Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Veles

For one person, living is cheaper in Veles: $768 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Veles
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Veles Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Veles

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$768

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Veles

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $768 in Veles, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
Veles $768

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $1,139 in Veles, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
Veles $1,139

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $1,510 in Veles, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
Veles $1,510

Sofia costs about 108% more than Veles, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 18% above the global median, while Veles is 43% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$8.65 MKD 472

95.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$18.00 MKD 982

265.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$5.43 MKD 296

108.47%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$1.50 MKD 82.0

128.67%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$1.32 MKD 72.0

82.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$0.80 MKD 43.42

131.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$1.48 MKD 80.7

150.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$3.03 MKD 165

51.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.06 MKD 57.9

90.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$0.51 MKD 27.74

205.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$1.45 MKD 79.2

60.69%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$2.48 MKD 135

75.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$2.96 MKD 162

297.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$4.07 MKD 222

116.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$15.11 MKD 824

15.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$1.41 MKD 77.0

52.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$1.43 MKD 77.9

38.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$1.38 MKD 75.2

39.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$1.88 MKD 103

125.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$0.85 MKD 46.16

22.35%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$0.83 MKD 45.33

2.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$0.59 MKD 31.96

94.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.59 MKD 32.06

50.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$3.33 MKD 182

26.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$6.44 MKD 351

15.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.06 MKD 57.8

8.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$1.49 MKD 81.0

24.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$0.79 MKD 43.05

10.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$23.23 MKD 1,267

22.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$1.11 MKD 60.3

51.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$0.61 MKD 33.44

54.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$7.43 MKD 405

106.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.46 MKD 79.8

15.75%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$26.8K MKD 1.5M

11.20%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$24.9K MKD 1.4M

5.11%

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

$156 BGN 272

$108 MKD 5,901

44.28%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$17.34 MKD 946

24.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$12.02 MKD 655

26.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$25.47 MKD 1,389

80.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$17.82 MKD 972

56.68%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$3.38 MKD 184

201.18%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$221 MKD 12.1K

250.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$5,716 MKD 311.8K

124.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$21.99 MKD 1,199

309.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$18.42 MKD 1,005

124.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$72.2 MKD 3,940

45.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$110 MKD 5,987

-2.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$218 MKD 11.9K

259.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$170 MKD 9,300

250.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$290 MKD 15.8K

423.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$236 MKD 12.9K

336.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$1,174 MKD 64.0K

270.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$933 MKD 50.9K

240.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$594 MKD 32.4K

191.99%

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 Veles: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Veles

$170 22.2% 71.4% $426

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Veles

$171 22.3% 41% $119

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Veles

$125 16.4% 50.7% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Veles

$138 17.9% 28.7% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Veles

$100 13% 35.2% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Veles

$32 4.2% 51.5% $34

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Veles

$31 4% 20.4% $7.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $218 in Veles. 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 192% 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 $18.00 in Veles. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $171 – making Veles the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇲🇰 Veles

🕒 Local time

07:56 7:56 AM

06:56 6:56 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

43,716

💱 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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Sofia Veles 170 km

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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 Veles: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,594 in Sofia, $768 in Veles – roughly 108% 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 $1,151 in Veles. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Veles, 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 $768 in Veles. That's a gap of about 108%.

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

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Veles, where all-in costs run around $768, than in Sofia at $1,594. In Veles 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 $768 in Veles 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 Veles. 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.