Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Marrakech and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Marrakech: $872 a month against $1,589 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Marrakech
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Marrakech Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

Jump to prices

Marrakech

🇲🇦 Morocco

$872

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $872 per month in Marrakech vs $1,589 in Sofia, rent included.

Marrakech $872
Sofia $1,589

A couple spends around $1,299 per month in Marrakech vs $2,456 in Sofia, rent included.

Marrakech $1,299
Sofia $2,456

A family of three spends $1,726 per month in Marrakech vs $3,324 in Sofia, rent included.

Marrakech $1,726
Sofia $3,324

Marrakech is about 45% cheaper than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Marrakech sits 35% below the global median, while Sofia is 19% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.44 MAD 33.53

$17.10 BGN 29.93

-79.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.44 MAD 296

$66.9 BGN 117

-54.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 MAD 57.3

$11.77 BGN 20.59

-50.04%

Cappuccino

$2.14 MAD 20.85

$3.42 BGN 5.99

-37.43%

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

$1.85 MAD 17.96

$2.42 BGN 4.23

-23.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 MAD 5.79

$1.86 BGN 3.26

-68.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.56 MAD 63.9

$3.33 BGN 5.83

97.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 MAD 54.0

$4.53 BGN 7.92

22.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.80 MAD 7.79

$1.92 BGN 3.36

-58.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.78 MAD 7.61

$1.51 BGN 2.64

-48.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 MAD 14.56

$2.21 BGN 3.88

-32.13%

Eggs

$1.93 MAD 18.82

$4.40 BGN 7.69

-56.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.51 MAD 73.1

$11.56 BGN 20.22

-35.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.14 MAD 50.0

$8.79 BGN 15.38

-41.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.06 MAD 108

$16.97 BGN 29.71

-34.83%

Apples (1kg)

$1.59 MAD 15.52

$2.17 BGN 3.79

-26.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 MAD 12.84

$2.04 BGN 3.57

-35.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.92 MAD 8.99

$1.84 BGN 3.22

-50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.76 MAD 7.37

$4.29 BGN 7.51

-82.28%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 MAD 6.39

$1.03 BGN 1.80

-35.92%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 MAD 7.51

$0.93 BGN 1.62

-17.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.22 MAD 2.14

$1.20 BGN 2.11

-81.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 MAD 5.72

$0.92 BGN 1.62

-35.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.00 MAD 38.93

$4.30 BGN 7.53

-6.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.55 MAD 73.5

$7.33 BGN 12.83

3.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 MAD 21.04

$1.18 BGN 2.06

83.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 MAD 30.77

$1.87 BGN 3.28

68.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.39 MAD 3.76

$0.87 BGN 1.52

-55.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.95 MAD 243

$28.14 BGN 49.24

-11.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.80 MAD 7.81

$1.74 BGN 3.04

-54.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 MAD 5.59

$0.96 BGN 1.68

-40.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.97 MAD 67.9

$15.54 BGN 27.19

-55.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MAD 13.98

$1.79 BGN 3.14

-19.55%

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

$33.1K MAD 322.4K

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

10.44%

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

$29.1K MAD 283.0K

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

10.25%

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

$34.25 MAD 333

$156 BGN 273

-78.04%

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

$8.91 MAD 86.8

$21.21 BGN 37.11

-57.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.28 MAD 353

$15.64 BGN 27.37

131.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.95 MAD 272

$46.76 BGN 81.8

-40.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.22 MAD 197

$27.74 BGN 48.54

-27.11%

Cinema Ticket

$6.44 MAD 62.7

$10.02 BGN 17.53

-35.73%

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

$98.8 MAD 962

$766 BGN 1,341

-87.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,253 MAD 80.3K

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

-35.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.84 MAD 300

$89.7 BGN 157

-65.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.10 MAD 429

$40.88 BGN 71.5

7.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.5 MAD 774

$106 BGN 186

-25.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.0 MAD 779

$105 BGN 183

-23.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$459 MAD 4,473

$796 BGN 1,393

-42.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$299 MAD 2,915

$607 BGN 1,063

-50.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$705 MAD 6,866

$1,563 BGN 2,735

-54.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$437 MAD 4,253

$1,060 BGN 1,855

-58.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,846 MAD 18.0K

$4,357 BGN 7,626

-57.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$899 MAD 8,750

$3,250 BGN 5,688

-72.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$483 MAD 4,706

$1,740 BGN 3,044

-72.21%

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 Marrakech: October 4, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Marrakech

$299 34.9%

Sofia

$607 37.9% 103% $308

Groceries & Markets

Marrakech

$178 20.8%

Sofia

$287 17.9% 61.5% $109

Eating Out

Marrakech

$125 14.5%

Sofia

$256 16% 106% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Marrakech

$106 12.3%

Sofia

$154 9.6% 45.6% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Marrakech

$79 9.3%

Sofia

$193 12% 143% $113

Sport & Entertainment

Marrakech

$41 4.8%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 63.6% $26

Getting Around

Marrakech

$30 3.5%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 26.5% $8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $459 in Marrakech versus $796 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 260% 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 $30.00 in Marrakech versus $67.0 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $178 vs $287 – making Marrakech the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇦 Marrakech

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

06:17 6:17 AM

08:17 8:17 AM

2 h ahead of Marrakech

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,002,697

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 MAD = 10.27 USD

100 MAD = 9.16 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.74 MAD (1 MAD = 0.103 USD). 1 EUR = 10.92 MAD (100 MAD = 9.16 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.509 EUR).

USD to MAD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Marrakech Sofia 3,010 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Marrakech
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

Marrakech vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sofia is pricier by about 82%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,309 per month in Marrakech and $2,384 in Sofia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $98.8 per month in Marrakech and $766 in Sofia. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 61% 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 Marrakech, where all-in costs run around $872, than in Sofia at $1,589. In Marrakech it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Marrakech – 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 Marrakech. 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.