Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Veles and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Veles: $768 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Veles
Learn more

Veles Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index

Jump to prices

Veles

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$768

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Veles and in Bucharest

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $768 in Veles versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Veles $768
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,139 in Veles versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Veles $1,139
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,510 in Veles versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Veles $1,510
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Veles costs roughly 43% less than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Veles 43% lower, Bucharest 1% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.65 MKD 472

$14.49 RON 68.6

-40.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.00 MKD 982

$58.1 RON 275

-69.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.43 MKD 296

$7.48 RON 35.40

-27.41%

Cappuccino

$1.50 MKD 82.0

$3.44 RON 16.29

-56.40%

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

$1.32 MKD 72.0

$2.37 RON 11.22

-44.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 MKD 43.42

$2.30 RON 10.88

-65.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 MKD 80.7

$3.70 RON 17.51

-60.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 MKD 165

$4.16 RON 19.69

-27.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 MKD 57.9

$1.67 RON 7.90

-36.53%

White Bread (500g)

$0.51 MKD 27.74

$1.37 RON 6.50

-62.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 MKD 79.2

$1.72 RON 8.14

-15.70%

Eggs

$2.48 MKD 135

$3.64 RON 17.22

-31.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.96 MKD 162

$9.08 RON 42.98

-67.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.07 MKD 222

$6.84 RON 32.35

-40.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.11 MKD 824

$12.00 RON 56.8

25.92%

Apples (1kg)

$1.41 MKD 77.0

$1.23 RON 5.80

14.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MKD 77.9

$1.63 RON 7.73

-12.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 MKD 75.2

$1.57 RON 7.45

-12.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.88 MKD 103

$2.54 RON 12.01

-25.98%

Potato (1kg)

$0.85 MKD 46.16

$0.79 RON 3.75

7.59%

Onion (1kg)

$0.83 MKD 45.33

$0.77 RON 3.66

7.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 MKD 31.96

$0.87 RON 4.13

-32.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 MKD 32.06

$0.99 RON 4.70

-40.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.33 MKD 182

$6.31 RON 29.86

-47.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.44 MKD 351

$6.20 RON 29.34

3.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 MKD 57.8

$1.19 RON 5.63

-10.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 MKD 81.0

$1.57 RON 7.45

-5.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 MKD 43.05

$0.86 RON 4.08

-8.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.23 MKD 1,267

$21.10 RON 99.8

10.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.11 MKD 60.3

$0.64 RON 3.05

73.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 MKD 33.44

$0.60 RON 2.86

1.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.43 MKD 405

$6.43 RON 30.43

15.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 MKD 79.8

$1.96 RON 9.25

-25.51%

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

$26.8K MKD 1.5M

$29.0K RON 137.2K

-7.58%

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

$24.9K MKD 1.4M

$26.6K RON 126.0K

-6.66%

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

$108 MKD 5,901

$196 RON 927

-44.78%

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

$17.34 MKD 946

$8.04 RON 38.04

115.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.02 MKD 655

$9.35 RON 44.21

28.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.47 MKD 1,389

$50.2 RON 238

-49.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 MKD 972

$25.33 RON 120

-29.65%

Cinema Ticket

$3.38 MKD 184

$8.15 RON 38.55

-58.53%

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

$221 MKD 12.1K

$628 RON 2,971

-64.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,716 MKD 311.8K

$14.1K RON 66.6K

-59.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$21.99 MKD 1,199

$89.6 RON 424

-75.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.42 MKD 1,005

$38.32 RON 181

-51.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.2 MKD 3,940

$79.3 RON 375

-8.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 MKD 5,987

$90.4 RON 428

21.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$218 MKD 11.9K

$678 RON 3,209

-67.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$170 MKD 9,300

$448 RON 2,121

-61.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$290 MKD 15.8K

$1,083 RON 5,125

-73.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$236 MKD 12.9K

$725 RON 3,430

-67.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,174 MKD 64.0K

$3,751 RON 17.7K

-68.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$933 MKD 50.9K

$2,195 RON 10.4K

-57.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$594 MKD 32.4K

$1,329 RON 6,290

-55.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.23

6.75

-37.33%

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

Last update for Veles: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Veles

$171 22.3%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 31.4% $54

Accommodation & Living

Veles

$170 22.2%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 163% $278

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Veles

$138 17.9%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 55.1% $76

Eating Out

Veles

$125 16.4%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 79.5% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Veles

$100 13%

Bucharest

$134 10% 33.8% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Veles

$32 4.2%

Bucharest

$67 5% 106% $34

Getting Around

Veles

$31 4%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 7.7% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $218 in Veles and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 124% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $18.00 in Veles vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $171 vs $225 per month, with Veles cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇰 Veles

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

03:32 3:32 AM

04:32 4:32 AM

1 h ahead of Veles

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

43,716

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 MKD = 1.83 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, 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).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to MKD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Veles Bucharest 460 km

From you

Veles
Bucharest

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 Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Veles and Bucharest differ by about 75% in total monthly costs ($768 vs $1,340 including rent). Veles is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 124% lower in Bucharest. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $218 in Veles versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $768 per month in Veles versus $1,340 in Bucharest – a 75% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Veles runs roughly 10% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $768 in Veles versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Veles but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Veles the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Veles and Bucharest are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Veles gentler on the wallet – expenses run 75% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.