Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Veles and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Veles: $768 a month against $956 in Bansko, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Veles
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Veles Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index

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Veles

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$768

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$956

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Veles and in Bansko

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

A single person spends $768 per month in Veles vs $956 in Bansko, rent included.

Veles $768
Bansko $956

A couple spends around $1,139 per month in Veles vs $1,467 in Bansko, rent included.

Veles $1,139
Bansko $1,467

A family of three spends $1,510 per month in Veles vs $1,979 in Bansko, rent included.

Veles $1,510
Bansko $1,979

Veles is about 20% cheaper than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Veles and Bansko are more affordable than the global median – Veles 43% lower, Bansko 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.65 MKD 472

$8.66 BGN 15.06

-0.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.00 MKD 982

$44.94 BGN 78.2

-59.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.43 MKD 296

$8.78 BGN 15.28

-38.15%

Cappuccino

$1.50 MKD 82.0

$2.33 BGN 4.05

-35.62%

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

$1.32 MKD 72.0

$1.57 BGN 2.74

-15.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 MKD 43.42

$0.82 BGN 1.43

-2.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 MKD 80.7

$1.68 BGN 2.92

-11.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 MKD 165

$1.98 BGN 3.45

53.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 MKD 57.9

$1.73 BGN 3.00

-38.73%

White Bread (500g)

$0.51 MKD 27.74

$0.80 BGN 1.40

-36.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 MKD 79.2

$1.44 BGN 2.51

0.69%

Eggs

$2.48 MKD 135

$2.36 BGN 4.10

5.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.96 MKD 162

$9.39 BGN 16.34

-68.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.07 MKD 222

$6.41 BGN 11.15

-36.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.11 MKD 824

$8.48 BGN 14.76

78.18%

Apples (1kg)

$1.41 MKD 77.0

$1.31 BGN 2.28

7.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MKD 77.9

$1.62 BGN 2.82

-11.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 MKD 75.2

$1.73 BGN 3.01

-20.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.88 MKD 103

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-3.09%

Potato (1kg)

$0.85 MKD 46.16

$0.94 BGN 1.63

-9.57%

Onion (1kg)

$0.83 MKD 45.33

$0.76 BGN 1.32

9.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 MKD 31.96

$0.55 BGN 0.95

7.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 MKD 32.06

$0.59 BGN 1.02

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.33 MKD 182

$3.25 BGN 5.66

2.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.44 MKD 351

$5.20 BGN 9.05

23.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 MKD 57.8

$1.09 BGN 1.89

-2.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 MKD 81.0

$1.68 BGN 2.92

-11.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 MKD 43.05

$0.84 BGN 1.45

-5.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.23 MKD 1,267

$27.06 BGN 47.09

-14.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.11 MKD 60.3

$1.34 BGN 2.34

-17.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 MKD 33.44

$0.65 BGN 1.14

-6.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.43 MKD 405

$10.06 BGN 17.51

-26.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 MKD 79.8

$1.48 BGN 2.57

-1.35%

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

$26.8K MKD 1.5M

$29.1K BGN 50.7K

-8.04%

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

$24.9K MKD 1.4M

$20.9K BGN 36.4K

18.85%

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

$108 MKD 5,901

$92.4 BGN 161

17.04%

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

$17.34 MKD 946

$14.52 BGN 25.26

19.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.02 MKD 655

$12.32 BGN 21.43

-2.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.47 MKD 1,389

$31.70 BGN 55.2

-19.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 MKD 972

$8.53 BGN 14.84

108.91%

Cinema Ticket

$3.38 MKD 184

$5.62 BGN 9.78

-39.86%

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

$221 MKD 12.1K

$230 BGN 401

-4.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,716 MKD 311.8K

$2,268 BGN 3,947

151.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$21.99 MKD 1,199

$30.10 BGN 52.4

-26.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.42 MKD 1,005

$19.62 BGN 34.13

-6.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.2 MKD 3,940

$45.86 BGN 79.8

57.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 MKD 5,987

$47.69 BGN 83.0

130.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$218 MKD 11.9K

$518 BGN 902

-58.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$170 MKD 9,300

$357 BGN 621

-52.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$290 MKD 15.8K

$614 BGN 1,069

-52.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$236 MKD 12.9K

$569 BGN 990

-58.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,174 MKD 64.0K

$1,191 BGN 2,073

-1.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$933 MKD 50.9K

$959 BGN 1,669

-2.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$594 MKD 32.4K

$1,704 BGN 2,965

-65.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.23

2.99

41.47%

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

Last update for Veles: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Veles

$171 22.3%

Bansko

$192 20.1% 12% $21

Accommodation & Living

Veles

$170 22.2%

Bansko

$357 37.3% 109% $186

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Veles

$138 17.9%

Bansko

$119 12.5% 13.3% $18

Eating Out

Veles

$125 16.4%

Bansko

$145 15.2% 15.9% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Veles

$100 13%

Bansko

$64 6.7% 35.6% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Veles

$32 4.2%

Bansko

$43 4.5% 33.3% $11

Getting Around

Veles

$31 4%

Bansko

$35 3.7% 14.6% $4.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $218 in Veles versus $518 in Bansko. 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 187% higher in Bansko, 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 $18.00 in Veles versus $45.00 in Bansko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $171 vs $192 – making Veles the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇰 Veles

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

06:08 6:08 AM

07:08 7:08 AM

1 h ahead of Veles

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

43,716

8,000

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Veles Bansko 140 km

From you

Veles
Bansko

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

Veles vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $768 in Veles, $956 in Bansko – roughly 25% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,151 per month in Veles and $1,434 in Bansko. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $18.00 in Veles and $45.00 in Bansko. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $768 in Veles and $956 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 25%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Veles, where all-in costs run around $768, than in Bansko at $956. In Veles it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bansko it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Bansko has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $768 in Veles to $956 in Bansko. 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, Bansko makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.