Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Essaouira and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Essaouira: $782 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Essaouira
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Essaouira Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index

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Essaouira

🇲🇦 Morocco

$782

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $782 per month in Essaouira vs $1,594 in Sofia, rent included.

Essaouira $782
Sofia $1,594

A couple spends around $1,172 per month in Essaouira vs $2,478 in Sofia, rent included.

Essaouira $1,172
Sofia $2,478

A family of three spends $1,562 per month in Essaouira vs $3,361 in Sofia, rent included.

Essaouira $1,562
Sofia $3,361

Essaouira is about 51% cheaper than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Essaouira sits 42% below the global median, while Sofia is 18% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.62 MAD 45.00

$16.87 BGN 29.35

-72.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.81 MAD 183

$65.8 BGN 115

-71.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.12 MAD 69.4

$11.32 BGN 19.69

-37.10%

Cappuccino

$1.35 MAD 13.14

$3.43 BGN 5.98

-60.64%

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

$0.47 MAD 4.58

$2.41 BGN 4.19

-80.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 MAD 3.68

$1.85 BGN 3.22

-79.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.31 MAD 51.8

$3.70 BGN 6.44

43.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 MAD 44.93

$4.58 BGN 7.97

0.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 MAD 8.79

$2.02 BGN 3.51

-55.45%

White Bread (500g)

$0.54 MAD 5.25

$1.56 BGN 2.72

-65.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 MAD 16.28

$2.33 BGN 4.05

-28.33%

Eggs

$1.68 MAD 16.37

$4.36 BGN 7.59

-61.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.27 MAD 80.6

$11.76 BGN 20.47

-29.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.81 MAD 56.6

$8.83 BGN 15.37

-34.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.62 MAD 104

$17.46 BGN 30.38

-39.18%

Apples (1kg)

$1.30 MAD 12.63

$2.15 BGN 3.74

-39.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.14 MAD 11.12

$1.98 BGN 3.44

-42.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.72 MAD 7.02

$1.93 BGN 3.37

-62.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.77 MAD 7.52

$4.24 BGN 7.37

-81.84%

Potato (1kg)

$0.58 MAD 5.67

$1.04 BGN 1.80

-44.23%

Onion (1kg)

$0.68 MAD 6.66

$0.85 BGN 1.48

-20.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.38 MAD 3.67

$1.15 BGN 2.00

-66.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 MAD 5.68

$0.89 BGN 1.56

-34.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.84 MAD 37.44

$4.21 BGN 7.33

-8.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.32 MAD 61.6

$7.46 BGN 12.98

-15.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 MAD 17.76

$1.15 BGN 2.01

58.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 MAD 20.77

$1.85 BGN 3.23

15.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 MAD 7.99

$0.87 BGN 1.51

-5.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 MAD 6.22

$1.68 BGN 2.93

-61.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 MAD 6.19

$0.94 BGN 1.63

-32.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

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)

$34.6K MAD 337.3K

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

16.09%

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

$29.5K MAD 287.8K

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

12.93%

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

$23.89 MAD 233

$156 BGN 272

-84.69%

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

$17.25 MAD 168

$21.56 BGN 37.52

-19.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.01 MAD 293

$15.24 BGN 26.51

96.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

Cinema Ticket

$5.30 MAD 51.7

$10.18 BGN 17.72

-47.94%

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

$69.0 MAD 672

$774 BGN 1,347

-91.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,875 MAD 18.3K

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

-85.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.38 MAD 286

$89.9 BGN 157

-67.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.72 MAD 436

$41.29 BGN 71.8

8.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.0 MAD 576

$105 BGN 183

-43.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.76 MAD 407

$107 BGN 186

-60.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$393 MAD 3,835

$783 BGN 1,362

-49.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$330 MAD 3,217

$597 BGN 1,038

-44.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$930 MAD 9,071

$1,516 BGN 2,638

-38.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$557 MAD 5,433

$1,030 BGN 1,792

-45.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$256 MAD 2,498

$1,735 BGN 3,019

-85.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

2.89

124.91%

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

Last update for Essaouira: October 10, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Essaouira

$330 42.2%

Sofia

$597 37.4% 80.9% $267

Groceries & Markets

Essaouira

$171 21.9%

Sofia

$290 18.2% 69.7% $119

Eating Out

Essaouira

$114 14.5%

Sofia

$255 16% 124% $141

Clothing & Footwear

Essaouira

$79 10.1%

Sofia

$154 9.7% 96.2% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Essaouira

$71 9.1%

Sofia

$193 12.1% 171% $122

Sport & Entertainment

Essaouira

$11 * 1.4%

Sofia

$66 4.2% 527% $56

Getting Around

Essaouira

$7.1 * 0.9%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 441% $31

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $393 in Essaouira versus $783 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 577% 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 $19.00 in Essaouira versus $66.0 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $171 vs $290 – making Essaouira the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇦 Essaouira

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

18:18 6:18 PM

20:18 8:18 PM

2 h ahead of Essaouira

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

77,966

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 MAD = 10.26 USD

100 MAD = 9.12 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to MAD – Moroccan Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇦 Moroccan Dirham (د.م.)

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 17, 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

USD to MAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Essaouira Sofia 3,160 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Essaouira
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

Essaouira vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sofia is pricier by about 104%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,173 per month in Essaouira and $2,391 in Sofia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Essaouira, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Essaouira and $66.0 in Sofia. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 70% more in Sofia, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Essaouira, where all-in costs run around $782, than in Sofia at $1,594. In Essaouira it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Essaouira – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Essaouira. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sofia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.