Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Sanaa

For one person, living is cheaper in Sanaa: $1,027 a month against $1,600 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Sanaa
Learn more

Sanaa Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,600

/mo nomad

Sanaa

🇾🇪 Yemen

$1,027

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Sanaa

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

A single person spends $1,600 per month in Sofia vs $1,027 in Sanaa, rent included.

Sofia $1,600
Sanaa $1,027

A couple spends around $2,490 per month in Sofia vs $1,623 in Sanaa, rent included.

Sofia $2,490
Sanaa $1,623

A family of three spends $3,380 per month in Sofia vs $2,220 in Sanaa, rent included.

Sofia $3,380
Sanaa $2,220

Sofia costs about 56% more than Sanaa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 18% above the global median, while Sanaa is 24% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.96 BGN 29.51

$6.50 YER 1,534

160.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.3 BGN 119

$25.73 YER 6,069

165.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.62 BGN 20.21

$9.37 YER 2,211

24.01%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.02 YER 477

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 YER 610

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$3.78 YER 892

-9.26%

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

$2.34 BGN 4.08

$1.12 YER 264

108.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 BGN 3.19

$0.56 YER 131

226.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.41 BGN 5.93

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 BGN 7.73

Milk (1 liter)

$1.97 BGN 3.42

$2.01 YER 474

-1.99%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 BGN 2.59

$1.70 YER 401

-12.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$1.99 YER 470

17.09%

Eggs

$4.41 BGN 7.68

$3.75 YER 885

17.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.54 BGN 20.08

$17.41 YER 4,107

-33.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.88 BGN 15.44

$8.39 YER 1,980

5.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.51 BGN 30.46

$18.97 YER 4,475

-7.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$3.32 YER 783

-35.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.07 BGN 3.60

$1.05 YER 249

97.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$2.24 YER 529

-13.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.25 BGN 7.39

$1.66 YER 392

156.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.79

$1.51 YER 357

-31.79%

Onion (1kg)

$0.88 BGN 1.54

$1.33 YER 313

-33.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.07

$1.20 YER 283

-0.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.55

$0.67 YER 159

32.84%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.49 YER 587

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 YER 438

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 YER 614

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.23 BGN 7.35

$5.36 YER 1,265

-21.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.87 BGN 13.69

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.06

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 BGN 3.29

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 BGN 1.62

$0.44 YER 104

111.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.30 BGN 49.24

$84.2 YER 19.9K

-66.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$4.26 YER 1,005

-60.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 BGN 1.68

$2.08 YER 492

-53.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.36 BGN 26.73

$7.47 YER 1,763

105.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 BGN 3.09

$2.12 YER 500

-16.51%

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

$30.5K BGN 53.1K

$17.1K YER 4.0M

77.87%

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

$25.1K BGN 43.6K

$34.5K YER 8.1M

-27.24%

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

$157 BGN 273

$109 YER 25.6K

44.49%

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

$21.12 BGN 36.74

$23.24 YER 5,481

-9.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.32 BGN 26.65

$100 YER 23.7K

-84.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.39 BGN 80.7

$67.4 YER 15.9K

-31.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.09 BGN 48.87

$16.53 YER 3,899

69.93%

Cinema Ticket

$10.04 BGN 17.46

$5.99 YER 1,413

67.61%

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

$775 BGN 1,348

$118 YER 27.9K

555.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K BGN 21.8K

$2,167 YER 511.2K

478.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.1 BGN 153

$41.90 YER 9,884

110.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.39 BGN 72.0

$123 YER 28.9K

-66.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 BGN 186

$48.13 YER 11.4K

121.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 BGN 185

$40.83 YER 9,632

160.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$770 BGN 1,340

$224 YER 52.9K

243.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$602 BGN 1,048

$97.0 YER 22.9K

521.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,564 BGN 2,721

$408 YER 96.3K

283.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,036 BGN 1,803

$273 YER 64.5K

279.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,567 BGN 7,946

$4,161 YER 981.6K

9.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,162 BGN 5,502

$798 YER 188.3K

296.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,742 BGN 3,031

$196 YER 46.2K

788.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

11.25

-74.31%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 19, 2026

Last update for Sanaa: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$602 37.6%

Sanaa

$97 9.4% 83.9% $505

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$291 18.2%

Sanaa

$271 26.4% 6.7% $20

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 15.9%

Sanaa

$132 12.9% 48% $122

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.1%

Sanaa

$232 22.6% 20.1% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.6%

Sanaa

$114 11.1% 26% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Sanaa

$79 7.7% 19.5% $13

Getting Around

Sofia

$39 2.4%

Sanaa

$101 9.8% 161% $62

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $770 in Sofia versus $224 in Sanaa. 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 789% 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 $68.0 in Sofia versus $26.00 in Sanaa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $291 vs $271 – making Sanaa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇾🇪 Sanaa

🕒 Local time

15:29 3:29 PM

Same time as Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

1,527,861 Capital

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Yemeni Rial YER ﷼

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1,000 YER = 4.24 USD

1,000 YER = 3.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

YER, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Yemeni Rial exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 236 YER (1,000 YER = 4.24 USD). 1 EUR = 265 YER (1,000 YER = 3.77 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sofia Sanaa 3,630 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Sanaa

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 Sanaa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia costs about 56% more than Sanaa, 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 $2,400 per month in Sofia and $1,541 in Sanaa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sanaa, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 7% more in Sofia, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Sofia and $26.00 in Sanaa. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sanaa, where all-in costs run around $1,027, than in Sofia at $1,600. In Sanaa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sanaa costs $1,027 versus $1,600 in Sofia. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Sanaa. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sofia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.