Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and North Macedonia

Name: North Macedonia
Address: MK

For one person, living is cheaper in North Macedonia: $943 a month against $1,589 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in North Macedonia
Learn more

North Macedonia Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$943

/mo nomad

😐 Solo nomad: Sofia is 51.8% more expensive than North Macedonia without rent, and 68.5% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Sofia is 66.8% more expensive than North Macedonia without rent, and 81.2% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.10 BGN 29.93

$7.15 MKD 392

139.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 BGN 117

$27.49 MKD 1,506

143.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 BGN 20.59

$5.31 MKD 291

121.66%

Cappuccino

$3.42 BGN 5.99

$1.69 MKD 92.6

102.37%

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

$2.42 BGN 4.23

$1.59 MKD 87.3

52.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 BGN 3.26

$1.18 MKD 64.7

57.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 BGN 5.83

$2.22 MKD 122

50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.92

$2.74 MKD 150

65.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 BGN 3.36

$1.29 MKD 70.9

48.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 BGN 2.64

$0.67 MKD 36.64

125.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 BGN 3.88

$1.63 MKD 89.1

35.58%

Eggs

$4.40 BGN 7.69

$2.32 MKD 127

89.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.56 BGN 20.22

$8.16 MKD 447

41.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.79 BGN 15.38

$6.70 MKD 367

31.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 BGN 29.71

$11.95 MKD 655

42.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 BGN 3.79

$1.21 MKD 66.4

79.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 BGN 3.57

$1.39 MKD 76.3

46.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 BGN 3.22

$1.29 MKD 70.5

42.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 BGN 7.51

$1.84 MKD 101

133.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.80

$0.88 MKD 47.95

17.05%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 BGN 1.62

$0.99 MKD 54.4

-6.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 BGN 2.11

$0.65 MKD 35.77

84.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 BGN 1.62

$0.51 MKD 28.07

80.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 BGN 7.53

$3.20 MKD 175

34.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.33 BGN 12.83

$5.50 MKD 301

33.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.06

$1.01 MKD 55.1

16.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 BGN 3.28

$1.33 MKD 73.0

40.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$0.70 MKD 38.30

24.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.14 BGN 49.24

$26.27 MKD 1,440

7.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 BGN 3.04

$1.24 MKD 67.9

40.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 BGN 1.68

$0.72 MKD 39.31

33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.54 BGN 27.19

$6.75 MKD 370

130.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 BGN 3.14

$1.46 MKD 79.8

22.60%

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

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

$33.3K MKD 1.8M

-9.94%

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

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

$28.7K MKD 1.6M

-8.09%

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

$156 BGN 273

$146 MKD 7,983

7.06%

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

$21.21 BGN 37.11

$16.98 MKD 931

24.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.64 BGN 27.37

$17.82 MKD 977

-12.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.76 BGN 81.8

$27.38 MKD 1,501

70.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.74 BGN 48.54

$14.35 MKD 787

93.31%

Cinema Ticket

$10.02 BGN 17.53

$6.56 MKD 359

52.74%

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

$766 BGN 1,341

$268 MKD 14.7K

185.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

$4,597 MKD 251.9K

178.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 BGN 157

$68.2 MKD 3,736

31.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.88 BGN 71.5

$37.57 MKD 2,059

8.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 186

$89.3 MKD 4,895

18.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 BGN 183

$102 MKD 5,576

2.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$796 BGN 1,393

$301 MKD 16.5K

164.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 BGN 1,063

$233 MKD 12.7K

161.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,563 BGN 2,735

$529 MKD 29.0K

195.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,060 BGN 1,855

$355 MKD 19.4K

199.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,357 BGN 7,626

$1,870 MKD 102.5K

133.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,250 BGN 5,688

$1,307 MKD 71.6K

148.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,740 BGN 3,044

$727 MKD 39.9K

139.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

4.69

-38.38%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Last update for North Macedonia: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$607 37.9%

North Macedonia

$233 25% 61.7% $375

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$287 17.9%

North Macedonia

$190 20.4% 33.8% $97

Eating Out

Sofia

$256 16%

North Macedonia

$121 13% 52.7% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12%

North Macedonia

$180 19.4% 6.4% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.6%

North Macedonia

$134 14.3% 13% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

North Macedonia

$41 4.3% 39.4% $26

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

North Macedonia

$34 3.6% 11.2% $4.3

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

🕒 Local time

15:09 3:09 PM

14:09 2:09 PM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

1,836,713

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 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 = 0.51 EUR).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 54.8 MKD (100 MKD = 1.82 USD). 1 EUR = 61.41 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sofia North Macedonia 170 km

From you

Sofia
North Macedonia

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 other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

Seminyak, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia