Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Veles

For one person, living is cheaper in Veles: $768 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Veles
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Veles Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Veles

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$768

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Veles

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $768 in Veles.

Bucharest $1,340
Veles $768

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $1,139 in Veles.

Bucharest $2,037
Veles $1,139

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $1,510 in Veles.

Bucharest $2,734
Veles $1,510

Living in Bucharest is roughly 75% more expensive than in Veles, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Veles 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$8.65 MKD 472

67.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$18.00 MKD 982

222.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$5.43 MKD 296

37.75%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$1.50 MKD 82.0

129.33%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$1.32 MKD 72.0

79.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$0.80 MKD 43.42

187.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$1.48 MKD 80.7

150.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$3.03 MKD 165

37.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$1.06 MKD 57.9

57.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$0.51 MKD 27.74

168.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$1.45 MKD 79.2

18.62%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$2.48 MKD 135

46.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$2.96 MKD 162

206.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$4.07 MKD 222

68.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$15.11 MKD 824

-20.58%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$1.41 MKD 77.0

-12.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$1.43 MKD 77.9

13.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.38 MKD 75.2

13.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$1.88 MKD 103

35.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$0.85 MKD 46.16

-7.06%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$0.83 MKD 45.33

-7.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$0.59 MKD 31.96

47.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$0.59 MKD 32.06

67.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$3.33 MKD 182

89.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$6.44 MKD 351

-3.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$1.06 MKD 57.8

12.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.49 MKD 81.0

5.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$0.79 MKD 43.05

8.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

$23.23 MKD 1,267

-9.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$1.11 MKD 60.3

-42.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$0.61 MKD 33.44

-1.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$7.43 MKD 405

-13.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$1.46 MKD 79.8

34.25%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$26.8K MKD 1.5M

8.21%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$24.9K MKD 1.4M

7.14%

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

$196 RON 927

$108 MKD 5,901

81.08%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$17.34 MKD 946

-53.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$12.02 MKD 655

-22.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$25.47 MKD 1,389

97.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

$17.82 MKD 972

42.14%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$3.38 MKD 184

141.12%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$221 MKD 12.1K

184.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$5,716 MKD 311.8K

146.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$21.99 MKD 1,199

307.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$18.42 MKD 1,005

108.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$72.2 MKD 3,940

9.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$110 MKD 5,987

-17.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$218 MKD 11.9K

211.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$170 MKD 9,300

162.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$290 MKD 15.8K

273.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$236 MKD 12.9K

207.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

$1,174 MKD 64.0K

219.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

$933 MKD 50.9K

135.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

$594 MKD 32.4K

123.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

4.23

59.57%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Veles: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Veles

$170 22.2% 62% $278

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Veles

$125 16.4% 44.3% $100

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Veles

$171 22.3% 23.9% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Veles

$138 17.9% 35.5% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Veles

$100 13% 25.3% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Veles

$32 4.2% 51.6% $34

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Veles

$31 4% 8.3% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $218 in Veles. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 124% 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 $18.00 in Veles for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $171 per month, with Veles cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇲🇰 Veles

🕒 Local time

05:21 5:21 AM

04:21 4:21 AM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

43,716

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

100 MKD = 1.83 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 54.55 MKD (100 MKD = 1.83 USD). 1 EUR = 61.33 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

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Bucharest Veles 460 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 Veles: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Veles differ by about 75% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $768 including rent). Veles is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 124% 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: $678 in Bucharest versus $218 in Veles. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,340 per month in Bucharest versus $768 in Veles – a 75% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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

At $768 in Veles versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Veles but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Veles 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 Veles 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 Veles gentler on the wallet – expenses run 75% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.