Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Radovis

For one person, living is cheaper in Radovis: $875 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Radovis
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Radovis Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Radovis

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$875

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Radovis

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $875 in Radovis, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
Radovis $875

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $1,293 in Radovis, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
Radovis $1,293

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $1,711 in Radovis, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
Radovis $1,711

Sofia costs about 82% more than Radovis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 18% above the global median, while Radovis is 35% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$4.56 MKD 249

269.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$18.01 MKD 983

265.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$6.39 MKD 349

77.15%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$1.23 MKD 67.4

178.86%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$1.29 MKD 70.1

86.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$1.07 MKD 58.2

72.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$1.62 MKD 88.3

128.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$2.41 MKD 132

90.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.23 MKD 67.1

64.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$0.75 MKD 41.12

108.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$1.74 MKD 94.8

33.91%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$2.21 MKD 120

97.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$7.72 MKD 421

52.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$7.47 MKD 407

18.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$14.61 MKD 797

19.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$1.44 MKD 78.5

49.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$1.42 MKD 77.7

39.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$1.38 MKD 75.2

39.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$1.95 MKD 106

117.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$0.83 MKD 45.32

25.30%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$0.84 MKD 45.91

1.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$0.62 MKD 34.05

85.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.43 MKD 23.68

106.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$3.38 MKD 184

24.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$7.42 MKD 405

0.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.01 MKD 55.2

13.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$1.12 MKD 61.2

65.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$0.76 MKD 41.37

14.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$22.84 MKD 1,246

24.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$1.08 MKD 58.8

55.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$0.56 MKD 30.78

67.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$7.74 MKD 422

98.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.28 MKD 69.9

32.03%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$34.9K MKD 1.9M

-14.66%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$23.7K MKD 1.3M

10.23%

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

$156 BGN 272

$153 MKD 8,347

2.00%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$16.62 MKD 906

29.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$18.89 MKD 1,030

-19.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$19.58 MKD 1,068

135.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$19.73 MKD 1,076

41.51%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$7.44 MKD 406

36.83%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$351 MKD 19.2K

120.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$5,631 MKD 307.2K

127.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$84.6 MKD 4,613

6.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$36.71 MKD 2,003

12.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$99.8 MKD 5,444

5.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$113 MKD 6,175

-5.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$252 MKD 13.8K

210.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$174 MKD 9,516

242.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$427 MKD 23.3K

255.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$268 MKD 14.6K

284.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$1,438 MKD 78.4K

202.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$1,056 MKD 57.6K

201.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

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 Radovis: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Radovis

$174 19.9% 70.8% $422

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Radovis

$205 23.4% 29.4% $85

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Radovis

$93 10.6% 63.6% $162

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Radovis

$189 21.5% 2.3% $4.4

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Radovis

$150 17.2% 2.6% $4

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Radovis

$34 3.9% 48.1% $32

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Radovis

$30 3.4% 22.4% $8.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $252 in Radovis. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Sofia versus $18.00 in Radovis. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $205 – making Radovis the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇲🇰 Radovis

🕒 Local time

07:05 7:05 AM

06:05 6:05 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

16,690

💱 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 →

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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 Radovis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sofia is pricier by about 82%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,391 per month in Sofia and $1,313 in Radovis. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 42% more in Sofia, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Sofia and $18.00 in Radovis. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Radovis, where all-in costs run around $875, than in Sofia at $1,594. In Radovis it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Radovis – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Radovis. 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.