Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taif and Sofia

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.

61

Cost of Living Index in Taif
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Taif Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Taif

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,271

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taif and in Sofia

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Taif and in Sofia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Taif $1,271
Sofia $1,585

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

Taif $1,863
Sofia $2,486

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

Taif $2,456
Sofia $3,387

Taif is about 20% cheaper than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.39 SAR 20.22

$16.57 BGN 28.84

-67.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.10 SAR 139

$67.7 BGN 118

-45.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.55 SAR 28.35

$11.68 BGN 20.33

-35.36%

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

$2.20 SAR 8.27

$3.41 BGN 5.93

-35.48%

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

$0.63 SAR 2.37

$2.36 BGN 4.11

-73.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 SAR 0.81

$1.67 BGN 2.91

-86.83%

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)

$1.81 SAR 6.80

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-6.70%

White Bread (500g)

$0.28 SAR 1.05

$1.55 BGN 2.70

-81.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 SAR 8.74

$2.35 BGN 4.09

-0.85%

Eggs

$2.68 SAR 10.05

$4.60 BGN 8.00

-41.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.82 SAR 21.83

$11.47 BGN 19.96

-49.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.93 SAR 26.01

$8.65 BGN 15.04

-19.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.46 SAR 35.52

$17.34 BGN 30.17

-45.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.45 SAR 9.19

$2.15 BGN 3.73

13.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 SAR 6.56

$1.98 BGN 3.45

-11.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 SAR 6.82

$1.83 BGN 3.18

-0.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.87 SAR 7.02

$4.27 BGN 7.43

-56.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.34 SAR 5.04

$1.04 BGN 1.82

28.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.44 SAR 5.41

$0.89 BGN 1.54

61.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 SAR 3.42

$1.19 BGN 2.06

-23.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 SAR 2.92

$0.83 BGN 1.45

-6.02%

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)

$6.98 SAR 26.20

$4.40 BGN 7.66

58.64%

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)

$1.07 SAR 4.03

$0.92 BGN 1.60

16.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.71 SAR 142

$28.11 BGN 48.91

34.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 SAR 5.11

$1.67 BGN 2.90

-18.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.96 SAR 7.34

$0.85 BGN 1.49

130.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.54 SAR 35.80

$16.59 BGN 28.87

-42.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 SAR 2.40

$1.74 BGN 3.03

-63.22%

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

$26.8K SAR 100.6K

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

-10.49%

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

$21.4K SAR 80.5K

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

-14.26%

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

$141 SAR 530

$158 BGN 275

-10.57%

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

$27.63 SAR 104

$21.27 BGN 37.01

29.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 SAR 257

$15.12 BGN 26.30

352.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$143 SAR 538

$46.85 BGN 81.5

206.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.26 SAR 49.75

$27.82 BGN 48.41

-52.34%

Cinema Ticket

$19.64 SAR 73.7

$10.00 BGN 17.39

96.40%

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

$187 SAR 701

$815 BGN 1,419

-77.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,348 SAR 12.6K

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

-77.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.65 SAR 156

$87.1 BGN 152

-52.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.6 SAR 190

$38.28 BGN 66.6

32.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.2 SAR 354

$106 BGN 184

-10.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.6 SAR 325

$107 BGN 187

-19.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$569 SAR 2,136

$769 BGN 1,338

-25.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$399 SAR 1,496

$593 BGN 1,032

-32.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$897 SAR 3,366

$1,530 BGN 2,662

-41.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$610 SAR 2,288

$1,061 BGN 1,846

-42.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,992 SAR 7,478

$4,526 BGN 7,875

-55.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,188 SAR 4,459

$3,109 BGN 5,410

-61.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,573 SAR 5,905

$1,780 BGN 3,098

-11.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

2.89

91.70%

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

Last update for Taif: November 1, 2026

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Taif

$399 31.4%

Sofia

$593 37.4% 48.8% $195

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taif

$237 18.7%

Sofia

$194 12.3% 18.1% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Taif

$183 14.4%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 63.4% $116

Groceries & Markets

Taif

$181 14.2%

Sofia

$288 18.2% 59.3% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Taif

$123 9.7%

Sofia

$152 9.6% 23.8% $29

Eating Out

Taif

$96 7.5%

Sofia

$254 16% 165% $158

Getting Around

Taif

$53 4.2%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 29% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $569 in Taif versus $769 in Sofia. 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 $37 in Taif versus $68 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $181 vs $288 – making Taif the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Taif

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

01:21 1:21 AM

00:21 12:21 AM

1 h behind Taif

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

579,970

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇦 Saudi Riyal (ر.س)

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).

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).

USD to SAR in detail →

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Between locations

Taif Sofia 2,860 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Taif
Sofia

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

Taif vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,271 in Taif, $1,585 in Sofia – Taif comes out roughly 20% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,906 per month in Taif and $2,378 in Sofia. 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 $1,271 in Taif and $1,585 in Sofia. 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 $1,271 in Taif and $1,585 in Sofia. 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.