Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Struga

For one person, living is cheaper in Struga: $867 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 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
42

Cost of Living Index in Struga
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Struga Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Struga

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$867

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Struga

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $867 in Struga, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
Struga $867

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $1,319 in Struga, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
Struga $1,319

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $1,771 in Struga, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
Struga $1,771

Sofia costs about 84% more than Struga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 18% above the global median, while Struga is 36% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$7.38 MKD 402

128.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$29.55 MKD 1,612

122.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$5.35 MKD 292

111.59%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$1.50 MKD 81.9

128.67%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$1.79 MKD 97.7

34.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$1.17 MKD 63.7

58.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$2.73 MKD 149

35.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$3.04 MKD 166

50.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.26 MKD 68.9

60.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$0.69 MKD 37.56

126.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$1.61 MKD 87.8

44.72%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$1.97 MKD 107

121.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$7.78 MKD 424

51.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$6.37 MKD 348

38.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$12.59 MKD 687

38.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$1.47 MKD 80.3

46.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$1.32 MKD 71.8

50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$1.30 MKD 70.7

48.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$1.60 MKD 87.4

165.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$0.87 MKD 47.52

19.54%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$0.80 MKD 43.56

6.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$0.59 MKD 32.44

94.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.55 MKD 29.88

61.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$3.42 MKD 186

23.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$4.51 MKD 246

65.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.06 MKD 57.9

8.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$1.46 MKD 79.7

26.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$0.89 MKD 48.58

-2.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$53.6 MKD 2,924

-46.78%

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 33.69

51.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$4.87 MKD 266

215.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.49 MKD 81.3

13.42%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$36.0K MKD 2.0M

-17.26%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$27.3K MKD 1.5M

-4.20%

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

$156 BGN 272

$99.8 MKD 5,445

56.36%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$10.97 MKD 599

96.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$18.76 MKD 1,024

-18.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$19.98 MKD 1,090

130.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$11.68 MKD 637

139.04%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$7.21 MKD 393

41.19%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$116 MKD 6,348

565.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$1,579 MKD 86.1K

711.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$83.5 MKD 4,553

7.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$30.17 MKD 1,646

36.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$70.1 MKD 3,825

49.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$52.4 MKD 2,856

103.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$269 MKD 14.7K

190.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$225 MKD 12.3K

165.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$439 MKD 23.9K

245.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$355 MKD 19.4K

189.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$1,504 MKD 82.0K

189.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$1,328 MKD 72.4K

139.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$867 MKD 47.3K

100.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

3.75

-22.93%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Struga: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Struga

$225 25.9% 62.3% $372

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Struga

$186 21.4% 36.1% $105

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Struga

$125 14.4% 51.1% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Struga

$130 15% 32.8% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Struga

$106 12.3% 31.2% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Struga

$34 4% 48.2% $32

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Struga

$61 7.1% 59.9% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $269 in Struga. 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 100% 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 $30.00 in Struga. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $186 – making Struga the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇲🇰 Struga

🕒 Local time

04:32 4:32 AM

03:32 3:32 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

33,000

💱 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 →

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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 Struga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,594 in Sofia, $867 in Struga – roughly 84% 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 $1,300 in Struga. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Struga, 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 $867 in Struga. That's a gap of about 84%.

Public transport costs about 88% less in Struga. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Struga, where all-in costs run around $867, than in Sofia at $1,594. In Struga 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 $867 in Struga 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 Struga. 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.