Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Nouakchott

For one person, living is cheaper in Nouakchott: $820 a month against $1,589 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Nouakchott
Learn more

Nouakchott Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Nouakchott

🇲🇷 Mauritania

$820

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Nouakchott

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

A single person spends $1,589 per month in Sofia vs $820 in Nouakchott, rent included.

Sofia $1,589
Nouakchott $820

A couple spends around $2,456 per month in Sofia vs $1,322 in Nouakchott, rent included.

Sofia $2,456
Nouakchott $1,322

A family of three spends $3,324 per month in Sofia vs $1,824 in Nouakchott, rent included.

Sofia $3,324
Nouakchott $1,824

Sofia costs about 94% more than Nouakchott, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 19% above the global median, while Nouakchott is 39% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.10 BGN 29.93

$2.47 MRU 98.9

592.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 BGN 117

$24.09 MRU 964

177.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 BGN 20.59

$5.98 MRU 239

96.82%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 MRU 71.2

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 MRU 71.5

Cappuccino

$3.42 BGN 5.99

$2.30 MRU 92.2

48.70%

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

$2.42 BGN 4.23

$1.81 MRU 72.5

33.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 BGN 3.26

$2.14 MRU 85.7

-13.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 BGN 5.83

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.92

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 BGN 3.36

$1.56 MRU 62.5

23.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 BGN 2.64

$0.28 MRU 11.31

439.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 BGN 3.88

$1.33 MRU 53.2

66.17%

Eggs

$4.40 BGN 7.69

$2.25 MRU 90.1

95.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.56 BGN 20.22

$6.13 MRU 246

88.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.79 BGN 15.38

$5.30 MRU 212

65.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 BGN 29.71

$7.15 MRU 286

137.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 BGN 3.79

$3.17 MRU 127

-31.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 BGN 3.57

$1.89 MRU 75.8

7.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 BGN 3.22

$1.54 MRU 61.7

19.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 BGN 7.51

$1.12 MRU 44.88

283.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.80

$1.00 MRU 40.08

3.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 BGN 1.62

$0.88 MRU 35.38

5.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 BGN 2.11

$0.74 MRU 29.48

62.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 BGN 1.62

$0.60 MRU 23.83

53.33%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$9.91 MRU 397

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 MRU 101

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 MRU 68.1

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 BGN 7.53

$2.46 MRU 98.3

74.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.33 BGN 12.83

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.06

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 BGN 3.28

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$0.43 MRU 17.37

102.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.14 BGN 49.24

$22.10 MRU 885

27.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 BGN 3.04

$0.85 MRU 34.05

104.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 BGN 1.68

$0.38 MRU 15.34

152.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.54 BGN 27.19

$3.72 MRU 149

317.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 BGN 3.14

$1.46 MRU 58.3

22.60%

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

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

$7,507 MRU 300.6K

299.40%

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

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

$9,007 MRU 360.6K

192.74%

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

$156 BGN 273

$129 MRU 5,167

20.85%

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

$21.21 BGN 37.11

$22.36 MRU 895

-5.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.64 BGN 27.37

$60.2 MRU 2,412

-74.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.76 BGN 81.8

$88.4 MRU 3,538

-47.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.74 BGN 48.54

$250 MRU 9,993

-88.88%

Cinema Ticket

$10.02 BGN 17.53

$3.98 MRU 159

151.76%

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

$766 BGN 1,341

$450 MRU 18.0K

70.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

$7,440 MRU 297.9K

71.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 BGN 157

$15.25 MRU 610

488.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.88 BGN 71.5

$23.00 MRU 921

77.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 186

$67.1 MRU 2,687

58.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 BGN 183

$46.05 MRU 1,844

127.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$796 BGN 1,393

$297 MRU 11.9K

168.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 BGN 1,063

$176 MRU 7,061

244.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,563 BGN 2,735

$726 MRU 29.1K

115.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,060 BGN 1,855

$317 MRU 12.7K

234.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,357 BGN 7,626

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,250 BGN 5,688

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,740 BGN 3,044

$624 MRU 25.0K

178.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

-85.55%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Last update for Nouakchott: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$607 37.9%

Nouakchott

$176 21.7% 71% $431

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$287 17.9%

Nouakchott

$153 18.8% 46.8% $134

Eating Out

Sofia

$256 16%

Nouakchott

$81 10% 68.3% $175

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12%

Nouakchott

$212 26% 9.8% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.6%

Nouakchott

$68 8.4% 55.6% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Nouakchott

$96 11.9% 44.2% $30

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Nouakchott

$27 3.3% 30.3% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $796 in Sofia versus $297 in Nouakchott. 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 179% 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 $67.0 in Sofia versus $24.00 in Nouakchott. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $153 – making Nouakchott the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇲🇷 Nouakchott

🕒 Local time

10:27 10:27 AM

07:27 7:27 AM

3 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

958,399 Capital

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Mauritanian Ouguiya MRU UM

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

100 MRU = 2.5 USD

100 MRU = 2.23 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MRU, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

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).

Mauritanian Ouguiya exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 40.04 MRU (100 MRU = 2.5 USD). 1 EUR = 44.91 MRU (100 MRU = 2.23 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Nouakchott 4,590 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Nouakchott

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 Nouakchott: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia costs about 94% more than Nouakchott, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,384 per month in Sofia and $1,231 in Nouakchott. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,589 in Sofia and $820 in Nouakchott. That's a gap of about 94%.

Public transport costs about 27% less in Nouakchott. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Nouakchott, where all-in costs run around $820, than in Sofia at $1,589. In Nouakchott it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nouakchott costs $820 versus $1,589 in Sofia. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Nouakchott. 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.