Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Oued Zem

For one person, living is cheaper in Oued Zem: $744 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Oued Zem
Learn more

Oued Zem Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Oued Zem

🇲🇦 Morocco

$744

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Oued Zem

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $744 in Oued Zem, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
Oued Zem $744

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $1,188 in Oued Zem, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
Oued Zem $1,188

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $1,633 in Oued Zem, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
Oued Zem $1,633

Sofia costs about 114% more than Oued Zem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 18% above the global median, while Oued Zem is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$4.23 MAD 41.20

298.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$41.45 MAD 404

58.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$7.16 MAD 69.8

58.10%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$1.97 MAD 19.23

74.11%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$0.54 MAD 5.25

346.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$0.37 MAD 3.56

400.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$5.08 MAD 49.57

-27.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$3.28 MAD 31.95

39.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$0.84 MAD 8.16

140.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$0.63 MAD 6.09

147.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$1.89 MAD 18.40

23.28%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$1.89 MAD 18.42

130.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$11.57 MAD 113

1.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$6.72 MAD 65.6

31.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$12.01 MAD 117

45.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$1.62 MAD 15.82

32.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$1.38 MAD 13.50

43.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$0.82 MAD 8.00

135.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$0.83 MAD 8.13

410.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$0.69 MAD 6.71

50.72%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$0.76 MAD 7.36

11.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$0.40 MAD 3.93

187.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.65 MAD 6.34

36.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$4.15 MAD 40.43

1.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$7.61 MAD 74.2

-1.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$2.62 MAD 25.51

-56.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$2.73 MAD 26.60

-32.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$0.52 MAD 5.10

67.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$18.72 MAD 183

52.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$0.70 MAD 6.86

140.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$0.75 MAD 7.30

25.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$4.02 MAD 39.19

281.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.51 MAD 14.72

11.92%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$30.9K MAD 301.7K

-3.71%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$30.9K MAD 301.7K

-15.54%

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

$156 BGN 272

$36.62 MAD 357

326.22%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$10.06 MAD 98.0

114.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$34.17 MAD 333

-55.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$29.12 MAD 284

58.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$20.76 MAD 202

34.49%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$6.16 MAD 60.0

65.26%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$185 MAD 1,807

317.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$9,495 MAD 92.6K

34.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$49.33 MAD 481

82.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$40.51 MAD 395

1.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$93.8 MAD 915

12.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$65.2 MAD 636

63.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$278 MAD 2,712

181.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$165 MAD 1,607

262.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$478 MAD 4,664

216.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$246 MAD 2,398

318.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$1,115 MAD 10.9K

290.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$767 MAD 7,480

314.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$239 MAD 2,333

625.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

4.55

-36.48%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Oued Zem: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Oued Zem

$165 22.2% 72.4% $432

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Oued Zem

$205 27.5% 29.5% $86

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Oued Zem

$115 15.4% 55% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Oued Zem

$81 10.9% 58.1% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Oued Zem

$112 15.1% 27.4% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Oued Zem

$41 5.6% 37.7% $25

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Oued Zem

$25 3.4% 34.2% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $278 in Oued Zem. 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 625% 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 $41.00 in Oued Zem. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $205 – making Oued Zem the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇲🇦 Oued Zem

🕒 Local time

12:41 12:41 PM

10:41 10:41 AM

2 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

95,267

💱 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 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).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Oued Zem 2,830 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Oued Zem

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 Oued Zem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,594 in Sofia, $744 in Oued Zem – roughly 114% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,391 per month in Sofia and $1,116 in Oued Zem. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Oued Zem, 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 $1,594 in Sofia and $744 in Oued Zem. That's a gap of about 114%.

Public transport costs about 52% less in Oued Zem. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Oued Zem, where all-in costs run around $744, than in Sofia at $1,594. In Oued Zem it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Sofia has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $744 in Oued Zem to $1,594 in Sofia. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Oued Zem. 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.