Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Strumica

For one person, living is cheaper in Strumica: $855 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Strumica
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Strumica Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Strumica

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$855

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Strumica

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $855 in Strumica, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
Strumica $855

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $1,214 in Strumica, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
Strumica $1,214

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $1,573 in Strumica, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
Strumica $1,573

Sofia costs about 86% more than Strumica, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 18% above the global median, while Strumica is 37% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$3.65 MKD 199

362.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$22.76 MKD 1,242

189.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$3.67 MKD 200

208.45%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$1.56 MKD 85.2

119.87%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$1.32 MKD 72.1

82.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$1.20 MKD 65.5

54.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$1.84 MKD 101

101.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$2.06 MKD 112

122.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.27 MKD 69.5

59.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$0.80 MKD 43.71

95.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$1.68 MKD 91.7

38.69%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$2.22 MKD 121

96.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$7.85 MKD 428

49.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$6.06 MKD 331

45.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$10.11 MKD 551

72.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$0.62 MKD 33.64

246.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$1.40 MKD 76.2

41.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$1.16 MKD 63.4

66.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$1.90 MKD 103

123.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$0.83 MKD 45.36

25.30%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$0.83 MKD 45.02

2.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$0.60 MKD 32.66

91.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.56 MKD 30.51

58.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$2.74 MKD 150

53.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$5.29 MKD 289

41.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$0.94 MKD 51.1

22.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$1.19 MKD 65.1

55.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$0.76 MKD 41.61

14.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$1.06 MKD 57.7

58.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$0.62 MKD 33.62

51.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$7.69 MKD 420

99.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.62 MKD 88.2

4.32%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$35.0K MKD 1.9M

-14.87%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$27.0K MKD 1.5M

-3.22%

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

$156 BGN 272

$150 MKD 8,164

4.28%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$12.60 MKD 687

71.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$18.22 MKD 994

-16.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$20.21 MKD 1,102

128.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$7.38 MKD 403

37.94%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$361 MKD 19.7K

114.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$5,568 MKD 303.7K

129.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$84.2 MKD 4,590

6.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$37.11 MKD 2,025

11.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$99.8 MKD 5,444

5.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$89.6 MKD 4,889

19.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$307 MKD 16.7K

155.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$233 MKD 12.7K

156.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$495 MKD 27.0K

206.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$294 MKD 16.1K

249.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$1,478 MKD 80.6K

194.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$969 MKD 52.9K

227.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$641 MKD 35.0K

170.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

-27.75%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Strumica: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Strumica

$233 27.3% 61% $364

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Strumica

$177 20.7% 39% $113

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Strumica

$82 9.6% 67.7% $172

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Strumica

$180 21.1% 6.4% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Strumica

$140 16.4% 9.4% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Strumica

$35 4.1% 47.4% $31

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Strumica

$7.2 * 0.8% 81.3% $31

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $307 in Strumica. 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 171% 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 $23.00 in Strumica. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $177 – making Strumica the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇲🇰 Strumica

🕒 Local time

06:19 6:19 AM

05:19 5:19 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

36,000

💱 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 Strumica 150 km

From you

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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 Strumica: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,594 in Sofia, $855 in Strumica – roughly 86% 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 $1,282 in Strumica. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Sofia and $23.00 in Strumica. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 64% 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 Strumica, where all-in costs run around $855, than in Sofia at $1,594. In Strumica 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 $855 in Strumica 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 Strumica. 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.