Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Skopje and Sunny Beach

For one person, living is cheaper in Sunny Beach: $1,038 a month against $1,117 in Skopje, rent and utilities included – about $950 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Skopje
Learn more

Skopje Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Sunny Beach
Learn more

Sunny Beach Living Index

Jump to prices

Skopje

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$1,117

/mo nomad

Sunny Beach

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,038

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Skopje and in Sunny Beach

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

A single person spends $1,117 per month in Skopje vs $1,038 in Sunny Beach, rent included.

Skopje $1,117
Sunny Beach $1,038

A couple spends around $1,654 per month in Skopje vs $1,578 in Sunny Beach, rent included.

Skopje $1,654
Sunny Beach $1,578

A family of three spends $2,191 per month in Skopje vs $2,117 in Sunny Beach, rent included.

Skopje $2,191
Sunny Beach $2,117

Skopje costs about 8% more than Sunny Beach, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Skopje and Sunny Beach are more affordable than the global median – Skopje 17% lower, Sunny Beach 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.29 MKD 507

$8.39 BGN 14.59

10.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.04 MKD 1,857

$44.87 BGN 78.1

-24.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.28 MKD 343

$9.63 BGN 16.75

-34.79%

Cappuccino

$2.05 MKD 112

$2.86 BGN 4.98

-28.32%

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

$1.84 MKD 101

$1.74 BGN 3.02

5.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 MKD 71.3

$1.56 BGN 2.71

-16.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.67 MKD 146

$2.31 BGN 4.03

15.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 MKD 170

$1.73 BGN 3.02

79.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 MKD 66.7

$1.76 BGN 3.06

-30.68%

White Bread (500g)

$0.74 MKD 40.54

$0.75 BGN 1.30

-1.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 MKD 95.5

$2.18 BGN 3.79

-19.72%

Eggs

$2.40 MKD 131

$3.69 BGN 6.42

-34.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.16 MKD 445

$8.40 BGN 14.61

-2.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.43 MKD 405

$8.56 BGN 14.90

-13.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.85 MKD 810

$14.28 BGN 24.85

3.99%

Apples (1kg)

$1.43 MKD 78.1

$1.70 BGN 2.95

-15.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MKD 78.5

$1.77 BGN 3.08

-18.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 MKD 74.6

$1.91 BGN 3.32

-28.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.90 MKD 103

$2.63 BGN 4.57

-27.76%

Potato (1kg)

$0.89 MKD 48.32

$1.07 BGN 1.87

-16.82%

Onion (1kg)

$0.84 MKD 46.04

$1.05 BGN 1.83

-20.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 MKD 34.61

$1.16 BGN 2.02

-45.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 MKD 29.98

$0.71 BGN 1.24

-22.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.40 MKD 185

$4.10 BGN 7.13

-17.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.47 MKD 407

$6.27 BGN 10.92

19.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 MKD 55.2

$1.13 BGN 1.96

-10.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 MKD 78.3

$2.06 BGN 3.58

-30.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 MKD 41.68

$1.13 BGN 1.97

-32.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.14 MKD 1,480

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.11 MKD 60.3

$1.27 BGN 2.21

-12.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 MKD 33.03

$0.65 BGN 1.12

-6.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.55 MKD 412

$10.32 BGN 17.96

-26.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 MKD 85.0

$1.58 BGN 2.75

-1.27%

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

$34.9K MKD 1.9M

$29.6K BGN 51.5K

18.05%

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

$27.3K MKD 1.5M

$24.4K BGN 42.5K

11.97%

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

$154 MKD 8,393

$114 BGN 199

34.69%

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

$18.77 MKD 1,024

$18.46 BGN 32.12

1.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.72 MKD 1,021

$15.66 BGN 27.25

19.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.00 MKD 2,073

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.14 MKD 935

Cinema Ticket

$7.24 MKD 395

$8.90 BGN 15.48

-18.65%

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

$351 MKD 19.1K

$519 BGN 902

-32.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,732 MKD 312.7K

$5,550 BGN 9,658

3.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.6 MKD 4,671

$33.86 BGN 58.9

152.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.04 MKD 2,020

$41.32 BGN 71.9

-10.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 MKD 5,498

$95.8 BGN 167

5.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MKD 6,150

$103 BGN 180

9.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$422 MKD 23.0K

$565 BGN 984

-25.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$328 MKD 17.9K

$341 BGN 593

-3.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 MKD 39.3K

$679 BGN 1,181

6.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$487 MKD 26.6K

$513 BGN 893

-5.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,700 MKD 147.3K

$1,328 BGN 2,310

103.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,811 MKD 98.8K

$1,135 BGN 1,976

59.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 MKD 47.8K

$920 BGN 1,601

-4.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.23

3.1

36.45%

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

Last update for Skopje: October 11, 2026

Last update for Sunny Beach: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Skopje

$328 29.4%

Sunny Beach

$341 32.9% 4% $13

Groceries & Markets

Skopje

$210 18.8%

Sunny Beach

$240 23.1% 14.6% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Skopje

$191 17.1%

Sunny Beach

$148 14.3% 22.5% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Skopje

$151 13.6%

Sunny Beach

$123 11.9% 18.4% $28

Eating Out

Skopje

$150 13.4%

Sunny Beach

$159 15.3% 5.7% $8.6

Sport & Entertainment

Skopje

$52 4.7%

Sunny Beach

$18 * 1.7% 66.1% $35

Getting Around

Skopje

$34 3.1%

Sunny Beach

$9 * 0.9% 73.7% $25

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $422 in Skopje versus $565 in Sunny Beach. 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 5% higher in Sunny Beach, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34.00 in Skopje versus $45.00 in Sunny Beach. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $210 vs $240 – making Skopje the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇰 Skopje

🇧🇬 Sunny Beach

🕒 Local time

16:04 4:04 PM

17:04 5:04 PM

1 h ahead of Skopje

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

422,540 Capital

13,347

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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

Skopje Sunny Beach 520 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Skopje
Sunny Beach

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 Sunny Beach: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Skopje costs about 8% more than Sunny Beach, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,675 per month in Skopje and $1,557 in Sunny Beach. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,117 in Skopje and $1,038 in Sunny Beach. That's a gap of about 8%.

Kindergarten costs $351 per month in Skopje and $519 in Sunny Beach. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sunny Beach, where all-in costs run around $1,038, than in Skopje at $1,117. In Sunny Beach it covers expenses comfortably, while in Skopje it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sunny Beach costs $1,038 versus $1,117 in Skopje. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Sunny Beach. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Skopje makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.