Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Stip

For one person, living is cheaper in Stip: $806 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Stip
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Stip Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Stip

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Stip

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $806 in Stip, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
Stip $806

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $1,205 in Stip, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
Stip $1,205

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $1,605 in Stip, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
Stip $1,605

Sofia costs about 98% more than Stip, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 18% above the global median, while Stip is 40% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$7.33 MKD 400

130.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$23.62 MKD 1,288

178.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$6.30 MKD 344

79.68%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$1.80 MKD 98.1

90.56%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$1.48 MKD 80.6

62.84%

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

$1.77 MKD 96.8

109.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$2.79 MKD 152

64.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.23 MKD 67.2

64.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$0.75 MKD 40.86

108.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$1.07 MKD 58.1

117.76%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$2.42 MKD 132

80.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$8.12 MKD 443

44.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$7.25 MKD 395

21.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$7.46 MKD 407

134.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$0.87 MKD 47.22

147.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$1.44 MKD 78.7

37.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$1.32 MKD 72.0

46.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$1.66 MKD 90.8

155.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$0.87 MKD 47.63

19.54%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$0.78 MKD 42.51

8.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$0.53 MKD 29.07

116.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.40 MKD 21.66

122.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$3.26 MKD 178

29.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$7.26 MKD 396

2.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.07 MKD 58.4

7.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$1.42 MKD 77.4

30.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$0.63 MKD 34.29

38.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$23.20 MKD 1,266

22.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$1.12 MKD 60.9

50.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$0.62 MKD 33.63

51.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$5.60 MKD 306

174.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.52 MKD 82.7

11.18%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$36.0K MKD 2.0M

-17.14%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$27.9K MKD 1.5M

-6.32%

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

$156 BGN 272

$157 MKD 8,562

-0.56%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$9.01 MKD 492

139.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$16.56 MKD 903

-7.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$27.61 MKD 1,506

66.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$17.17 MKD 937

62.61%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$6.19 MKD 338

64.46%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$350 MKD 19.1K

120.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$5,765 MKD 314.5K

122.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$35.68 MKD 1,946

152.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$30.62 MKD 1,670

34.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$101 MKD 5,487

4.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$114 MKD 6,196

-6.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$201 MKD 11.0K

289.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$126 MKD 6,876

373.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$327 MKD 17.9K

363.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$197 MKD 10.7K

423.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$1,214 MKD 66.2K

258.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$958 MKD 52.3K

231.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$462 MKD 25.2K

275.24%

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 Stip: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Stip

$126 15.7% 78.9% $471

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Stip

$177 22% 39% $113

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Stip

$124 15.4% 51.4% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Stip

$183 22.7% 5.4% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Stip

$126 15.7% 18.3% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Stip

$40 5% 39.8% $26

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Stip

$30 3.7% 22.1% $8.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $201 in Stip. 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 275% 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 $24.00 in Stip. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $177 – making Stip the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇲🇰 Stip

🕒 Local time

06:19 6:19 AM

05:19 5:19 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

65,000

💱 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 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 →

On the map

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Sofia Stip 140 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 Stip: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,594 in Sofia, $806 in Stip – roughly 98% 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 $1,208 in Stip. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Stip, 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 $806 in Stip. That's a gap of about 98%.

Public transport costs about 23% less in Stip. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Stip, where all-in costs run around $806, than in Sofia at $1,594. In Stip 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 $806 in Stip 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 Stip. 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.