Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sveti Nikole and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sveti Nikole: $847 a month against $1,589 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Sveti Nikole
Learn more

Sveti Nikole Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index

Jump to prices

Sveti Nikole

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$847

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sveti Nikole 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 Sveti Nikole and in Sofia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $847 per month in Sveti Nikole vs $1,589 in Sofia, rent included.

Sveti Nikole $847
Sofia $1,589

A couple spends around $1,299 per month in Sveti Nikole vs $2,456 in Sofia, rent included.

Sveti Nikole $1,299
Sofia $2,456

A family of three spends $1,752 per month in Sveti Nikole vs $3,324 in Sofia, rent included.

Sveti Nikole $1,752
Sofia $3,324

Sveti Nikole is about 47% cheaper than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sveti Nikole sits 37% below the global median, while Sofia is 19% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.91 MKD 488

$17.10 BGN 29.93

-47.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.23 MKD 1,876

$66.9 BGN 117

-48.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.31 MKD 291

$11.77 BGN 20.59

-54.89%

Cappuccino

$1.62 MKD 88.8

$3.42 BGN 5.99

-52.63%

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

$1.40 MKD 76.7

$2.42 BGN 4.23

-42.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 MKD 53.6

$1.86 BGN 3.26

-47.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.59 MKD 87.0

$3.33 BGN 5.83

-52.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 MKD 99.1

$4.53 BGN 7.92

-60.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 MKD 71.1

$1.92 BGN 3.36

-32.29%

White Bread (500g)

$0.59 MKD 32.37

$1.51 BGN 2.64

-60.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.15 MKD 63.2

$2.21 BGN 3.88

-47.96%

Eggs

$2.50 MKD 137

$4.40 BGN 7.69

-43.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.98 MKD 492

$11.56 BGN 20.22

-22.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.62 MKD 253

$8.79 BGN 15.38

-47.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.02 MKD 659

$16.97 BGN 29.71

-29.17%

Apples (1kg)

$1.35 MKD 74.0

$2.17 BGN 3.79

-37.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 MKD 67.8

$2.04 BGN 3.57

-39.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.23 MKD 67.7

$1.84 BGN 3.22

-33.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.70 MKD 93.3

$4.29 BGN 7.51

-60.37%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 MKD 40.77

$1.03 BGN 1.80

-28.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.16 MKD 63.8

$0.93 BGN 1.62

24.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.80 MKD 43.74

$1.20 BGN 2.11

-33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 MKD 23.08

$0.92 BGN 1.62

-54.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.03 MKD 166

$4.30 BGN 7.53

-29.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.41 MKD 351

$7.33 BGN 12.83

-12.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 MKD 53.5

$1.18 BGN 2.06

-16.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 MKD 77.7

$1.87 BGN 3.28

-24.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 MKD 39.23

$0.87 BGN 1.52

-17.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.30 MKD 1,277

$28.14 BGN 49.24

-17.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.43 MKD 78.6

$1.74 BGN 3.04

-17.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 MKD 54.1

$0.96 BGN 1.68

3.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.71 MKD 203

$15.54 BGN 27.19

-76.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MKD 80.7

$1.79 BGN 3.14

-17.88%

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

$34.4K MKD 1.9M

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

14.67%

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

$27.3K MKD 1.5M

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

3.55%

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

$128 MKD 7,030

$156 BGN 273

-17.75%

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

$15.35 MKD 841

$21.21 BGN 37.11

-27.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.85 MKD 649

$15.64 BGN 27.37

-24.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.65 MKD 1,241

$46.76 BGN 81.8

-51.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.14 MKD 884

$27.74 BGN 48.54

-41.82%

Cinema Ticket

$4.93 MKD 270

$10.02 BGN 17.53

-50.80%

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

$303 MKD 16.6K

$766 BGN 1,341

-60.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,086 MKD 169.1K

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

-75.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.7 MKD 3,982

$89.7 BGN 157

-18.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.69 MKD 1,736

$40.88 BGN 71.5

-22.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.5 MKD 4,523

$106 BGN 186

-22.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.5 MKD 4,684

$105 BGN 183

-18.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$239 MKD 13.1K

$796 BGN 1,393

-70.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$182 MKD 9,990

$607 BGN 1,063

-69.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$539 MKD 29.5K

$1,563 BGN 2,735

-65.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$262 MKD 14.3K

$1,060 BGN 1,855

-75.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,505 MKD 82.5K

$4,357 BGN 7,626

-65.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,149 MKD 63.0K

$3,250 BGN 5,688

-64.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$548 MKD 30.0K

$1,740 BGN 3,044

-68.52%

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 Sveti Nikole: October 5, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sveti Nikole

$182 21.9%

Sofia

$607 37.9% 233% $425

Groceries & Markets

Sveti Nikole

$181 21.7%

Sofia

$287 17.9% 59.1% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sveti Nikole

$155 18.7%

Sofia

$193 12% 24% $37

Eating Out

Sveti Nikole

$128 15.3%

Sofia

$256 16% 101% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Sveti Nikole

$123 14.7%

Sofia

$154 9.6% 25.3% $31

Getting Around

Sveti Nikole

$33 3.9%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 17.3% $5.6

Sport & Entertainment

Sveti Nikole

$33 3.9%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 105% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $239 in Sveti Nikole versus $796 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 218% 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 $34.00 in Sveti Nikole versus $67.0 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $181 vs $287 – making Sveti Nikole the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇰 Sveti Nikole

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

11:04 11:04 AM

12:04 12:04 PM

1 h ahead of Sveti Nikole

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,220

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 MKD = 1.82 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 54.8 MKD (100 MKD = 1.82 USD). 1 EUR = 61.46 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.509 EUR).

USD to MKD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sveti Nikole Sofia 150 km

From you

Sveti Nikole
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

Sveti Nikole vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $847 in Sveti Nikole, $1,589 in Sofia – roughly 88% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,271 per month in Sveti Nikole and $2,384 in Sofia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sveti Nikole, 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 $847 in Sveti Nikole and $1,589 in Sofia. That's a gap of about 88%.

Public transport costs about 21% less in Sveti Nikole. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sveti Nikole, where all-in costs run around $847, than in Sofia at $1,589. In Sveti Nikole 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 $847 in Sveti Nikole to $1,589 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 Sveti Nikole. 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.