Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Unaizah

For one person, living is cheaper in Unaizah: $1,221 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Unaizah
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Unaizah Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Unaizah

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,221

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Unaizah

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

A single person spends $1,585 per month in Sofia vs $1,221 in Unaizah, rent included.

Sofia $1,585
Unaizah $1,221

A couple spends around $2,486 per month in Sofia vs $1,813 in Unaizah, rent included.

Sofia $2,486
Unaizah $1,813

A family of three spends $3,387 per month in Sofia vs $2,405 in Unaizah, rent included.

Sofia $3,387
Unaizah $2,405

Sofia costs about 30% more than Unaizah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 17% above the global median, while Unaizah is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$6.68 SAR 25.07

148.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$40.07 SAR 150

68.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$7.05 SAR 26.48

65.67%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.91 SAR 7.19

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 SAR 6.88

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$4.40 SAR 16.52

-22.50%

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

$0.28 SAR 1.06

496.43%

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

$1.64 SAR 6.17

18.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.44 SAR 1.67

252.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$2.27 SAR 8.51

3.52%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$4.76 SAR 17.87

-3.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$4.55 SAR 17.09

152.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$4.66 SAR 17.50

85.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$12.69 SAR 47.64

36.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$1.82 SAR 6.83

18.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.98 SAR 7.44

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$1.82 SAR 6.85

0.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$2.00 SAR 7.51

113.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$2.11 SAR 7.92

-50.71%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$2.60 SAR 9.76

-65.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$1.28 SAR 4.81

-7.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.64 SAR 2.40

29.69%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.82 SAR 10.60

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 SAR 7.53

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 SAR 8.09

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$6.74 SAR 25.29

-34.72%

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

$0.95 SAR 3.56

-3.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

$40.56 SAR 152

-30.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$2.60 SAR 9.76

-35.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$1.57 SAR 5.88

-45.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$16.03 SAR 60.2

3.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$0.55 SAR 2.08

216.36%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$27.6K SAR 103.5K

8.52%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$21.7K SAR 81.6K

15.02%

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

$158 BGN 275

$103 SAR 386

53.61%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$32.41 SAR 122

-34.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$67.2 SAR 252

-77.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$54.1 SAR 203

-13.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$13.23 SAR 49.64

-24.41%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$471 SAR 1,767

73.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$9,262 SAR 34.8K

58.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$45.34 SAR 170

92.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$53.0 SAR 199

-27.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$100 SAR 377

5.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$80.4 SAR 302

33.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$588 SAR 2,207

30.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$440 SAR 1,651

34.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$760 SAR 2,853

101.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$684 SAR 2,567

55.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$2,056 SAR 7,716

120.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$1,255 SAR 4,711

147.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

$2,550 SAR 9,570

-30.18%

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 Unaizah: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Unaizah

$440 36% 25.8% $153

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Unaizah

$187 15.3% 35.1% $101

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Unaizah

$131 10.8% 48.2% $122

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Unaizah

$202 16.6% 4.2% $8.1

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Unaizah

$126 10.3% 17.5% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Unaizah

$81 6.6% 20.4% $14

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Unaizah

$55 4.5% 45.3% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $769 in Sofia versus $588 in Unaizah. 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 43% higher in Unaizah, 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 Unaizah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $187 – making Unaizah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇸🇦 Unaizah

🕒 Local time

10:18 10:18 AM

11:18 11:18 AM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

163,729

💱 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 = 4.22 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sofia Unaizah 2,630 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Unaizah

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 Unaizah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,585 in Sofia, $1,221 in Unaizah – Unaizah comes out roughly 23% 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 $1,832 in Unaizah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Unaizah, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $588 there versus $769 in Sofia.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,585 in Sofia and $1,221 in Unaizah. That makes Unaizah about 23% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 31% 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 $1,221 in Unaizah, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Unaizah – 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.