Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Gostivar

For one person, living is cheaper in Gostivar: $835 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Gostivar
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Gostivar Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Gostivar

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Gostivar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,594 in Sofia versus $835 in Gostivar.

Sofia $1,594
Gostivar $835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,478 in Sofia versus $1,262 in Gostivar.

Sofia $2,478
Gostivar $1,262

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,361 in Sofia versus $1,689 in Gostivar.

Sofia $3,361
Gostivar $1,689

Living in Sofia is roughly 91% more expensive than in Gostivar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 18% above, Gostivar is 38% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$6.25 MKD 341

169.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$26.92 MKD 1,468

144.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$5.81 MKD 317

94.84%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$1.39 MKD 75.9

146.76%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$1.32 MKD 72.2

82.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$1.07 MKD 58.1

72.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$1.31 MKD 71.5

182.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$1.77 MKD 96.3

158.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.29 MKD 70.2

56.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$0.75 MKD 40.84

108.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$1.42 MKD 77.3

64.08%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$2.46 MKD 134

77.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$6.49 MKD 354

81.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$5.59 MKD 305

57.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$14.35 MKD 783

21.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$1.43 MKD 78.1

50.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$1.39 MKD 75.8

42.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$1.35 MKD 73.8

42.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$1.78 MKD 97.1

138.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$0.83 MKD 45.18

25.30%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$0.70 MKD 38.06

21.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$0.64 MKD 34.74

79.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.57 MKD 30.92

56.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$2.76 MKD 150

52.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$4.63 MKD 253

61.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$0.88 MKD 47.86

30.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$1.41 MKD 77.1

31.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$0.74 MKD 40.29

17.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$21.14 MKD 1,153

34.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$0.75 MKD 40.97

124.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$0.34 MKD 18.33

176.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$7.75 MKD 423

98.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.44 MKD 78.4

17.36%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$31.9K MKD 1.7M

-6.45%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$27.1K MKD 1.5M

-3.54%

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

$156 BGN 272

$129 MKD 7,046

20.84%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$10.75 MKD 586

100.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$18.87 MKD 1,029

-19.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$21.76 MKD 1,187

111.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$18.73 MKD 1,022

49.07%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$7.10 MKD 387

43.38%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$362 MKD 19.7K

114.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$5,736 MKD 312.9K

123.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$36.91 MKD 2,014

143.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$36.52 MKD 1,992

13.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$102 MKD 5,589

2.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$115 MKD 6,252

-6.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$275 MKD 15.0K

184.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$194 MKD 10.6K

208.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$504 MKD 27.5K

201.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$298 MKD 16.3K

245.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$1,525 MKD 83.2K

185.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$1,133 MKD 61.8K

180.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$863 MKD 47.1K

101.05%

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 13, 2026

Last update for Gostivar: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Gostivar

$194 23.2% 67.5% $403

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Gostivar

$186 22.3% 36% $105

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Gostivar

$104 12.4% 59.3% $151

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Gostivar

$159 19% 17.7% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Gostivar

$131 15.7% 15.3% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Gostivar

$36 4.3% 45.9% $31

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Gostivar

$27 3.2% 30.9% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $783 in Sofia and $275 in Gostivar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 101% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $66.0 in Sofia vs $27.00 in Gostivar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $186 per month, with Gostivar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇲🇰 Gostivar

🕒 Local time

07:05 7:05 AM

06:05 6:05 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

36,000

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

100 MKD = 1.83 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

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).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Sofia Gostivar 220 km

From you

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 Gostivar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gostivar wins on cost – living expenses run 91% lower than in Sofia. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Gostivar the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 101% higher in Sofia, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $783 in Sofia versus $275 in Gostivar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,594 per month in Sofia versus $835 in Gostivar – a 91% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Gostivar runs roughly 35% less than in Sofia. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $835 in Gostivar versus $1,594 in Sofia, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Gostivar but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Gostivar the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Gostivar delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $835 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Gostivar hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Sofia and Gostivar are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Gostivar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 91% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.