Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ait Melloul and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Ait Melloul: $667 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Ait Melloul
🇲🇦 Morocco
$667
/mo nomad
Sofia
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
$1,594
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $667 in Ait Melloul versus $1,594 in Sofia.

  • Ait Melloul $667
  • Sofia $1,594

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,027 in Ait Melloul versus $2,478 in Sofia.

  • Ait Melloul $1,027
  • Sofia $2,478

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,386 in Ait Melloul versus $3,361 in Sofia.

  • Ait Melloul $1,386
  • Sofia $3,361

Living in Ait Melloul costs roughly 58% less than in Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ait Melloul is 51% below, Sofia is 18% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ait Melloul
Sofia
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.61 MAD 35.15
$16.87 BGN 29.35
-78.60%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$24.96 MAD 243
$65.8 BGN 115
-62.07%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.16 MAD 60.1
$11.32 BGN 19.69
-45.58%
Cappuccino
$2.11 MAD 20.53
$3.43 BGN 5.98
-38.48%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.82 MAD 7.95
$2.41 BGN 4.19
-65.98%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.57 MAD 5.56
$1.85 BGN 3.22
-69.19%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.10 MAD 49.73
$3.70 BGN 6.44
37.84%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.41 MAD 42.96
$4.58 BGN 7.97
-3.71%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ait Melloul
Sofia
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.80 MAD 7.81
$2.02 BGN 3.51
-60.40%
White Bread (500g)
$0.54 MAD 5.26
$1.56 BGN 2.72
-65.38%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 MAD 14.77
$2.33 BGN 4.05
-35.19%
Eggs
$1.62 MAD 15.81
$4.36 BGN 7.59
-62.84%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.83 MAD 76.3
$11.76 BGN 20.47
-33.42%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.45 MAD 53.2
$8.83 BGN 15.37
-38.28%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.79 MAD 115
$17.46 BGN 30.38
-32.47%
Apples (1kg)
$1.25 MAD 12.23
$2.15 BGN 3.74
-41.86%
Banana (1kg)
$1.18 MAD 11.48
$1.98 BGN 3.44
-40.40%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.84 MAD 8.17
$1.93 BGN 3.37
-56.48%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.79 MAD 7.75
$4.24 BGN 7.37
-81.37%
Potato (1kg)
$0.71 MAD 6.93
$1.04 BGN 1.80
-31.73%
Onion (1kg)
$0.76 MAD 7.41
$0.85 BGN 1.48
-10.59%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.25 MAD 2.44
$1.15 BGN 2.00
-78.26%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.56 MAD 5.46
$0.89 BGN 1.56
-37.08%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.12 MAD 40.14
$4.21 BGN 7.33
-2.14%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.55 MAD 73.6
$7.46 BGN 12.98
1.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.33 MAD 22.70
$1.15 BGN 2.01
102.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.24 MAD 31.61
$1.85 BGN 3.23
75.14%
🚌 Getting Around
Ait Melloul
Sofia
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.57 MAD 5.58
$0.87 BGN 1.51
-34.48%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$20.98 MAD 205
$28.53 BGN 49.65
-26.46%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.65 MAD 6.34
$1.68 BGN 2.93
-61.31%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.60 MAD 5.85
$0.94 BGN 1.63
-36.17%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.13 MAD 69.5
$15.35 BGN 26.70
-53.55%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 MAD 14.16
$1.69 BGN 2.94
-14.20%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.8K MAD 329.3K
$29.8K BGN 51.9K
13.34%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.3K MAD 295.1K
$26.1K BGN 45.5K
15.82%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ait Melloul
Sofia
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$24.40 MAD 238
$156 BGN 272
-84.37%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.02 MAD 87.9
$21.56 BGN 37.52
-58.16%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.62 MAD 289
$15.24 BGN 26.51
94.36%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ait Melloul
Sofia
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$23.05 MAD 225
$46.08 BGN 80.2
-49.98%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.96 MAD 175
$27.92 BGN 48.58
-35.67%
Cinema Ticket
$5.02 MAD 48.95
$10.18 BGN 17.72
-50.69%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ait Melloul
Sofia
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$69.7 MAD 679
$774 BGN 1,347
-91.00%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,859 MAD 18.1K
$12.8K BGN 22.3K
-85.48%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ait Melloul
Sofia
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$31.11 MAD 303
$89.9 BGN 157
-65.41%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.52 MAD 424
$41.29 BGN 71.8
5.40%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$59.0 MAD 575
$105 BGN 183
-43.91%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$47.72 MAD 465
$107 BGN 186
-55.28%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ait Melloul
Sofia
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$283 MAD 2,758
$783 BGN 1,362
-63.86%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$173 MAD 1,687
$597 BGN 1,038
-71.01%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$436 MAD 4,253
$1,516 BGN 2,638
-71.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$252 MAD 2,458
$1,030 BGN 1,792
-75.53%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,366 MAD 13.3K
$4,350 BGN 7,568
-68.59%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$767 MAD 7,478
$3,177 BGN 5,528
-75.86%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ait Melloul
Sofia
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$1,735 BGN 3,019
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.5
2.89
55.71%

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

Last update for Ait Melloul: October 12, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Ait Melloul
$177
Sofia
$290 63.8% $113
Accommodation & Living
Ait Melloul
$173
Sofia
$597 245% $424
Eating Out
Ait Melloul
$112
Sofia
$255 127% $142
Clothing & Footwear
Ait Melloul
$82
Sofia
$154 89.2% $73
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ait Melloul
$63
Sofia
$193 206% $130
Sport & Entertainment
Ait Melloul
$33
Sofia
$66 101% $33
Getting Around
Ait Melloul
$27
Sofia
$38 42.6% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $283 in Ait Melloul and $783 in Sofia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $25.00 in Ait Melloul vs $66.0 in Sofia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $177 vs $290 per month, with Ait Melloul cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇦 Ait Melloul
🇧🇬 Sofia
🕒 Local time
08:59 8:59 AM
10:59 10:59 AM
2 h ahead of Ait Melloul
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
171,847
1,286,383 Capital
💱 Currency
Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.
Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to MAD – Moroccan Dirham Converter

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 9.75 MAD (1 MAD = 0.103 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 MAD (100 MAD = 9.12 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ait Melloul Sofia 3,210 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Ait Melloul
  • 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
Ait Melloul vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sofia cheaper than Ait Melloul?
Ait Melloul is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 139% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You'd need roughly $1,001 in Ait Melloul and $2,391 in Sofia to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
What is the rent difference between Ait Melloul and Sofia?
Rent for a central apartment: $283 in Ait Melloul versus $783 in Sofia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $69.7 in Ait Melloul versus $774 in Sofia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do food prices compare in Ait Melloul and in Sofia?
Supermarket bills run roughly 64% higher in Sofia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Ait Melloul or in Sofia?
At $667 in Ait Melloul versus $1,594 in Sofia, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Ait Melloul but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Ait Melloul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Ait Melloul or Sofia more family-friendly?
For families, Ait Melloul is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Sofia, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Ait Melloul or Sofia?
Safety-wise, Ait Melloul and Sofia are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Ait Melloul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 139% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Ait Melloul vs other spots: cost of living compared

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