Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Taif

For one person, living is cheaper in Taif: $1,271 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Taif
Learn more

Taif Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Taif

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,271

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Taif

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

A single person spends $1,585 per month in Sofia vs $1,271 in Taif, rent included.

Sofia $1,585
Taif $1,271

A couple spends around $2,486 per month in Sofia vs $1,863 in Taif, rent included.

Sofia $2,486
Taif $1,863

A family of three spends $3,387 per month in Sofia vs $2,456 in Taif, rent included.

Sofia $3,387
Taif $2,456

Sofia costs about 25% more than Taif, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 17% above the global median, while Taif is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$5.39 SAR 20.22

207.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$37.10 SAR 139

82.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$7.55 SAR 28.35

54.70%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 SAR 8.14

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 SAR 5.11

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$2.20 SAR 8.27

55.00%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$0.63 SAR 2.37

274.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.22 SAR 0.81

659.09%

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

$1.81 SAR 6.80

7.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.28 SAR 1.05

453.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$2.33 SAR 8.74

0.86%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$2.68 SAR 10.05

71.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$5.82 SAR 21.83

97.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$6.93 SAR 26.01

24.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$9.46 SAR 35.52

83.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$2.45 SAR 9.19

-12.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.75 SAR 6.56

13.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$1.82 SAR 6.82

0.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$1.87 SAR 7.02

128.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$1.34 SAR 5.04

-22.39%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$1.44 SAR 5.41

-38.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$0.91 SAR 3.42

30.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.78 SAR 2.92

6.41%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.01 SAR 11.32

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 SAR 5.38

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 SAR 7.75

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$6.98 SAR 26.20

-36.96%

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

$1.07 SAR 4.03

-14.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

$37.71 SAR 142

-25.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$1.36 SAR 5.11

22.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$1.96 SAR 7.34

-56.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$9.54 SAR 35.80

73.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$0.64 SAR 2.40

171.88%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$26.8K SAR 100.6K

11.72%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$21.4K SAR 80.5K

16.63%

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

$158 BGN 275

$141 SAR 530

11.81%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$27.63 SAR 104

-23.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$68.4 SAR 257

-77.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$143 SAR 538

-67.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

$13.26 SAR 49.75

109.80%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$19.64 SAR 73.7

-49.08%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$187 SAR 701

336.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$3,348 SAR 12.6K

337.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$41.65 SAR 156

109.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$50.6 SAR 190

-24.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$94.2 SAR 354

12.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$86.6 SAR 325

23.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$569 SAR 2,136

35.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$399 SAR 1,496

48.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$897 SAR 3,366

70.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$610 SAR 2,288

74.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$1,992 SAR 7,478

127.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$1,188 SAR 4,459

161.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

$1,573 SAR 5,905

13.16%

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 Taif: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Taif

$399 31.4% 32.8% $195

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Taif

$181 14.2% 37.2% $107

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Taif

$96 7.5% 62.3% $158

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Taif

$237 18.7% 22.1% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Taif

$123 9.7% 19.2% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Taif

$183 14.4% 173% $116

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Taif

$53 4.2% 40.9% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $769 in Sofia versus $569 in Taif. 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 13% 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 $37 in Taif. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $181 – making Taif the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇸🇦 Taif

🕒 Local time

01:41 1:41 AM

02:41 2:41 AM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

579,970

💱 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 5, 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.21 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sofia Taif 2,860 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Taif

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 Taif: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,585 in Sofia, $1,271 in Taif – Taif comes out roughly 20% 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 $1,906 in Taif. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Taif, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $569 there versus $769 in Sofia.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,585 in Sofia and $1,271 in Taif. That makes Taif about 20% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 25% less in Sofia. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,585 in Sofia and $1,271 in Taif. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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