Cost of living comparison
compared to
Riyadh vs. Sofia Cost of Living Summary
Riyadh is 21.2% more expensive than Sofia.
- Restaurants
-
pay 45.5% less in Riyadh
- Groceries
-
pay 1.6% less in Riyadh
- Transportation
-
pay 18.2% more in Riyadh
- Housing
-
pay 2.2 times more in Riyadh
- Childcare
-
pay 11.4% less in Riyadh
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 58.9% more in Riyadh
- Clothing
-
pay 10.5% more in Riyadh
The cost of housing, entertainment and sports, transportation, and clothing in Riyadh are more expensive than in Sofia. Expenses including restaurants, childcare, and groceries are lower in Riyadh. Notably, housing is significantly more expensive in Riyadh.
Riyadh vs. Sofia Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Riyadh instead of Sofia, you would:
pay 45.5% less for restaurants
|
Sofia
|
Riyadh
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$11.94
BGN20.12
|
$8.00
SAR30.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.40
BGN15.85
|
$8.00
SAR30.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.69
BGN2.86
|
$0.75
SAR2.82
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.35
BGN2.28
|
$0.29
SAR1.10
|
|
Sofia vs. Riyadh - Cost of restaurants
pay 1.6% less for groceries
|
Sofia
|
Riyadh
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.27
BGN2.14
|
$1.31
SAR4.91
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.03
BGN10.16
|
$4.27
SAR16.00
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.17
BGN12.09
|
$6.23
SAR23.37
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.89
BGN6.56
|
$2.81
SAR10.53
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.74
BGN6.30
|
$4.67
SAR17.52
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.86
BGN1.45
|
$1.03
SAR3.85
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.88
BGN1.49
|
$0.76
SAR2.87
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.87
BGN1.46
|
$0.82
SAR3.07
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.26
BGN2.12
|
$0.70
SAR2.63
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.50
BGN0.85
|
$0.58
SAR2.17
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.43
BGN0.73
|
$0.66
SAR2.48
|
|
Sofia vs. Riyadh - Cost of groceries
pay 18.2% more for transportation
|
Sofia
|
Riyadh
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.82
BGN9.81
|
$2.31
SAR8.65
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$29.84
BGN50.31
|
$37.33
SAR140.01
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$30,917.07
BGN52,118.45
|
$33,328.67
SAR125,009.97
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$9.19
BGN15.49
|
$18.40
SAR69.01
|
|
Sofia vs. Riyadh - Cost of transportation
pay 2.2 times more for housing
|
Sofia
|
Riyadh
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$14.81
BGN24.97
|
$74.49
SAR279.42
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$730.45
BGN1,231.35
|
$1,119.84
SAR4,200.33
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$549.13
BGN925.69
|
$846.11
SAR3,173.60
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$120.21
BGN202.65
|
$82.07
SAR307.85
|
|
Sofia vs. Riyadh - Cost of housing
pay 11.4% less for childcare
|
Sofia
|
Riyadh
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$641.00
BGN1,080.57
|
$461.83
SAR1,732.23
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$9,323.50
BGN15,717.08
|
$9,810.75
SAR36,798.39
|
|
Sofia vs. Riyadh - Cost of childcare
pay 58.9% more for entertainment and sports
|
Sofia
|
Riyadh
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.98
BGN5.03
|
$1.87
SAR7.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.61
BGN4.41
|
$4.10
SAR15.39
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.88
BGN6.54
|
$7.33
SAR27.50
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$44.47
BGN74.96
|
$104.43
SAR391.70
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$10.15
BGN17.10
|
$15.33
SAR57.50
|
|
Sofia vs. Riyadh - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 10.5% more for clothing
|
Sofia
|
Riyadh
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$71.40
BGN120.37
|
$59.01
SAR221.34
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$36.83
BGN62.09
|
$64.27
SAR241.07
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$109.77
BGN185.05
|
$110.52
SAR414.53
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$116.74
BGN196.79
|
$98.25
SAR368.53
|
|
Sofia vs. Riyadh - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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