Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Rabat

For one person, living is cheaper in Rabat: $834 a month against $1,589 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Rabat
Learn more

Rabat Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Rabat

🇲🇦 Morocco

$834

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Rabat

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

A single person spends $1,589 per month in Sofia vs $834 in Rabat, rent included.

Sofia $1,589
Rabat $834

A couple spends around $2,456 per month in Sofia vs $1,433 in Rabat, rent included.

Sofia $2,456
Rabat $1,433

A family of three spends $3,324 per month in Sofia vs $2,031 in Rabat, rent included.

Sofia $3,324
Rabat $2,031

Sofia costs about 91% more than Rabat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 19% above the global median, while Rabat is 38% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.10 BGN 29.93

$4.27 MAD 41.59

300.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 BGN 117

$40.69 MAD 396

64.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 BGN 20.59

$6.91 MAD 67.3

70.33%

Cappuccino

$3.42 BGN 5.99

$1.92 MAD 18.64

78.13%

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

$2.42 BGN 4.23

$0.56 MAD 5.48

332.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 BGN 3.26

$0.35 MAD 3.42

431.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 BGN 5.83

$5.07 MAD 49.31

-34.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.92

$3.09 MAD 30.08

46.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 BGN 3.36

$0.86 MAD 8.37

123.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 BGN 2.64

$0.65 MAD 6.29

132.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 BGN 3.88

$1.91 MAD 18.58

15.71%

Eggs

$4.40 BGN 7.69

$1.84 MAD 17.94

139.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.56 BGN 20.22

$11.01 MAD 107

5.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.79 BGN 15.38

$6.63 MAD 64.6

32.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 BGN 29.71

$11.99 MAD 117

41.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 BGN 3.79

$1.59 MAD 15.49

36.48%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 BGN 3.57

$1.36 MAD 13.19

50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 BGN 3.22

$0.83 MAD 8.08

121.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 BGN 7.51

$0.88 MAD 8.57

387.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.80

$0.71 MAD 6.93

45.07%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 BGN 1.62

$0.79 MAD 7.65

17.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 BGN 2.11

$0.39 MAD 3.83

207.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 BGN 1.62

$0.58 MAD 5.65

58.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 BGN 7.53

$4.10 MAD 39.89

4.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.33 BGN 12.83

$7.14 MAD 69.6

2.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.06

$2.62 MAD 25.54

-54.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 BGN 3.28

$2.61 MAD 25.42

-28.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$0.49 MAD 4.77

77.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.14 BGN 49.24

$24.98 MAD 243

12.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 BGN 3.04

$0.72 MAD 6.99

141.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 BGN 1.68

$0.58 MAD 5.66

65.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.54 BGN 27.19

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 BGN 3.14

$1.48 MAD 14.37

20.95%

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

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

$30.2K MAD 293.8K

-0.64%

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

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

$29.6K MAD 288.2K

-10.93%

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

$156 BGN 273

$35.22 MAD 343

342.82%

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

$21.21 BGN 37.11

$9.44 MAD 91.9

124.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.64 BGN 27.37

$33.23 MAD 324

-52.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.76 BGN 81.8

$27.99 MAD 272

67.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.74 BGN 48.54

$23.54 MAD 229

17.84%

Cinema Ticket

$10.02 BGN 17.53

$5.97 MAD 58.1

67.84%

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

$766 BGN 1,341

$180 MAD 1,753

325.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

$9,210 MAD 89.7K

38.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 BGN 157

$46.06 MAD 448

94.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.88 BGN 71.5

$39.15 MAD 381

4.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 186

$91.4 MAD 889

16.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 BGN 183

$64.9 MAD 632

61.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$796 BGN 1,393

$521 MAD 5,075

52.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 BGN 1,063

$268 MAD 2,611

126.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,563 BGN 2,735

$956 MAD 9,310

63.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,060 BGN 1,855

$686 MAD 6,683

54.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,357 BGN 7,626

$1,967 MAD 19.1K

121.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,250 BGN 5,688

$1,136 MAD 11.1K

186.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,740 BGN 3,044

$695 MAD 6,765

150.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

4.52

-36.06%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Last update for Rabat: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$607 37.9%

Rabat

$268 32% 55.8% $339

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$287 17.9%

Rabat

$201 23.9% 30.1% $86

Eating Out

Sofia

$256 16%

Rabat

$113 13.5% 55.8% $143

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12%

Rabat

$78 9.3% 59.6% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.6%

Rabat

$109 13% 29.2% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Rabat

$40 4.8% 40.2% $27

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Rabat

$31 3.6% 19.9% $7.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $796 in Sofia versus $521 in Rabat. 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 150% 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 $41.00 in Rabat. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $201 – making Rabat the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇲🇦 Rabat

🕒 Local time

08:18 8:18 AM

06:18 6:18 AM

2 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

573,895 Capital

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

100 MAD = 10.27 USD

100 MAD = 9.16 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.509 EUR).

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).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Rabat 2,780 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Rabat

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 Rabat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia costs about 91% more than Rabat, 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 $1,251 in Rabat. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 13% less in Rabat. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $766 per month in Sofia and $180 in Rabat. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Rabat, where all-in costs run around $834, than in Sofia at $1,589. In Rabat it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Rabat costs $834 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 Rabat. 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.