Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Kumanovo

For one person, living is cheaper in Kumanovo: $793 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Kumanovo
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Kumanovo Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Kumanovo

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$793

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Kumanovo

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $793 in Kumanovo, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
Kumanovo $793

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $1,162 in Kumanovo, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
Kumanovo $1,162

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $1,532 in Kumanovo, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
Kumanovo $1,532

Sofia costs about 101% more than Kumanovo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 18% above the global median, while Kumanovo is 41% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$6.53 MKD 356

158.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$27.26 MKD 1,487

141.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$6.61 MKD 361

71.26%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$1.45 MKD 79.0

136.55%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$1.40 MKD 76.2

72.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$1.01 MKD 55.2

83.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$1.56 MKD 85.1

137.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$1.69 MKD 92.0

171.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.23 MKD 66.9

64.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$0.73 MKD 40.01

113.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$1.77 MKD 96.4

31.64%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$2.34 MKD 128

86.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$7.98 MKD 435

47.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$7.57 MKD 413

16.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$11.49 MKD 627

51.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$0.94 MKD 51.2

128.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$1.44 MKD 78.6

37.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$1.31 MKD 71.4

47.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$1.74 MKD 95.0

143.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$0.85 MKD 46.29

22.35%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$0.80 MKD 43.60

6.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$0.52 MKD 28.25

121.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.59 MKD 32.11

50.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$3.13 MKD 171

34.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$7.13 MKD 389

4.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.05 MKD 57.5

9.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$1.04 MKD 57.0

77.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$1.12 MKD 61.0

50.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$0.62 MKD 33.68

51.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$5.72 MKD 312

168.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.45 MKD 79.0

16.55%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$35.5K MKD 1.9M

-16.04%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$27.1K MKD 1.5M

-3.57%

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

$156 BGN 272

$128 MKD 6,956

22.40%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$16.68 MKD 910

29.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$18.70 MKD 1,020

-18.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$27.77 MKD 1,515

65.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$18.35 MKD 1,001

52.15%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$5.53 MKD 301

84.09%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$356 MKD 19.4K

117.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$5,659 MKD 308.7K

126.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$41.62 MKD 2,270

116.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$19.80 MKD 1,080

108.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$80.5 MKD 4,392

30.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$49.21 MKD 2,685

116.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$241 MKD 13.1K

225.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$196 MKD 10.7K

204.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$410 MKD 22.4K

269.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$247 MKD 13.4K

317.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$1,610 MKD 87.8K

170.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$1,434 MKD 78.2K

121.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$554 MKD 30.2K

213.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

-27.75%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Kumanovo: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Kumanovo

$196 24.7% 67.2% $401

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Kumanovo

$194 24.5% 33% $96

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Kumanovo

$110 13.9% 56.7% $144

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Kumanovo

$163 20.6% 15.5% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Kumanovo

$86 10.9% 44.3% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Kumanovo

$39 4.9% 41.6% $28

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Kumanovo

$4.2 * 0.5% 89% $34

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $241 in Kumanovo. 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 213% 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 $66.0 in Sofia versus $27.00 in Kumanovo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $194 – making Kumanovo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇲🇰 Kumanovo

🕒 Local time

19:29 7:29 PM

18:29 6:29 PM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

75,051

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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 →

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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 Kumanovo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,594 in Sofia, $793 in Kumanovo – roughly 101% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,391 per month in Sofia and $1,189 in Kumanovo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kumanovo, 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 $1,594 in Sofia and $793 in Kumanovo. That's a gap of about 101%.

Kindergarten costs $774 per month in Sofia and $356 in Kumanovo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kumanovo, where all-in costs run around $793, than in Sofia at $1,594. In Kumanovo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Sofia has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $793 in Kumanovo to $1,594 in Sofia. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Kumanovo. 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.