Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Essaouira

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.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Essaouira
Learn more

Essaouira Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Essaouira

🇲🇦 Morocco

$782

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Essaouira

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Sofia and in Essaouira actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Sofia $1,594
Essaouira $782

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

Sofia $2,478
Essaouira $1,172

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

Sofia $3,361
Essaouira $1,562

Sofia costs about 104% more than Essaouira, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$4.62 MAD 45.00

265.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$18.81 MAD 183

249.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$7.12 MAD 69.4

58.99%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$1.35 MAD 13.14

154.07%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$0.47 MAD 4.58

412.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$0.38 MAD 3.68

386.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$5.31 MAD 51.8

-30.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$4.61 MAD 44.93

-0.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$0.90 MAD 8.79

124.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$0.54 MAD 5.25

188.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$1.67 MAD 16.28

39.52%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$1.68 MAD 16.37

159.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$8.27 MAD 80.6

42.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$5.81 MAD 56.6

51.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$10.62 MAD 104

64.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$1.30 MAD 12.63

65.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$1.14 MAD 11.12

73.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$0.72 MAD 7.02

168.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$0.77 MAD 7.52

450.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$0.58 MAD 5.67

79.31%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$0.68 MAD 6.66

25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$0.38 MAD 3.67

202.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.58 MAD 5.68

53.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$3.84 MAD 37.44

9.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$6.32 MAD 61.6

18.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.82 MAD 17.76

-36.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$2.13 MAD 20.77

-13.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$0.82 MAD 7.99

6.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$0.64 MAD 6.22

162.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$0.63 MAD 6.19

49.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.45 MAD 14.16

16.55%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$34.6K MAD 337.3K

-13.86%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$29.5K MAD 287.8K

-11.45%

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

$156 BGN 272

$23.89 MAD 233

553.33%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$17.25 MAD 168

24.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$30.01 MAD 293

-49.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$5.30 MAD 51.7

92.08%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$69.0 MAD 672

1022.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$1,875 MAD 18.3K

583.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$29.38 MAD 286

206.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$44.72 MAD 436

-7.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$59.0 MAD 576

78.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$41.76 MAD 407

155.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$393 MAD 3,835

98.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$330 MAD 3,217

80.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$930 MAD 9,071

62.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$557 MAD 5,433

84.87%

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)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$256 MAD 2,498

577.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

6.5

-55.54%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Essaouira: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Essaouira

$330 42.2% 44.7% $267

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Essaouira

$171 21.9% 41.1% $119

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Essaouira

$114 14.5% 55.4% $141

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Essaouira

$71 9.1% 63.1% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Essaouira

$79 10.1% 49% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Essaouira

$11 * 1.4% 84% $56

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Essaouira

$7.1 * 0.9% 81.5% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

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

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇲🇦 Essaouira

🕒 Local time

21:51 9:51 PM

19:51 7:51 PM

2 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

77,966

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

100 MAD = 10.26 USD

100 MAD = 9.12 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MAD, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

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).

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).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Sofia
Essaouira

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

Sofia vs Essaouira: 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 $2,391 per month in Sofia and $1,173 in Essaouira. 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 $66.0 in Sofia and $19.00 in Essaouira. 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.