Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Tabuk

For one person, living is cheaper in Tabuk: $1,178 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 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
56

Cost of Living Index in Tabuk
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Tabuk Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Tabuk

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,178

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Tabuk

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

A single person spends $1,585 per month in Sofia vs $1,178 in Tabuk, rent included.

Sofia $1,585
Tabuk $1,178

A couple spends around $2,486 per month in Sofia vs $1,766 in Tabuk, rent included.

Sofia $2,486
Tabuk $1,766

A family of three spends $3,387 per month in Sofia vs $2,354 in Tabuk, rent included.

Sofia $3,387
Tabuk $2,354

Sofia costs about 35% more than Tabuk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 17% above the global median, while Tabuk is 13% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$7.33 SAR 27.50

126.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$31.31 SAR 118

116.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$7.55 SAR 28.34

54.70%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.35 SAR 5.05

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 SAR 6.01

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$3.13 SAR 11.76

8.95%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$0.73 SAR 2.73

223.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.26 SAR 0.97

542.31%

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

$1.89 SAR 7.11

2.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.91 SAR 3.40

70.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$2.68 SAR 10.05

-12.31%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$2.95 SAR 11.06

55.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$12.63 SAR 47.41

-9.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$6.74 SAR 25.29

28.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$12.74 SAR 47.81

36.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$1.95 SAR 7.31

10.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.67 SAR 6.28

18.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$1.81 SAR 6.78

1.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$2.14 SAR 8.04

99.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$1.69 SAR 6.36

-38.46%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$2.09 SAR 7.86

-57.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$1.89 SAR 7.09

-37.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.60 SAR 2.24

38.33%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.86 SAR 10.72

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 SAR 6.86

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 SAR 7.80

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

$1.05 SAR 3.94

-12.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

$36.23 SAR 136

-22.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$2.70 SAR 10.14

-38.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$1.69 SAR 6.34

-49.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$14.98 SAR 56.2

10.75%

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

$27.0K SAR 101.5K

10.72%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$20.4K SAR 76.6K

22.54%

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

$158 BGN 275

$104 SAR 392

51.11%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$36.05 SAR 135

-41.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$75.8 SAR 284

-80.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$79.5 SAR 298

-41.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$13.35 SAR 50.1

-25.09%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$428 SAR 1,605

90.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$8,508 SAR 31.9K

72.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$40.00 SAR 150

117.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$47.44 SAR 178

-19.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$90.1 SAR 338

17.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$91.1 SAR 342

17.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$309 SAR 1,159

148.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$338 SAR 1,270

75.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$556 SAR 2,087

175.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$567 SAR 2,128

87.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$1,966 SAR 7,379

130.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$1,192 SAR 4,474

160.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

$1,716 SAR 6,442

3.73%

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 Tabuk: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Tabuk

$338 28.7% 42.9% $255

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Tabuk

$222 18.8% 22.8% $66

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Tabuk

$123 10.4% 51.6% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Tabuk

$216 18.4% 11.3% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Tabuk

$121 10.3% 20.5% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Tabuk

$106 9% 58.8% $39

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Tabuk

$52 4.4% 36.8% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $769 in Sofia versus $309 in Tabuk. 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 4% 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 $31 in Tabuk. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $222 – making Tabuk the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇸🇦 Tabuk

🕒 Local time

20:20 8:20 PM

21:20 9:20 PM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

512,629

💱 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 Tabuk 1,990 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Tabuk

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 Tabuk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,585 in Sofia, $1,178 in Tabuk – Tabuk comes out roughly 26% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,378 per month in Sofia and $1,767 in Tabuk. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tabuk, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $309 there versus $769 in Sofia.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,585 in Sofia and $1,178 in Tabuk. That makes Tabuk about 26% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 22% less in Sofia. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Tabuk, where all-in costs run around $1,178, than in Sofia at $1,585. In Tabuk it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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