Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Saudi Arabia

For one person, living is cheaper in Saudi Arabia: $1,282 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Sofia, Bulgaria
Saudi Arabia
Sofia
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
$1,585
/mo nomad
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
$1,282
/mo nomad
😐 Solo nomad: Sofia is 16.4% more expensive than Saudi Arabia without rent, and 23.7% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Sofia is 25.5% more expensive than Saudi Arabia without rent, and 33.9% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sofia
Saudi Arabia
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.57 BGN 28.84
$6.52 SAR 24.47
154.14%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$67.7 BGN 118
$39.48 SAR 148
71.43%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.68 BGN 20.33
$7.95 SAR 29.82
46.92%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$1.90 SAR 7.11
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.08 SAR 7.82
-
Cappuccino
$3.41 BGN 5.93
$3.81 SAR 14.29
-10.50%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.36 BGN 4.11
$0.74 SAR 2.77
218.92%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.67 BGN 2.91
$0.27 SAR 1.02
518.52%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.99 BGN 6.94
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.53 BGN 7.88
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sofia
Saudi Arabia
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.94 BGN 3.38
$1.70 SAR 6.40
14.12%
White Bread (500g)
$1.55 BGN 2.70
$1.07 SAR 4.01
44.86%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.35 BGN 4.09
$2.19 SAR 8.21
7.31%
Eggs
$4.60 BGN 8.00
$2.60 SAR 9.77
76.92%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.47 BGN 19.96
$7.60 SAR 28.53
50.92%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.65 BGN 15.04
$8.05 SAR 30.22
7.45%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.34 BGN 30.17
$13.47 SAR 50.6
28.73%
Apples (1kg)
$2.15 BGN 3.73
$2.27 SAR 8.50
-5.29%
Banana (1kg)
$1.98 BGN 3.45
$1.73 SAR 6.49
14.45%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.83 BGN 3.18
$1.71 SAR 6.42
7.02%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.27 BGN 7.43
$1.60 SAR 6.01
166.87%
Potato (1kg)
$1.04 BGN 1.82
$1.29 SAR 4.83
-19.38%
Onion (1kg)
$0.89 BGN 1.54
$1.34 SAR 5.02
-33.58%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.19 BGN 2.06
$1.28 SAR 4.82
-7.03%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.83 BGN 1.45
$0.56 SAR 2.12
48.21%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$4.25 SAR 15.96
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.65 SAR 6.18
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.16 SAR 8.11
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.40 BGN 7.66
$7.27 SAR 27.30
-39.48%
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
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Sofia
Saudi Arabia
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.92 BGN 1.60
$1.07 SAR 4.02
-14.02%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$28.11 BGN 48.91
$37.45 SAR 141
-24.94%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.67 BGN 2.90
$2.71 SAR 10.16
-38.38%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.85 BGN 1.49
$2.60 SAR 9.76
-67.31%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.59 BGN 28.87
$13.28 SAR 49.86
24.92%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.74 BGN 3.03
$0.59 SAR 2.22
194.92%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.9K BGN 52.1K
$30.1K SAR 112.8K
-0.40%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.0K BGN 43.5K
$21.8K SAR 82.0K
14.50%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sofia
Saudi Arabia
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$158 BGN 275
$97.1 SAR 364
62.56%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$21.27 BGN 37.01
$31.17 SAR 117
-31.76%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$15.12 BGN 26.30
$67.2 SAR 252
-77.50%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sofia
Saudi Arabia
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.85 BGN 81.5
$76.4 SAR 287
-38.65%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$27.82 BGN 48.41
$38.32 SAR 144
-27.40%
Cinema Ticket
$10.00 BGN 17.39
$14.37 SAR 53.9
-30.41%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sofia
Saudi Arabia
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$815 BGN 1,419
$458 SAR 1,718
78.16%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.6K BGN 25.5K
$14.6K SAR 54.7K
0.55%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sofia
Saudi Arabia
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.1 BGN 152
$47.19 SAR 177
84.55%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.28 BGN 66.6
$57.0 SAR 214
-32.82%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$106 BGN 184
$89.1 SAR 334
18.57%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$107 BGN 187
$84.4 SAR 317
26.93%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sofia
Saudi Arabia
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$769 BGN 1,338
$637 SAR 2,392
20.65%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$593 BGN 1,032
$468 SAR 1,757
26.71%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,530 BGN 2,662
$999 SAR 3,749
53.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,061 BGN 1,846
$705 SAR 2,646
50.47%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,526 BGN 7,875
$2,107 SAR 7,907
114.81%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,109 BGN 5,410
$1,253 SAR 4,702
148.17%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sofia
Saudi Arabia
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,780 BGN 3,098
$1,869 SAR 7,015
-4.76%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.89
5.4
-46.48%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Saudi Arabia: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Sofia
$593
Saudi Arabia
$468 21.1% $125
Groceries & Markets
Sofia
$288
Saudi Arabia
$205 28.6% $82
Eating Out
Sofia
$254
Saudi Arabia
$126 50.4% $128
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sofia
$194
Saudi Arabia
$195 0.6% $1.2
Clothing & Footwear
Sofia
$152
Saudi Arabia
$125 17.9% $27
Sport & Entertainment
Sofia
$67
Saudi Arabia
$105 57.2% $38
Getting Around
Sofia
$38
Saudi Arabia
$57 52.3% $20
Good to know
🇧🇬 Sofia
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
🕒 Local time
16:29 4:29 PM
17:29 5:29 PM
1 h ahead of Sofia
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,286,383 Capital
33,000,000
💱 Currency
Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.
Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س
Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Sofia Saudi Arabia 2,930 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Sofia
  • Saudi Arabia

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.
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