Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stip and Sofia

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.

39

Cost of Living Index in Stip
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Stip Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Stip

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$806

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Stip and in Sofia

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Stip and in Sofia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Stip $806
Sofia $1,594

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

Stip $1,205
Sofia $2,478

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

Stip $1,605
Sofia $3,361

Stip is about 49% cheaper than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.33 MKD 400

$16.87 BGN 29.35

-56.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.62 MKD 1,288

$65.8 BGN 115

-64.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.30 MKD 344

$11.32 BGN 19.69

-44.35%

Cappuccino

$1.80 MKD 98.1

$3.43 BGN 5.98

-47.52%

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

$1.48 MKD 80.6

$2.41 BGN 4.19

-38.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.07 MKD 58.2

$1.85 BGN 3.22

-42.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.77 MKD 96.8

$3.70 BGN 6.44

-52.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 MKD 152

$4.58 BGN 7.97

-39.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 MKD 67.2

$2.02 BGN 3.51

-39.11%

White Bread (500g)

$0.75 MKD 40.86

$1.56 BGN 2.72

-51.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.07 MKD 58.1

$2.33 BGN 4.05

-54.08%

Eggs

$2.42 MKD 132

$4.36 BGN 7.59

-44.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.12 MKD 443

$11.76 BGN 20.47

-30.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.25 MKD 395

$8.83 BGN 15.37

-17.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.46 MKD 407

$17.46 BGN 30.38

-57.27%

Apples (1kg)

$0.87 MKD 47.22

$2.15 BGN 3.74

-59.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MKD 78.7

$1.98 BGN 3.44

-27.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.32 MKD 72.0

$1.93 BGN 3.37

-31.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 MKD 90.8

$4.24 BGN 7.37

-60.85%

Potato (1kg)

$0.87 MKD 47.63

$1.04 BGN 1.80

-16.35%

Onion (1kg)

$0.78 MKD 42.51

$0.85 BGN 1.48

-8.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.53 MKD 29.07

$1.15 BGN 2.00

-53.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.40 MKD 21.66

$0.89 BGN 1.56

-55.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.26 MKD 178

$4.21 BGN 7.33

-22.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.26 MKD 396

$7.46 BGN 12.98

-2.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 MKD 58.4

$1.15 BGN 2.01

-6.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 MKD 77.4

$1.85 BGN 3.23

-23.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 MKD 34.29

$0.87 BGN 1.51

-27.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.20 MKD 1,266

$28.53 BGN 49.65

-18.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.12 MKD 60.9

$1.68 BGN 2.93

-33.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 MKD 33.63

$0.94 BGN 1.63

-34.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.60 MKD 306

$15.35 BGN 26.70

-63.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MKD 82.7

$1.69 BGN 2.94

-10.06%

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

$36.0K MKD 2.0M

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

20.69%

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

$27.9K MKD 1.5M

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

6.75%

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

$157 MKD 8,562

$156 BGN 272

0.56%

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

$9.01 MKD 492

$21.56 BGN 37.52

-58.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.56 MKD 903

$15.24 BGN 26.51

8.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.61 MKD 1,506

$46.08 BGN 80.2

-40.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.17 MKD 937

$27.92 BGN 48.58

-38.50%

Cinema Ticket

$6.19 MKD 338

$10.18 BGN 17.72

-39.19%

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

$350 MKD 19.1K

$774 BGN 1,347

-54.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,765 MKD 314.5K

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

-54.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.68 MKD 1,946

$89.9 BGN 157

-60.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.62 MKD 1,670

$41.29 BGN 71.8

-25.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 MKD 5,487

$105 BGN 183

-4.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 MKD 6,196

$107 BGN 186

6.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$201 MKD 11.0K

$783 BGN 1,362

-74.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$126 MKD 6,876

$597 BGN 1,038

-78.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$327 MKD 17.9K

$1,516 BGN 2,638

-78.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$197 MKD 10.7K

$1,030 BGN 1,792

-80.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,214 MKD 66.2K

$4,350 BGN 7,568

-72.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$958 MKD 52.3K

$3,177 BGN 5,528

-69.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$462 MKD 25.2K

$1,735 BGN 3,019

-73.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.23

2.89

46.37%

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

Last update for Stip: October 11, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stip

$183 22.7%

Sofia

$193 12.1% 5.7% $10

Groceries & Markets

Stip

$177 22%

Sofia

$290 18.2% 64% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Stip

$126 15.7%

Sofia

$154 9.7% 22.3% $28

Accommodation & Living

Stip

$126 15.7%

Sofia

$597 37.4% 373% $471

Eating Out

Stip

$124 15.4%

Sofia

$255 16% 106% $131

Sport & Entertainment

Stip

$40 5%

Sofia

$66 4.2% 66.1% $26

Getting Around

Stip

$30 3.7%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 28.3% $8.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $201 in Stip versus $783 in Sofia. 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 $24.00 in Stip versus $66.0 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $177 vs $290 – making Stip the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇰 Stip

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

04:20 4:20 AM

05:20 5:20 AM

1 h ahead of Stip

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

65,000

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 MKD = 1.83 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to MKD – North Macedonian Denar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇰 North Macedonian Denar (ден)

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).

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).

USD to MKD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Stip Sofia 140 km

From you

Stip
Sofia

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

Stip vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $806 in Stip, $1,594 in Sofia – roughly 98% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,208 per month in Stip and $2,391 in Sofia. 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 $806 in Stip and $1,594 in Sofia. 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.