Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yanbu and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Yanbu: $1,021 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Yanbu
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Yanbu Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index

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Yanbu

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,021

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Yanbu 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 Yanbu and in Sofia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,021 per month in Yanbu vs $1,585 in Sofia, rent included.

Yanbu $1,021
Sofia $1,585

A couple spends around $1,621 per month in Yanbu vs $2,486 in Sofia, rent included.

Yanbu $1,621
Sofia $2,486

A family of three spends $2,222 per month in Yanbu vs $3,387 in Sofia, rent included.

Yanbu $2,222
Sofia $3,387

Yanbu is about 36% cheaper than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Yanbu sits 24% below the global median, while Sofia is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.23 SAR 23.40

$16.57 BGN 28.84

-62.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.74 SAR 142

$67.7 BGN 118

-44.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.62 SAR 24.86

$11.68 BGN 20.33

-43.32%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.64 SAR 6.14

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 SAR 6.07

Cappuccino

$3.79 SAR 14.21

$3.41 BGN 5.93

11.14%

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

$0.80 SAR 3.02

$2.36 BGN 4.11

-66.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.18 SAR 0.69

$1.67 BGN 2.91

-89.22%

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)

$1.74 SAR 6.54

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-10.31%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 SAR 3.33

$1.55 BGN 2.70

-42.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 SAR 8.25

$2.35 BGN 4.09

-6.38%

Eggs

$2.51 SAR 9.42

$4.60 BGN 8.00

-45.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.48 SAR 24.33

$11.47 BGN 19.96

-43.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.25 SAR 30.97

$8.65 BGN 15.04

-4.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.18 SAR 49.47

$17.34 BGN 30.17

-23.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.03 SAR 7.60

$2.15 BGN 3.73

-5.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 SAR 6.42

$1.98 BGN 3.45

-13.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 SAR 5.45

$1.83 BGN 3.18

-20.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.62 SAR 6.06

$4.27 BGN 7.43

-62.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 SAR 4.44

$1.04 BGN 1.82

13.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 SAR 3.96

$0.89 BGN 1.54

17.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 SAR 4.08

$1.19 BGN 2.06

-8.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 SAR 1.91

$0.83 BGN 1.45

-38.55%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.38 SAR 5.17

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 SAR 5.11

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 SAR 7.92

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.70 SAR 25.15

$4.40 BGN 7.66

52.27%

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)

$1.04 SAR 3.90

$0.92 BGN 1.60

13.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.69 SAR 138

$28.11 BGN 48.91

30.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 SAR 11.69

$1.67 BGN 2.90

86.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.84 SAR 3.15

$0.85 BGN 1.49

-1.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.12 SAR 53.0

$16.59 BGN 28.87

-14.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.59 SAR 2.21

$1.74 BGN 3.03

-66.09%

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

$38.4K SAR 144.0K

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

28.18%

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

$22.2K SAR 83.2K

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

-11.36%

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

$91.1 SAR 342

$158 BGN 275

-42.27%

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

$22.20 SAR 83.3

$21.27 BGN 37.01

4.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.6 SAR 254

$15.12 BGN 26.30

347.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$96.6 SAR 363

$46.85 BGN 81.5

106.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.75 SAR 100

$27.82 BGN 48.41

-3.85%

Cinema Ticket

$11.83 SAR 44.40

$10.00 BGN 17.39

18.30%

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

$270 SAR 1,012

$815 BGN 1,419

-66.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,742 SAR 14.0K

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

-74.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.8 SAR 273

$87.1 BGN 152

-16.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 SAR 213

$38.28 BGN 66.6

48.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.3 SAR 373

$106 BGN 184

-5.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.8 SAR 352

$107 BGN 187

-12.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$312 SAR 1,171

$769 BGN 1,338

-59.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$211 SAR 794

$593 BGN 1,032

-64.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$609 SAR 2,285

$1,530 BGN 2,662

-60.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$419 SAR 1,572

$1,061 BGN 1,846

-60.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,997 SAR 7,497

$4,526 BGN 7,875

-55.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,313 SAR 4,927

$3,109 BGN 5,410

-57.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,403 SAR 12.8K

$1,780 BGN 3,098

91.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

2.89

86.51%

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

Last update for Yanbu: 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

Yanbu

$211 20.7%

Sofia

$593 37.4% 181% $382

Groceries & Markets

Yanbu

$196 19.2%

Sofia

$288 18.2% 47% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yanbu

$181 17.7%

Sofia

$194 12.3% 7.4% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Yanbu

$145 14.2%

Sofia

$152 9.6% 4.8% $7

Sport & Entertainment

Yanbu

$120 11.8%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 44.4% $53

Eating Out

Yanbu

$119 11.7%

Sofia

$254 16% 113% $134

Getting Around

Yanbu

$48 4.7%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 21.7% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $312 in Yanbu 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 91% higher in Yanbu, 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 $38 in Yanbu versus $68 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $196 vs $288 – making Yanbu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Yanbu

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

01:31 1:31 AM

00:31 12:31 AM

1 h behind Yanbu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

233,236

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 →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Yanbu Sofia 2,470 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Yanbu
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

Yanbu vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,021 in Yanbu, $1,585 in Sofia – Yanbu comes out roughly 36% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,531 per month in Yanbu 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 Yanbu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $312 there versus $769 in Sofia.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,021 in Yanbu and $1,585 in Sofia. That makes Yanbu about 36% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 23% 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 $1,021 in Yanbu and $1,585 in Sofia. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Yanbu – 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.