Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Skopje and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Skopje: $1,131 a month against $1,589 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Skopje
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Skopje Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Skopje

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$1,131

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,131 per month in Skopje vs $1,589 in Sofia, rent included.

Skopje $1,131
Sofia $1,589

A couple spends around $1,675 per month in Skopje vs $2,456 in Sofia, rent included.

Skopje $1,675
Sofia $2,456

A family of three spends $2,220 per month in Skopje vs $3,324 in Sofia, rent included.

Skopje $2,220
Sofia $3,324

Skopje is about 29% cheaper than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Skopje sits 16% below the global median, while Sofia is 19% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.58 MKD 525

$17.10 BGN 29.93

-43.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.25 MKD 1,877

$66.9 BGN 117

-48.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.45 MKD 353

$11.77 BGN 20.59

-45.20%

Cappuccino

$2.14 MKD 117

$3.42 BGN 5.99

-37.43%

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

$1.81 MKD 98.9

$2.42 BGN 4.23

-25.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 MKD 71.9

$1.86 BGN 3.26

-29.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.71 MKD 149

$3.33 BGN 5.83

-18.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 MKD 171

$4.53 BGN 7.92

-31.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 MKD 70.4

$1.92 BGN 3.36

-32.81%

White Bread (500g)

$0.74 MKD 40.67

$1.51 BGN 2.64

-50.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.84 MKD 101

$2.21 BGN 3.88

-16.74%

Eggs

$2.52 MKD 138

$4.40 BGN 7.69

-42.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.89 MKD 433

$11.56 BGN 20.22

-31.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.57 MKD 415

$8.79 BGN 15.38

-13.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 MKD 822

$16.97 BGN 29.71

-11.61%

Apples (1kg)

$1.48 MKD 81.0

$2.17 BGN 3.79

-31.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 MKD 79.6

$2.04 BGN 3.57

-28.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.34 MKD 73.4

$1.84 BGN 3.22

-27.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.95 MKD 107

$4.29 BGN 7.51

-54.55%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 MKD 49.33

$1.03 BGN 1.80

-12.62%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 MKD 46.40

$0.93 BGN 1.62

-8.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 MKD 34.81

$1.20 BGN 2.11

-46.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 MKD 30.01

$0.92 BGN 1.62

-40.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.52 MKD 193

$4.30 BGN 7.53

-18.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.06 MKD 387

$7.33 BGN 12.83

-3.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 MKD 58.1

$1.18 BGN 2.06

-10.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 MKD 79.2

$1.87 BGN 3.28

-22.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 MKD 41.26

$0.87 BGN 1.52

-13.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.74 MKD 1,520

$28.14 BGN 49.24

-1.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.11 MKD 60.8

$1.74 BGN 3.04

-36.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 MKD 33.87

$0.96 BGN 1.68

-35.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.71 MKD 422

$15.54 BGN 27.19

-50.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 MKD 88.5

$1.79 BGN 3.14

-9.50%

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

$34.9K MKD 1.9M

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

16.52%

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

$27.7K MKD 1.5M

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

5.08%

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

$153 MKD 8,410

$156 BGN 273

-1.60%

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

$18.75 MKD 1,027

$21.21 BGN 37.11

-11.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.33 MKD 1,059

$15.64 BGN 27.37

23.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.53 MKD 2,111

$46.76 BGN 81.8

-17.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.65 MKD 967

$27.74 BGN 48.54

-36.37%

Cinema Ticket

$7.15 MKD 392

$10.02 BGN 17.53

-28.64%

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

$358 MKD 19.6K

$766 BGN 1,341

-53.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,690 MKD 311.8K

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

-55.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.1 MKD 4,610

$89.7 BGN 157

-6.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.22 MKD 2,040

$40.88 BGN 71.5

-8.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 MKD 5,620

$106 BGN 186

-3.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MKD 6,136

$105 BGN 183

6.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$416 MKD 22.8K

$796 BGN 1,393

-47.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$327 MKD 17.9K

$607 BGN 1,063

-46.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$731 MKD 40.1K

$1,563 BGN 2,735

-53.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$497 MKD 27.2K

$1,060 BGN 1,855

-53.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,702 MKD 148.1K

$4,357 BGN 7,626

-37.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,807 MKD 99.0K

$3,250 BGN 5,688

-44.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$877 MKD 48.1K

$1,740 BGN 3,044

-49.59%

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 Skopje: October 5, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Skopje

$327 29.1%

Sofia

$607 37.9% 85.9% $281

Groceries & Markets

Skopje

$211 18.8%

Sofia

$287 17.9% 36% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Skopje

$192 17.1%

Sofia

$193 12% 0.7% $1.3

Eating Out

Skopje

$154 13.7%

Sofia

$256 16% 66.4% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Skopje

$151 13.5%

Sofia

$154 9.6% 1.6% $2.4

Sport & Entertainment

Skopje

$53 4.7%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 26.4% $14

Getting Around

Skopje

$35 3.1%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 9.2% $3.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $416 in Skopje versus $796 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 98% 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 $34.00 in Skopje versus $67.0 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $211 vs $287 – making Skopje the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇰 Skopje

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

10:13 10:13 AM

11:13 11:13 AM

1 h ahead of Skopje

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

422,540 Capital

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 = 0.509 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 = 61.46 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 = 0.509 EUR).

USD to MKD in detail →

On the map

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Skopje Sofia 170 km

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Skopje
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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

Skopje vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia costs about 41% more than Skopje, 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 $1,696 per month in Skopje and $2,384 in Sofia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $358 per month in Skopje and $766 in Sofia. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 36% 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 Skopje, where all-in costs run around $1,131, than in Sofia at $1,589. In Skopje it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Skopje costs $1,131 versus $1,589 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 Skopje. 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.