Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between North Macedonia and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in North Macedonia: $943 a month against $1,589 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in North Macedonia
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North Macedonia Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index

Jump to prices

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$943

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

🙂 Solo nomad: North Macedonia is 34.1% cheaper than Sofia without rent, and 40.7% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: North Macedonia is 40.1% cheaper than Sofia without rent, and 44.8% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.15 MKD 392

$17.10 BGN 29.93

-58.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.49 MKD 1,506

$66.9 BGN 117

-58.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.31 MKD 291

$11.77 BGN 20.59

-54.89%

Cappuccino

$1.69 MKD 92.6

$3.42 BGN 5.99

-50.58%

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

$1.59 MKD 87.3

$2.42 BGN 4.23

-34.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.18 MKD 64.7

$1.86 BGN 3.26

-36.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.22 MKD 122

$3.33 BGN 5.83

-33.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 MKD 150

$4.53 BGN 7.92

-39.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 MKD 70.9

$1.92 BGN 3.36

-32.81%

White Bread (500g)

$0.67 MKD 36.64

$1.51 BGN 2.64

-55.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 MKD 89.1

$2.21 BGN 3.88

-26.24%

Eggs

$2.32 MKD 127

$4.40 BGN 7.69

-47.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.16 MKD 447

$11.56 BGN 20.22

-29.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.70 MKD 367

$8.79 BGN 15.38

-23.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.95 MKD 655

$16.97 BGN 29.71

-29.58%

Apples (1kg)

$1.21 MKD 66.4

$2.17 BGN 3.79

-44.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 MKD 76.3

$2.04 BGN 3.57

-31.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.29 MKD 70.5

$1.84 BGN 3.22

-29.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 MKD 101

$4.29 BGN 7.51

-57.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 MKD 47.95

$1.03 BGN 1.80

-14.56%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 MKD 54.4

$0.93 BGN 1.62

6.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 MKD 35.77

$1.20 BGN 2.11

-45.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 MKD 28.07

$0.92 BGN 1.62

-44.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.20 MKD 175

$4.30 BGN 7.53

-25.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.50 MKD 301

$7.33 BGN 12.83

-24.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 MKD 55.1

$1.18 BGN 2.06

-14.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.33 MKD 73.0

$1.87 BGN 3.28

-28.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 MKD 38.30

$0.87 BGN 1.52

-19.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.27 MKD 1,440

$28.14 BGN 49.24

-6.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 MKD 67.9

$1.74 BGN 3.04

-28.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.72 MKD 39.31

$0.96 BGN 1.68

-25.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.75 MKD 370

$15.54 BGN 27.19

-56.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 MKD 79.8

$1.79 BGN 3.14

-18.44%

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

$33.3K MKD 1.8M

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

11.04%

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

$28.7K MKD 1.6M

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

8.81%

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

$146 MKD 7,983

$156 BGN 273

-6.59%

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

$16.98 MKD 931

$21.21 BGN 37.11

-19.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.82 MKD 977

$15.64 BGN 27.37

13.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.38 MKD 1,501

$46.76 BGN 81.8

-41.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.35 MKD 787

$27.74 BGN 48.54

-48.27%

Cinema Ticket

$6.56 MKD 359

$10.02 BGN 17.53

-34.53%

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

$268 MKD 14.7K

$766 BGN 1,341

-65.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,597 MKD 251.9K

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

-64.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MKD 3,736

$89.7 BGN 157

-23.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.57 MKD 2,059

$40.88 BGN 71.5

-8.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.3 MKD 4,895

$106 BGN 186

-15.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 MKD 5,576

$105 BGN 183

-2.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$301 MKD 16.5K

$796 BGN 1,393

-62.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$233 MKD 12.7K

$607 BGN 1,063

-61.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$529 MKD 29.0K

$1,563 BGN 2,735

-66.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$355 MKD 19.4K

$1,060 BGN 1,855

-66.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,870 MKD 102.5K

$4,357 BGN 7,626

-57.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,307 MKD 71.6K

$3,250 BGN 5,688

-59.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$727 MKD 39.9K

$1,740 BGN 3,044

-58.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.69

2.89

62.28%

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

Last update for North Macedonia: October 3, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

North Macedonia

$233 25%

Sofia

$607 37.9% 161% $375

Groceries & Markets

North Macedonia

$190 20.4%

Sofia

$287 17.9% 51.2% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

North Macedonia

$180 19.4%

Sofia

$193 12% 6.8% $12

Clothing & Footwear

North Macedonia

$134 14.3%

Sofia

$154 9.6% 15% $20

Eating Out

North Macedonia

$121 13%

Sofia

$256 16% 111% $135

Sport & Entertainment

North Macedonia

$41 4.3%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 64.9% $26

Getting Around

North Macedonia

$34 3.6%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 12.6% $4.3

Good to know

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

13:18 1:18 PM

14:18 2:18 PM

1 h ahead of North Macedonia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,836,713

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 MKD = 1.82 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 54.8 MKD (100 MKD = 1.82 USD). 1 EUR = 61.41 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

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 = 0.51 EUR).

USD to MKD in detail →

On the map

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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

North Macedonia vs other spots: cost of living compared

Cost of Living Comparison Between North Macedonia and Sofia

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

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

North Macedonia

Sofia

North Macedonia

Sofia

North Macedonia vs other spots: cost of living compared

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