR 4.43

-11.86%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$1.33 SAR 5.00

-33.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$1.75 SAR 6.58

-32.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.53 SAR 2.00

56.60%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$7.91 SAR 29.69

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 SAR 6.51

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 SAR 8.97

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$7.85 SAR 29.45

-43.95%

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

$1.03 SAR 3.86

-10.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

$36.93 SAR 139

-23.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$3.22 SAR 12.10

-48.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$1.91 SAR 7.18

-55.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$13.08 SAR 49.10

26.83%

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

$26.6K SAR 99.9K

12.51%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$22.4K SAR 84.1K

11.68%

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

$158 BGN 275

$105 SAR 394

50.29%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$29.43 SAR 110

-27.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$69.3 SAR 260

-78.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$77.4 SAR 291

-39.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

$55.7 SAR 209

-50.04%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$14.00 SAR 52.6

-28.57%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$555 SAR 2,082

46.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$17.0K SAR 63.7K

-13.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$58.3 SAR 219

49.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$53.8 SAR 202

-28.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$104 SAR 391

1.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$104 SAR 391

2.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$1,138 SAR 4,270

-32.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$842 SAR 3,160

-29.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$2,159 SAR 8,102

-29.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$1,263 SAR 4,739

-15.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$2,706 SAR 10.2K

67.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$1,655 SAR 6,212

87.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

$2,088 SAR 7,837

-14.74%

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 Riyadh: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Riyadh

$842 48.5% 42% $249

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Riyadh

$241 13.9% 16.3% $47

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Riyadh

$148 8.5% 41.7% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Riyadh

$204 11.7% 4.9% $9.5

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Riyadh

$144 8.3% 5.2% $7.9

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Riyadh

$105 6.1% 57.7% $39

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Riyadh

$54 3.1% 42.7% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $769 in Sofia and $1,138 in Riyadh. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Riyadh pays 17% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $68 in Sofia vs $66 in Riyadh for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $241 per month, with Riyadh cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇸🇦 Riyadh

🕒 Local time

19:53 7:53 PM

20:53 8:53 PM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

5,188,286 Capital

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 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 = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of November 5, 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 Riyadh 2,930 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Riyadh

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 Riyadh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,585 in Sofia and $1,738 in Riyadh, so Sofia is about 9% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 15% lower in Sofia. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $769 in Sofia versus $1,138 in Riyadh. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,585 per month in Sofia versus $1,738 in Riyadh – Sofia is about 9% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Sofia runs roughly 24% less than in Riyadh. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Sofia 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.

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

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