Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Delcevo

For one person, living is cheaper in Delcevo: $974 a month against $1,589 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Delcevo
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Delcevo Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Delcevo

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$974

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Delcevo

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

A single person spends $1,589 per month in Sofia vs $974 in Delcevo, rent included.

Sofia $1,589
Delcevo $974

A couple spends around $2,456 per month in Sofia vs $1,413 in Delcevo, rent included.

Sofia $2,456
Delcevo $1,413

A family of three spends $3,324 per month in Sofia vs $1,852 in Delcevo, rent included.

Sofia $3,324
Delcevo $1,852

Sofia costs about 63% more than Delcevo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 19% above the global median, while Delcevo is 27% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.10 BGN 29.93

$9.28 MKD 509

84.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 BGN 117

$11.94 MKD 654

460.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 BGN 20.59

$6.41 MKD 351

83.62%

Cappuccino

$3.42 BGN 5.99

$2.19 MKD 120

56.16%

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

$2.42 BGN 4.23

$1.87 MKD 102

29.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 BGN 3.26

$1.34 MKD 73.6

38.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 BGN 5.83

$1.83 MKD 100

81.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.92

$3.14 MKD 172

44.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 BGN 3.36

$1.27 MKD 69.3

51.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 BGN 2.64

$0.80 MKD 43.66

88.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 BGN 3.88

$1.79 MKD 98.3

23.46%

Eggs

$4.40 BGN 7.69

$2.53 MKD 139

73.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.56 BGN 20.22

$8.43 MKD 462

37.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.79 BGN 15.38

$7.34 MKD 402

19.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 BGN 29.71

$14.71 MKD 806

15.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 BGN 3.79

$1.43 MKD 78.6

51.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 BGN 3.57

$1.45 MKD 79.3

40.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 BGN 3.22

$1.34 MKD 73.6

37.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 BGN 7.51

$2.09 MKD 115

105.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.80

$0.89 MKD 48.67

15.73%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 BGN 1.62

$0.85 MKD 46.75

9.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 BGN 2.11

$0.64 MKD 34.80

87.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 BGN 1.62

$0.61 MKD 33.24

50.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 BGN 7.53

$3.45 MKD 189

24.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.33 BGN 12.83

$7.19 MKD 394

1.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.06

$1.07 MKD 58.7

10.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 BGN 3.28

$1.50 MKD 82.5

24.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$0.76 MKD 41.66

14.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.14 BGN 49.24

$23.71 MKD 1,299

18.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 BGN 3.04

$1.09 MKD 59.9

59.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 BGN 1.68

$0.57 MKD 31.30

68.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.54 BGN 27.19

$7.83 MKD 429

98.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 BGN 3.14

$1.43 MKD 78.5

25.17%

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

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

$35.5K MKD 1.9M

-15.43%

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

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

$28.2K MKD 1.5M

-6.55%

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

$156 BGN 273

$161 MKD 8,835

-3.26%

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

$21.21 BGN 37.11

$18.89 MKD 1,035

12.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.64 BGN 27.37

$19.20 MKD 1,052

-18.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.76 BGN 81.8

$22.36 MKD 1,225

109.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.74 BGN 48.54

$17.31 MKD 949

60.25%

Cinema Ticket

$10.02 BGN 17.53

$7.45 MKD 408

34.50%

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

$766 BGN 1,341

$367 MKD 20.1K

108.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

$5,687 MKD 311.6K

124.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 BGN 157

$84.2 MKD 4,615

6.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.88 BGN 71.5

$37.77 MKD 2,070

8.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 186

$102 MKD 5,581

4.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 BGN 183

$113 MKD 6,186

-7.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$796 BGN 1,393

$282 MKD 15.5K

182.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 BGN 1,063

$195 MKD 10.7K

210.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,563 BGN 2,735

$501 MKD 27.5K

211.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,060 BGN 1,855

$299 MKD 16.4K

254.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,357 BGN 7,626

$1,561 MKD 85.5K

179.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,250 BGN 5,688

$1,175 MKD 64.4K

176.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,740 BGN 3,044

$458 MKD 25.1K

279.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

4.23

-31.68%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Last update for Delcevo: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$607 37.9%

Delcevo

$195 20% 67.8% $412

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$287 17.9%

Delcevo

$213 21.8% 26% $75

Eating Out

Sofia

$256 16%

Delcevo

$148 15.2% 42.2% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12%

Delcevo

$199 20.4% 3.4% $6.5

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.6%

Delcevo

$152 15.5% 1.3% $2.1

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Delcevo

$37 3.8% 44.2% $30

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Delcevo

$31 3.2% 19.5% $7.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $796 in Sofia versus $282 in Delcevo. 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 280% 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 $67.0 in Sofia versus $12.00 in Delcevo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $213 – making Delcevo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇲🇰 Delcevo

🕒 Local time

11:49 11:49 AM

10:49 10:49 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

17,505

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

100 MKD = 1.82 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MKD, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

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).

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).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Sofia Delcevo 93 km

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Sofia
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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

Sofia vs Delcevo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia costs about 63% more than Delcevo, 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 $2,384 per month in Sofia and $1,461 in Delcevo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 19% less in Delcevo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $766 per month in Sofia and $367 in Delcevo. 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 Delcevo, where all-in costs run around $974, than in Sofia at $1,589. In Delcevo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Delcevo costs $974 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 Delcevo. 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.