Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Sveti Nikole

For one person, living is cheaper in Sveti Nikole: $847 a month against $1,351 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Sveti Nikole
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Sveti Nikole Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Sveti Nikole

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$847

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Sveti Nikole

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,351 in Bucharest versus $847 in Sveti Nikole.

Bucharest $1,351
Sveti Nikole $847

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,033 in Bucharest versus $1,299 in Sveti Nikole.

Bucharest $2,033
Sveti Nikole $1,299

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,715 in Bucharest versus $1,752 in Sveti Nikole.

Bucharest $2,715
Sveti Nikole $1,752

Living in Bucharest is roughly 59% more expensive than in Sveti Nikole, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bucharest is 1% above, Sveti Nikole is 37% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.46 RON 68.4

$8.91 MKD 488

62.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 273

$34.23 MKD 1,876

68.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 RON 35.46

$5.31 MKD 291

41.24%

Cappuccino

$3.43 RON 16.20

$1.62 MKD 88.8

111.73%

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

$2.46 RON 11.63

$1.40 MKD 76.7

75.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 RON 11.01

$0.98 MKD 53.6

137.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.80 RON 17.97

$1.59 MKD 87.0

138.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 RON 19.41

$1.81 MKD 99.1

126.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 RON 7.79

$1.30 MKD 71.1

26.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.39

$0.59 MKD 32.37

128.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.42

$1.15 MKD 63.2

54.78%

Eggs

$3.66 RON 17.33

$2.50 MKD 137

46.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.57 RON 40.54

$8.98 MKD 492

-4.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.80 RON 32.17

$4.62 MKD 253

47.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.72 RON 55.4

$12.02 MKD 659

-2.50%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 RON 6.11

$1.35 MKD 74.0

-4.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.37

$1.24 MKD 67.8

25.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 RON 7.28

$1.23 MKD 67.7

25.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 RON 11.75

$1.70 MKD 93.3

45.88%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 RON 3.92

$0.74 MKD 40.77

12.16%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.77

$1.16 MKD 63.8

-31.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 RON 3.98

$0.80 MKD 43.74

5.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 RON 4.39

$0.42 MKD 23.08

121.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.44 RON 30.45

$3.03 MKD 166

112.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.32 RON 29.91

$6.41 MKD 351

-1.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 RON 5.94

$0.98 MKD 53.5

28.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 RON 7.59

$1.42 MKD 77.7

12.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 RON 3.85

$0.72 MKD 39.23

12.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.13 RON 99.9

$23.30 MKD 1,277

-9.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$1.43 MKD 78.6

-58.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.91

$0.99 MKD 54.1

-38.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 RON 29.19

$3.71 MKD 203

66.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.27

$1.47 MKD 80.7

33.33%

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

$28.1K RON 133.1K

$34.4K MKD 1.9M

-18.13%

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

$26.3K RON 124.3K

$27.3K MKD 1.5M

-3.71%

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

$197 RON 931

$128 MKD 7,030

53.45%

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

$8.34 RON 39.44

$15.35 MKD 841

-45.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.19 RON 43.47

$11.85 MKD 649

-22.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.87 RON 236

$22.65 MKD 1,241

120.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.99 RON 118

$16.14 MKD 884

54.83%

Cinema Ticket

$8.46 RON 40.01

$4.93 MKD 270

71.60%

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

$639 RON 3,023

$303 MKD 16.6K

110.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 68.1K

$3,086 MKD 169.1K

366.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.6 RON 429

$72.7 MKD 3,982

24.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.05 RON 180

$31.69 MKD 1,736

20.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 RON 377

$82.5 MKD 4,523

-3.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.2 RON 441

$85.5 MKD 4,684

9.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 RON 3,184

$239 MKD 13.1K

181.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 RON 2,123

$182 MKD 9,990

146.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 RON 5,195

$539 MKD 29.5K

103.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 RON 3,448

$262 MKD 14.3K

178.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,740 RON 17.7K

$1,505 MKD 82.5K

148.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,189 RON 10.4K

$1,149 MKD 63.0K

90.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,323 RON 6,259

$548 MKD 30.0K

141.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

4.23

59.34%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Last update for Sveti Nikole: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$449 33.5%

Sveti Nikole

$182 21.9% 59.4% $267

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.8%

Sveti Nikole

$128 15.3% 43.4% $98

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$222 16.5%

Sveti Nikole

$181 21.7% 18.6% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 16%

Sveti Nikole

$155 18.7% 27.5% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$136 10.1%

Sveti Nikole

$123 14.7% 9.7% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Sveti Nikole

$33 3.9% 51.3% $34

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Sveti Nikole

$33 3.9% 15.9% $4.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $673 in Bucharest and $239 in Sveti Nikole. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 142% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $58.0 in Bucharest vs $34.00 in Sveti Nikole for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $222 vs $181 per month, with Sveti Nikole cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇲🇰 Sveti Nikole

🕒 Local time

10:53 10:53 AM

09:53 9:53 AM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

13,220

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

100 MKD = 1.82 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MKD, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.3 RON (1 RON = 0.189 EUR).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 54.8 MKD (100 MKD = 1.82 USD). 1 EUR = 61.46 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Bucharest Sveti Nikole 440 km

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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

Bucharest vs Sveti Nikole: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Sveti Nikole differ by about 59% in total monthly costs ($1,351 vs $847 including rent). Sveti Nikole is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 142% higher in Bucharest, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $673 in Bucharest versus $239 in Sveti Nikole. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,351 per month in Bucharest versus $847 in Sveti Nikole – a 59% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Sveti Nikole runs roughly 10% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $847 in Sveti Nikole versus $1,351 in Bucharest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sveti Nikole but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Sveti Nikole the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Bucharest and Sveti Nikole are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Sveti Nikole gentler on the wallet – expenses run 59% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.