Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Skopje

For one person, living is cheaper in Skopje: $1,131 a month against $1,589 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 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
54

Cost of Living Index in Skopje
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Skopje Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Skopje

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$1,131

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Skopje

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

A single person spends $1,589 per month in Sofia vs $1,131 in Skopje, rent included.

Sofia $1,589
Skopje $1,131

A couple spends around $2,456 per month in Sofia vs $1,675 in Skopje, rent included.

Sofia $2,456
Skopje $1,675

A family of three spends $3,324 per month in Sofia vs $2,220 in Skopje, rent included.

Sofia $3,324
Skopje $2,220

Sofia costs about 41% more than Skopje, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 19% above the global median, while Skopje is 16% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.10 BGN 29.93

$9.58 MKD 525

78.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 BGN 117

$34.25 MKD 1,877

95.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 BGN 20.59

$6.45 MKD 353

82.48%

Cappuccino

$3.42 BGN 5.99

$2.14 MKD 117

59.81%

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

$2.42 BGN 4.23

$1.81 MKD 98.9

33.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 BGN 3.26

$1.31 MKD 71.9

41.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 BGN 5.83

$2.71 MKD 149

22.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.92

$3.11 MKD 171

45.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 BGN 3.36

$1.29 MKD 70.4

48.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 BGN 2.64

$0.74 MKD 40.67

104.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 BGN 3.88

$1.84 MKD 101

20.11%

Eggs

$4.40 BGN 7.69

$2.52 MKD 138

74.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.56 BGN 20.22

$7.89 MKD 433

46.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.79 BGN 15.38

$7.57 MKD 415

16.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 BGN 29.71

$15.00 MKD 822

13.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 BGN 3.79

$1.48 MKD 81.0

46.62%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 BGN 3.57

$1.45 MKD 79.6

40.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 BGN 3.22

$1.34 MKD 73.4

37.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 BGN 7.51

$1.95 MKD 107

120.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.80

$0.90 MKD 49.33

14.44%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 BGN 1.62

$0.85 MKD 46.40

9.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 BGN 2.11

$0.64 MKD 34.81

87.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 BGN 1.62

$0.55 MKD 30.01

67.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 BGN 7.53

$3.52 MKD 193

22.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.33 BGN 12.83

$7.06 MKD 387

3.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.06

$1.06 MKD 58.1

11.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 BGN 3.28

$1.44 MKD 79.2

29.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$0.75 MKD 41.26

16.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.14 BGN 49.24

$27.74 MKD 1,520

1.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 BGN 3.04

$1.11 MKD 60.8

56.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 BGN 1.68

$0.62 MKD 33.87

54.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.54 BGN 27.19

$7.71 MKD 422

101.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 BGN 3.14

$1.62 MKD 88.5

10.49%

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

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

$34.9K MKD 1.9M

-14.18%

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

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

$27.7K MKD 1.5M

-4.83%

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

$156 BGN 273

$153 MKD 8,410

1.63%

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

$21.21 BGN 37.11

$18.75 MKD 1,027

13.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.64 BGN 27.37

$19.33 MKD 1,059

-19.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.76 BGN 81.8

$38.53 MKD 2,111

21.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.74 BGN 48.54

$17.65 MKD 967

57.17%

Cinema Ticket

$10.02 BGN 17.53

$7.15 MKD 392

40.14%

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

$766 BGN 1,341

$358 MKD 19.6K

114.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

$5,690 MKD 311.8K

124.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 BGN 157

$84.1 MKD 4,610

6.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.88 BGN 71.5

$37.22 MKD 2,040

9.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 186

$103 MKD 5,620

3.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 BGN 183

$112 MKD 6,136

-6.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$796 BGN 1,393

$416 MKD 22.8K

91.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 BGN 1,063

$327 MKD 17.9K

85.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,563 BGN 2,735

$731 MKD 40.1K

113.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,060 BGN 1,855

$497 MKD 27.2K

113.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,357 BGN 7,626

$2,702 MKD 148.1K

61.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,250 BGN 5,688

$1,807 MKD 99.0K

79.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,740 BGN 3,044

$877 MKD 48.1K

98.36%

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 3, 2026

Last update for Skopje: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$607 37.9%

Skopje

$327 29.1% 46.2% $281

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$287 17.9%

Skopje

$211 18.8% 26.5% $76

Eating Out

Sofia

$256 16%

Skopje

$154 13.7% 39.9% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12%

Skopje

$192 17.1% 0.7% $1.3

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.6%

Skopje

$151 13.5% 1.6% $2.4

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Skopje

$53 4.7% 20.9% $14

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Skopje

$35 3.1% 8.4% $3.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $796 in Sofia versus $416 in Skopje. 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 98% 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 $67.0 in Sofia versus $34.00 in Skopje. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $211 – making Skopje the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇲🇰 Skopje

🕒 Local time

13:03 1:03 PM

12:03 12:03 PM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

422,540 Capital

💱 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 →

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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 Skopje: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia costs about 41% more than Skopje, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,384 per month in Sofia and $1,696 in Skopje. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $766 per month in Sofia and $358 in Skopje. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 36% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Skopje, where all-in costs run around $1,131, than in Sofia at $1,589. In Skopje it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Skopje costs $1,131 versus $1,589 in Sofia. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Skopje. 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.