Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ohrid and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Ohrid: $968 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Ohrid
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Ohrid Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Ohrid

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$968

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ohrid 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 Ohrid and in Sofia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $968 per month in Ohrid vs $1,594 in Sofia, rent included.

Ohrid $968
Sofia $1,594

A couple spends around $1,539 per month in Ohrid vs $2,478 in Sofia, rent included.

Ohrid $1,539
Sofia $2,478

A family of three spends $2,110 per month in Ohrid vs $3,361 in Sofia, rent included.

Ohrid $2,110
Sofia $3,361

Ohrid is about 39% cheaper than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ohrid sits 28% below the global median, while Sofia is 18% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.19 MKD 392

$16.87 BGN 29.35

-57.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.12 MKD 1,970

$65.8 BGN 115

-45.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.27 MKD 397

$11.32 BGN 19.69

-35.78%

Cappuccino

$2.62 MKD 143

$3.43 BGN 5.98

-23.62%

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

$2.93 MKD 160

$2.41 BGN 4.19

21.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 MKD 100

$1.85 BGN 3.22

-0.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 MKD 202

$3.70 BGN 6.44

0.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 MKD 244

$4.58 BGN 7.97

-2.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 MKD 69.5

$2.02 BGN 3.51

-37.13%

White Bread (500g)

$0.72 MKD 39.05

$1.56 BGN 2.72

-53.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 MKD 94.8

$2.33 BGN 4.05

-25.32%

Eggs

$2.26 MKD 123

$4.36 BGN 7.59

-48.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.24 MKD 450

$11.76 BGN 20.47

-29.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.53 MKD 465

$8.83 BGN 15.37

-3.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.71 MKD 803

$17.46 BGN 30.38

-15.75%

Apples (1kg)

$1.06 MKD 57.7

$2.15 BGN 3.74

-50.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 MKD 68.5

$1.98 BGN 3.44

-36.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.50 MKD 81.8

$1.93 BGN 3.37

-22.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 MKD 108

$4.24 BGN 7.37

-53.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 MKD 60.3

$1.04 BGN 1.80

5.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 MKD 74.1

$0.85 BGN 1.48

60.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 MKD 56.6

$1.15 BGN 2.00

-9.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 MKD 42.94

$0.89 BGN 1.56

-11.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.34 MKD 182

$4.21 BGN 7.33

-20.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.57 MKD 304

$7.46 BGN 12.98

-25.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 MKD 59.5

$1.15 BGN 2.01

-5.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 MKD 84.3

$1.85 BGN 3.23

-16.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.06 MKD 57.9

$0.87 BGN 1.51

21.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.66 MKD 1,291

$28.53 BGN 49.65

-17.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.11 MKD 60.5

$1.68 BGN 2.93

-33.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 MKD 51.4

$0.94 BGN 1.63

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.81 MKD 481

$15.35 BGN 26.70

-42.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 MKD 81.6

$1.69 BGN 2.94

-11.24%

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

$30.4K MKD 1.7M

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

1.87%

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

$30.8K MKD 1.7M

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

17.79%

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

$127 MKD 6,949

$156 BGN 272

-18.39%

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

$17.88 MKD 975

$21.56 BGN 37.52

-17.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.68 MKD 1,456

$15.24 BGN 26.51

75.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.72 MKD 1,839

$46.08 BGN 80.2

-26.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.05 MKD 985

$27.92 BGN 48.58

-35.35%

Cinema Ticket

$6.18 MKD 337

$10.18 BGN 17.72

-39.29%

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

$269 MKD 14.7K

$774 BGN 1,347

-65.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,382 MKD 184.5K

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

-73.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.3 MKD 5,196

$89.9 BGN 157

5.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.3 MKD 2,909

$41.29 BGN 71.8

29.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 MKD 5,544

$105 BGN 183

-3.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 MKD 7,348

$107 BGN 186

26.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$286 MKD 15.6K

$783 BGN 1,362

-63.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$170 MKD 9,269

$597 BGN 1,038

-71.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$540 MKD 29.4K

$1,516 BGN 2,638

-64.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$361 MKD 19.7K

$1,030 BGN 1,792

-64.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,038 MKD 111.2K

$4,350 BGN 7,568

-53.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,334 MKD 72.8K

$3,177 BGN 5,528

-58.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$613 MKD 33.4K

$1,735 BGN 3,019

-64.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.3

2.89

152.60%

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

Last update for Ohrid: October 12, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ohrid

$215 22.3%

Sofia

$290 18.2% 34.8% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Ohrid

$173 17.9%

Sofia

$154 9.7% 10.9% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ohrid

$172 17.8%

Sofia

$193 12.1% 12.2% $21

Accommodation & Living

Ohrid

$170 17.6%

Sofia

$597 37.4% 251% $427

Eating Out

Ohrid

$157 16.3%

Sofia

$255 16% 62% $98

Sport & Entertainment

Ohrid

$46 4.8%

Sofia

$66 4.2% 44.2% $20

Getting Around

Ohrid

$34 3.5%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 13.8% $4.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $286 in Ohrid 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 183% 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 $36.00 in Ohrid versus $66.0 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $290 – making Ohrid the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇰 Ohrid

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

04:20 4:20 AM

05:20 5:20 AM

1 h ahead of Ohrid

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,940

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 18, 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 18, 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

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Ohrid Sofia 270 km

From you

Ohrid
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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

Ohrid vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia costs about 65% more than Ohrid, 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 $1,451 per month in Ohrid 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 Ohrid, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $269 per month in Ohrid 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 35% 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 Ohrid, where all-in costs run around $968, than in Sofia at $1,594. In Ohrid it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Ohrid costs $968 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 Ohrid. 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.