Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gevgelija and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Gevgelija: $782 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Gevgelija
Learn more

Gevgelija Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index

Jump to prices

Gevgelija

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$782

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Gevgelija and in Sofia

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

A single person spends $782 per month in Gevgelija vs $1,594 in Sofia, rent included.

Gevgelija $782
Sofia $1,594

A couple spends around $1,226 per month in Gevgelija vs $2,478 in Sofia, rent included.

Gevgelija $1,226
Sofia $2,478

A family of three spends $1,670 per month in Gevgelija vs $3,361 in Sofia, rent included.

Gevgelija $1,670
Sofia $3,361

Gevgelija is about 51% cheaper than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Gevgelija sits 42% below the global median, while Sofia is 18% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.12 MKD 388

$16.87 BGN 29.35

-57.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.15 MKD 1,699

$65.8 BGN 115

-52.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 MKD 288

$11.32 BGN 19.69

-53.36%

Cappuccino

$1.33 MKD 72.3

$3.43 BGN 5.98

-61.22%

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

$0.94 MKD 51.3

$2.41 BGN 4.19

-61.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 MKD 37.73

$1.85 BGN 3.22

-62.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 MKD 63.6

$3.70 BGN 6.44

-68.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 MKD 165

$4.58 BGN 7.97

-34.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 MKD 66.9

$2.02 BGN 3.51

-39.11%

White Bread (500g)

$0.65 MKD 35.19

$1.56 BGN 2.72

-58.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.72 MKD 39.18

$2.33 BGN 4.05

-69.10%

Eggs

$2.14 MKD 117

$4.36 BGN 7.59

-50.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.06 MKD 385

$11.76 BGN 20.47

-39.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.53 MKD 302

$8.83 BGN 15.37

-37.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.01 MKD 601

$17.46 BGN 30.38

-36.94%

Apples (1kg)

$1.11 MKD 60.5

$2.15 BGN 3.74

-48.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.11 MKD 60.6

$1.98 BGN 3.44

-43.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.36 MKD 74.1

$1.93 BGN 3.37

-29.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.86 MKD 101

$4.24 BGN 7.37

-56.13%

Potato (1kg)

$0.52 MKD 28.44

$1.04 BGN 1.80

-50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.38 MKD 20.57

$0.85 BGN 1.48

-55.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 MKD 19.00

$1.15 BGN 2.00

-69.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 MKD 28.87

$0.89 BGN 1.56

-40.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.40 MKD 131

$4.21 BGN 7.33

-42.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.70 MKD 202

$7.46 BGN 12.98

-50.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 MKD 58.0

$1.15 BGN 2.01

-7.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 MKD 78.0

$1.85 BGN 3.23

-22.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 MKD 40.45

$0.87 BGN 1.51

-14.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.23 MKD 1,104

$28.53 BGN 49.65

-29.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.11 MKD 60.7

$1.68 BGN 2.93

-33.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 MKD 33.56

$0.94 BGN 1.63

-34.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.56 MKD 303

$15.35 BGN 26.70

-63.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 MKD 85.6

$1.69 BGN 2.94

-7.10%

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

$35.1K MKD 1.9M

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

17.83%

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

$27.1K MKD 1.5M

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

3.50%

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

$92.4 MKD 5,038

$156 BGN 272

-40.83%

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

$18.24 MKD 995

$21.56 BGN 37.52

-15.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.08 MKD 1,041

$15.24 BGN 26.51

25.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.96 MKD 1,307

$46.08 BGN 80.2

-48.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.12 MKD 879

$27.92 BGN 48.58

-42.26%

Cinema Ticket

$5.37 MKD 293

$10.18 BGN 17.72

-47.25%

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

$109 MKD 5,949

$774 BGN 1,347

-85.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,751 MKD 313.7K

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

-55.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.5 MKD 4,498

$89.9 BGN 157

-8.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.31 MKD 1,980

$41.29 BGN 71.8

-12.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$54.4 MKD 2,967

$105 BGN 183

-48.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MKD 6,149

$107 BGN 186

5.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$245 MKD 13.4K

$783 BGN 1,362

-68.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$190 MKD 10.3K

$597 BGN 1,038

-68.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$426 MKD 23.2K

$1,516 BGN 2,638

-71.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$330 MKD 18.0K

$1,030 BGN 1,792

-67.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,725 MKD 94.1K

$4,350 BGN 7,568

-60.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,125 MKD 61.3K

$3,177 BGN 5,528

-64.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$579 MKD 31.6K

$1,735 BGN 3,019

-66.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.23

2.89

46.37%

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

Last update for Gevgelija: October 12, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gevgelija

$190 24.3%

Sofia

$597 37.4% 215% $407

Groceries & Markets

Gevgelija

$165 21.1%

Sofia

$290 18.2% 76.5% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gevgelija

$130 16.6%

Sofia

$193 12.1% 48.7% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Gevgelija

$129 16.5%

Sofia

$154 9.7% 20% $26

Eating Out

Gevgelija

$107 13.7%

Sofia

$255 16% 138% $148

Sport & Entertainment

Gevgelija

$35 4.4%

Sofia

$66 4.2% 91.5% $32

Getting Around

Gevgelija

$27 3.5%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 40.2% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $245 in Gevgelija versus $783 in Sofia. 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 200% 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 $31.00 in Gevgelija versus $66.0 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $165 vs $290 – making Gevgelija the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇰 Gevgelija

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

01:51 1:51 AM

02:51 2:51 AM

1 h ahead of Gevgelija

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,664

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 MKD = 1.83 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to MKD – North Macedonian Denar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇰 North Macedonian Denar (ден)

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 54.55 MKD (100 MKD = 1.83 USD). 1 EUR = 61.33 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

USD to MKD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Gevgelija Sofia 190 km

From you

Gevgelija
Sofia

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

Gevgelija vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia costs about 104% more than Gevgelija, 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 $1,173 per month in Gevgelija and $2,391 in Sofia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $109 per month in Gevgelija and $774 in Sofia. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 76% more in Sofia, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Gevgelija, where all-in costs run around $782, than in Sofia at $1,594. In Gevgelija it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Gevgelija costs $782 versus $1,594 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 Gevgelija. 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.