Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Kicevo

For one person, living is cheaper in Kicevo: $888 a month against $1,600 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Kicevo
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Kicevo Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,600

/mo nomad

Kicevo

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$888

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Kicevo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,600 in Sofia versus $888 in Kicevo.

Sofia $1,600
Kicevo $888

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,490 in Sofia versus $1,308 in Kicevo.

Sofia $2,490
Kicevo $1,308

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,380 in Sofia versus $1,727 in Kicevo.

Sofia $3,380
Kicevo $1,727

Living in Sofia is roughly 80% more expensive than in Kicevo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 18% above, Kicevo is 34% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.96 BGN 29.51

$3.93 MKD 214

331.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.3 BGN 119

$18.45 MKD 1,006

269.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.62 BGN 20.21

$4.45 MKD 243

161.12%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$1.13 MKD 61.6

203.54%

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

$2.34 BGN 4.08

$1.34 MKD 73.1

74.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 BGN 3.19

$0.75 MKD 40.78

144.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$2.33 MKD 127

46.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 BGN 7.73

$2.24 MKD 122

98.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.97 BGN 3.42

$1.28 MKD 69.6

53.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 BGN 2.59

$0.52 MKD 28.25

186.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$1.77 MKD 96.7

31.64%

Eggs

$4.41 BGN 7.68

$2.37 MKD 129

86.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.54 BGN 20.08

$7.37 MKD 402

56.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.88 BGN 15.44

$7.57 MKD 413

17.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.51 BGN 30.46

$14.61 MKD 797

19.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$1.43 MKD 78.1

50.35%

Banana (1kg)

$2.07 BGN 3.60

$1.38 MKD 75.1

50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$1.32 MKD 72.1

46.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.25 BGN 7.39

$1.88 MKD 103

126.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.79

$0.84 MKD 46.08

22.62%

Onion (1kg)

$0.88 BGN 1.54

$0.84 MKD 45.58

4.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.07

$0.63 MKD 34.62

88.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.55

$0.35 MKD 19.09

154.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.23 BGN 7.35

$2.84 MKD 155

48.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.87 BGN 13.69

$5.28 MKD 288

49.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.06

$1.02 MKD 55.9

15.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 BGN 3.29

$1.44 MKD 78.4

31.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 BGN 1.62

$0.76 MKD 41.55

22.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.30 BGN 49.24

$23.27 MKD 1,269

21.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$1.07 MKD 58.4

57.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 BGN 1.68

$0.62 MKD 33.66

54.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.36 BGN 26.73

$7.66 MKD 418

100.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 BGN 3.09

$1.39 MKD 76.1

27.34%

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

$30.5K BGN 53.1K

$35.6K MKD 1.9M

-14.25%

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

$25.1K BGN 43.6K

$27.6K MKD 1.5M

-9.12%

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

$157 BGN 273

$158 MKD 8,619

-0.58%

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

$21.12 BGN 36.74

$17.88 MKD 975

18.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.32 BGN 26.65

$19.13 MKD 1,043

-19.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.39 BGN 80.7

$21.61 MKD 1,179

114.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.09 BGN 48.87

$17.24 MKD 941

62.94%

Cinema Ticket

$10.04 BGN 17.46

$7.12 MKD 388

41.01%

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

$775 BGN 1,348

$348 MKD 19.0K

122.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K BGN 21.8K

$5,689 MKD 310.3K

120.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.1 BGN 153

$85.0 MKD 4,636

3.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.39 BGN 72.0

$36.90 MKD 2,013

12.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 BGN 186

$101 MKD 5,516

5.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 BGN 185

$113 MKD 6,185

-6.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$770 BGN 1,340

$276 MKD 15.0K

179.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$602 BGN 1,048

$195 MKD 10.6K

208.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,564 BGN 2,721

$507 MKD 27.6K

208.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,036 BGN 1,803

$303 MKD 16.5K

242.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,567 BGN 7,946

$1,496 MKD 81.6K

205.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,162 BGN 5,502

$1,151 MKD 62.8K

174.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,742 BGN 3,031

$567 MKD 30.9K

207.25%

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 19, 2026

Last update for Kicevo: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$602 37.6%

Kicevo

$195 22% 67.6% $407

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$291 18.2%

Kicevo

$198 22.3% 32% $93

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 15.9%

Kicevo

$83 9.3% 67.4% $172

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.1%

Kicevo

$195 22% 0.8% $1.5

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.6%

Kicevo

$151 17% 1.8% $2.7

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Kicevo

$36 4% 46.1% $31

Getting Around

Sofia

$39 2.4%

Kicevo

$30 3.4% 20.9% $8.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $770 in Sofia and $276 in Kicevo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 207% 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: $68.0 in Sofia vs $18.00 in Kicevo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $291 vs $198 per month, with Kicevo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇲🇰 Kicevo

🕒 Local time

18:10 6:10 PM

17:10 5:10 PM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

31,000

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Kicevo 240 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 Kicevo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia and Kicevo differ by about 80% in total monthly costs ($1,600 vs $888 including rent). Kicevo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 207% 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: $770 in Sofia versus $276 in Kicevo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,600 per month in Sofia versus $888 in Kicevo – a 80% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Kicevo runs roughly 22% less than in Sofia. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $888 in Kicevo versus $1,600 in Sofia, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kicevo but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Kicevo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Sofia and Kicevo 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 Kicevo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 80% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.