Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sunny Beach and Skopje

For one person, living is cheaper in Sunny Beach: $1,038 a month against $1,117 in Skopje, rent and utilities included – about $950 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Sunny Beach
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Sunny Beach Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Skopje
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Skopje Living Index

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Sunny Beach

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,038

/mo nomad

Skopje

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$1,117

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sunny Beach and in Skopje

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

A single person spends $1,038 per month in Sunny Beach vs $1,117 in Skopje, rent included.

Sunny Beach $1,038
Skopje $1,117

A couple spends around $1,578 per month in Sunny Beach vs $1,654 in Skopje, rent included.

Sunny Beach $1,578
Skopje $1,654

A family of three spends $2,117 per month in Sunny Beach vs $2,191 in Skopje, rent included.

Sunny Beach $2,117
Skopje $2,191

Sunny Beach is about 7% cheaper than Skopje, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Sunny Beach and Skopje are more affordable than the global median – Sunny Beach 23% lower, Skopje 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.39 BGN 14.59

$9.29 MKD 507

-9.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.87 BGN 78.1

$34.04 MKD 1,857

31.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.63 BGN 16.75

$6.28 MKD 343

53.34%

Cappuccino

$2.86 BGN 4.98

$2.05 MKD 112

39.51%

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

$1.74 BGN 3.02

$1.84 MKD 101

-5.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 BGN 2.71

$1.31 MKD 71.3

19.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.31 BGN 4.03

$2.67 MKD 146

-13.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 BGN 3.02

$3.11 MKD 170

-44.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 BGN 3.06

$1.22 MKD 66.7

44.26%

White Bread (500g)

$0.75 BGN 1.30

$0.74 MKD 40.54

1.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 BGN 3.79

$1.75 MKD 95.5

24.57%

Eggs

$3.69 BGN 6.42

$2.40 MKD 131

53.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.40 BGN 14.61

$8.16 MKD 445

2.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.56 BGN 14.90

$7.43 MKD 405

15.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.28 BGN 24.85

$14.85 MKD 810

-3.84%

Apples (1kg)

$1.70 BGN 2.95

$1.43 MKD 78.1

18.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 BGN 3.08

$1.44 MKD 78.5

22.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 BGN 3.32

$1.37 MKD 74.6

39.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.63 BGN 4.57

$1.90 MKD 103

38.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.07 BGN 1.87

$0.89 MKD 48.32

20.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 BGN 1.83

$0.84 MKD 46.04

25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 BGN 2.02

$0.63 MKD 34.61

84.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 BGN 1.24

$0.55 MKD 29.98

29.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.10 BGN 7.13

$3.40 MKD 185

20.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.27 BGN 10.92

$7.47 MKD 407

-16.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 BGN 1.96

$1.01 MKD 55.2

11.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 BGN 3.58

$1.43 MKD 78.3

44.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 BGN 1.97

$0.76 MKD 41.68

48.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.14 MKD 1,480

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 BGN 2.21

$1.11 MKD 60.3

14.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 BGN 1.12

$0.61 MKD 33.03

6.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.32 BGN 17.96

$7.55 MKD 412

36.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 BGN 2.75

$1.56 MKD 85.0

1.28%

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

$29.6K BGN 51.5K

$34.9K MKD 1.9M

-15.29%

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

$24.4K BGN 42.5K

$27.3K MKD 1.5M

-10.69%

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

$114 BGN 199

$154 MKD 8,393

-25.76%

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

$18.46 BGN 32.12

$18.77 MKD 1,024

-1.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.66 BGN 27.25

$18.72 MKD 1,021

-16.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.00 MKD 2,073

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.14 MKD 935

Cinema Ticket

$8.90 BGN 15.48

$7.24 MKD 395

22.93%

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

$519 BGN 902

$351 MKD 19.1K

47.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,550 BGN 9,658

$5,732 MKD 312.7K

-3.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.86 BGN 58.9

$85.6 MKD 4,671

-60.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.32 BGN 71.9

$37.04 MKD 2,020

11.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.8 BGN 167

$101 MKD 5,498

-4.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 BGN 180

$113 MKD 6,150

-8.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$565 BGN 984

$422 MKD 23.0K

33.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$341 BGN 593

$328 MKD 17.9K

3.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$679 BGN 1,181

$721 MKD 39.3K

-5.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$513 BGN 893

$487 MKD 26.6K

5.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,328 BGN 2,310

$2,700 MKD 147.3K

-50.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,135 BGN 1,976

$1,811 MKD 98.8K

-37.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$920 BGN 1,601

$876 MKD 47.8K

5.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.1

4.23

-26.71%

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

Last update for Sunny Beach: October 12, 2026

Last update for Skopje: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sunny Beach

$341 32.9%

Skopje

$328 29.4% 3.8% $13

Groceries & Markets

Sunny Beach

$240 23.1%

Skopje

$210 18.8% 12.7% $31

Eating Out

Sunny Beach

$159 15.3%

Skopje

$150 13.4% 5.4% $8.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sunny Beach

$148 14.3%

Skopje

$191 17.1% 29% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Sunny Beach

$123 11.9%

Skopje

$151 13.6% 22.5% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Sunny Beach

$18 * 1.7%

Skopje

$52 4.7% 195% $35

Getting Around

Sunny Beach

$9 * 0.9%

Skopje

$34 3.1% 281% $25

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $565 in Sunny Beach versus $422 in Skopje. 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 5% higher in Sunny Beach, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Sunny Beach versus $34.00 in Skopje. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $240 vs $210 – making Skopje the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sunny Beach

🇲🇰 Skopje

🕒 Local time

16:26 4:26 PM

15:26 3:26 PM

1 h behind Sunny Beach

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,347

422,540 Capital

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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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Highest

Between locations

Sunny Beach Skopje 520 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sunny Beach
Skopje

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

Sunny Beach vs Skopje: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Skopje costs about 8% more than Sunny Beach, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,557 per month in Sunny Beach and $1,675 in Skopje. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sunny Beach, 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 $1,038 in Sunny Beach and $1,117 in Skopje. That's a gap of about 8%.

Kindergarten costs $519 per month in Sunny Beach and $351 in Skopje. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sunny Beach, where all-in costs run around $1,038, than in Skopje at $1,117. In Sunny Beach it covers expenses comfortably, while in Skopje it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sunny Beach costs $1,038 versus $1,117 in Skopje. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Sunny Beach. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Skopje makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.