Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Guelmim

For one person, living is cheaper in Guelmim: $568 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Sofia
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
$1,594
/mo nomad
Guelmim
🇲🇦 Morocco
$568
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Guelmim

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 Guelmim actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $568 in Guelmim, rent included.

  • Sofia $1,594
  • Guelmim $568

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $924 in Guelmim, rent included.

  • Sofia $2,478
  • Guelmim $924

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $1,281 in Guelmim, rent included.

  • Sofia $3,361
  • Guelmim $1,281

Sofia costs about 181% more than Guelmim, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Sofia sits 18% above the global median, while Guelmim is 58% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sofia
Guelmim
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.87 BGN 29.35
$5.05 MAD 49.22
234.06%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$65.8 BGN 115
$25.16 MAD 245
161.57%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.32 BGN 19.69
$7.17 MAD 69.9
57.88%
Cappuccino
$3.43 BGN 5.98
$2.02 MAD 19.69
69.80%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.41 BGN 4.19
$0.84 MAD 8.17
186.90%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.85 BGN 3.22
$0.50 MAD 4.84
270.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.70 BGN 6.44
$5.27 MAD 51.4
-29.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.58 BGN 7.97
$4.51 MAD 43.93
1.55%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sofia
Guelmim
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.02 BGN 3.51
$0.86 MAD 8.43
134.88%
White Bread (500g)
$1.56 BGN 2.72
$0.41 MAD 4.03
280.49%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.33 BGN 4.05
$1.02 MAD 9.90
128.43%
Eggs
$4.36 BGN 7.59
$1.68 MAD 16.36
159.52%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.76 BGN 20.47
$8.18 MAD 79.8
43.77%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.83 BGN 15.37
$3.41 MAD 33.23
158.94%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.46 BGN 30.38
$8.58 MAD 83.6
103.50%
Apples (1kg)
$2.15 BGN 3.74
$1.26 MAD 12.26
70.63%
Banana (1kg)
$1.98 BGN 3.44
$1.19 MAD 11.63
66.39%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.93 BGN 3.37
$0.90 MAD 8.81
114.44%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.24 BGN 7.37
$0.65 MAD 6.34
552.31%
Potato (1kg)
$1.04 BGN 1.80
$0.64 MAD 6.20
62.50%
Onion (1kg)
$0.85 BGN 1.48
$0.60 MAD 5.88
41.67%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 BGN 2.00
$0.59 MAD 5.72
94.92%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.89 BGN 1.56
$0.55 MAD 5.34
61.82%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.21 BGN 7.33
$4.02 MAD 39.22
4.73%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.46 BGN 12.98
$11.32 MAD 110
-34.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.15 BGN 2.01
$1.22 MAD 11.90
-5.74%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.85 BGN 3.23
$1.35 MAD 13.17
37.04%
🚌 Getting Around
Sofia
Guelmim
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.87 BGN 1.51
$0.69 MAD 6.68
26.09%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$28.53 BGN 49.65
$20.80 MAD 203
37.16%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.68 BGN 2.93
$0.59 MAD 5.76
184.75%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.94 BGN 1.63
$0.60 MAD 5.83
56.67%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$15.35 BGN 26.70
$6.18 MAD 60.3
148.38%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.69 BGN 2.94
$1.33 MAD 12.94
27.07%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.8K BGN 51.9K
$33.8K MAD 330.0K
-11.96%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.1K BGN 45.5K
$29.2K MAD 285.1K
-10.63%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sofia
Guelmim
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$156 BGN 272
$24.40 MAD 238
539.67%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$21.56 BGN 37.52
$10.28 MAD 100
109.73%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$15.24 BGN 26.51
$21.03 MAD 205
-27.53%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sofia
Guelmim
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.08 BGN 80.2
$25.68 MAD 250
79.44%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$27.92 BGN 48.58
$20.83 MAD 203
34.04%
Cinema Ticket
$10.18 BGN 17.72
$5.03 MAD 49.08
102.39%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sofia
Guelmim
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$774 BGN 1,347
$70.2 MAD 684
1003.26%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.8K BGN 22.3K
$1,880 MAD 18.3K
581.14%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sofia
Guelmim
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$89.9 BGN 157
$18.36 MAD 179
389.87%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.29 BGN 71.8
$15.47 MAD 151
166.90%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$105 BGN 183
$59.4 MAD 579
77.08%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$107 BGN 186
$31.08 MAD 303
243.34%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sofia
Guelmim
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$783 BGN 1,362
$193 MAD 1,879
306.09%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$597 BGN 1,038
$112 MAD 1,090
433.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,516 BGN 2,638
$319 MAD 3,112
375.06%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,030 BGN 1,792
$225 MAD 2,192
358.16%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,350 BGN 7,568
$1,225 MAD 11.9K
254.98%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,177 BGN 5,528
$829 MAD 8,080
283.39%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sofia
Guelmim
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,735 BGN 3,019
$312 MAD 3,047
455.29%
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 Guelmim: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Sofia
$597
Guelmim
$112 81.3% $485
Groceries & Markets
Sofia
$290
Guelmim
$155 46.8% $136
Eating Out
Sofia
$255
Guelmim
$127 50.2% $128
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sofia
$193
Guelmim
$56 71.1% $137
Clothing & Footwear
Sofia
$154
Guelmim
$56 63.8% $98
Sport & Entertainment
Sofia
$66
Guelmim
$36 46.2% $31
Getting Around
Sofia
$38
Guelmim
$27 29.3% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $193 in Guelmim. 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 455% 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 $25.00 in Guelmim. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $155 – making Guelmim the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇧🇬 Sofia
🇲🇦 Guelmim
🕒 Local time
20:03 8:03 PM
18:03 6:03 PM
2 h behind Sofia
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,286,383 Capital
118,318
💱 Currency
Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.
Exchange rates and currency converter

MAD, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

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).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Sofia Guelmim 3,340 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Sofia
  • Guelmim

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 Guelmim: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Guelmim cheaper than Sofia?
Yes – Sofia is pricier by about 181%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,391 per month in Sofia and $852 in Guelmim. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Guelmim, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Sofia and in Guelmim?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,594 in Sofia and $568 in Guelmim. That's a gap of about 181%.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 37% less in Guelmim. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Sofia or in Guelmim?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Guelmim, where all-in costs run around $568, than in Sofia at $1,594. In Guelmim it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Sofia or Guelmim more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Guelmim – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Sofia or Guelmim?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Guelmim. 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.

Sofia vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?