Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Umluj

For one person, living is cheaper in Umluj: $1,230 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Umluj
Learn more

Umluj Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Umluj

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,230

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Umluj

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

A single person spends $1,585 per month in Sofia vs $1,230 in Umluj, rent included.

Sofia $1,585
Umluj $1,230

A couple spends around $2,486 per month in Sofia vs $1,824 in Umluj, rent included.

Sofia $2,486
Umluj $1,824

A family of three spends $3,387 per month in Sofia vs $2,418 in Umluj, rent included.

Sofia $3,387
Umluj $2,418

Sofia costs about 29% more than Umluj, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 17% above the global median, while Umluj is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$6.59 SAR 24.75

151.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$39.59 SAR 149

70.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$8.45 SAR 31.71

38.22%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.68 SAR 6.30

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 SAR 9.55

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$3.45 SAR 12.96

-1.16%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$0.83 SAR 3.12

184.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.27 SAR 1.03

518.52%

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

$1.92 SAR 7.21

1.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$1.12 SAR 4.21

38.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$2.03 SAR 7.60

15.76%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$2.48 SAR 9.30

85.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$6.36 SAR 23.88

80.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$8.73 SAR 32.75

-0.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$14.21 SAR 53.3

22.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$2.30 SAR 8.62

-6.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.96 SAR 7.35

1.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$1.37 SAR 5.16

33.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$1.40 SAR 5.26

205.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$1.08 SAR 4.04

-3.70%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$1.27 SAR 4.78

-29.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$1.41 SAR 5.28

-15.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.48 SAR 1.82

72.92%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.56 SAR 9.61

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 SAR 5.83

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 SAR 7.40

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$5.89 SAR 22.10

-25.30%

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

$1.19 SAR 4.48

-22.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

$39.20 SAR 147

-28.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$2.96 SAR 11.11

-43.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$1.57 SAR 5.90

-45.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$15.82 SAR 59.4

4.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$0.53 SAR 1.99

228.30%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$33.3K SAR 125.1K

-10.15%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$21.3K SAR 79.8K

17.63%

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

$158 BGN 275

$95.4 SAR 358

65.56%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$35.71 SAR 134

-40.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$69.3 SAR 260

-78.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$80.5 SAR 302

-41.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$13.83 SAR 51.9

-27.69%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$378 SAR 1,420

115.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$11.6K SAR 43.4K

26.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$43.21 SAR 162

101.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$62.5 SAR 234

-38.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$92.6 SAR 348

14.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$87.8 SAR 330

22.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$558 SAR 2,093

37.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$407 SAR 1,528

45.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$875 SAR 3,286

74.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$611 SAR 2,292

73.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$2,201 SAR 8,261

105.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$1,179 SAR 4,426

163.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

$4,181 SAR 15.7K

-57.42%

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 Umluj: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Umluj

$407 33.1% 31.4% $186

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Umluj

$207 16.8% 28.2% $81

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Umluj

$124 10.1% 51.1% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Umluj

$200 16.3% 3.1% $6.1

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Umluj

$129 10.5% 15.4% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Umluj

$108 8.8% 61.8% $41

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Umluj

$55 4.5% 45.3% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $769 in Sofia versus $558 in Umluj. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Umluj are about 2.3 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia versus $40 in Umluj. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $207 – making Umluj the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇸🇦 Umluj

🕒 Local time

06:34 6:34 AM

07:34 7:34 AM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

37,757

💱 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 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 = 4.21 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Umluj 2,340 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Umluj

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 Umluj: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,585 in Sofia, $1,230 in Umluj – Umluj comes out roughly 22% 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 $1,845 in Umluj. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Umluj, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $558 there versus $769 in Sofia.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,585 in Sofia and $1,230 in Umluj. That makes Umluj about 22% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 28% less in Sofia. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,585 in Sofia and $1,230 in Umluj, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Umluj – 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.