Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Veles and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Veles: $768 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 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
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Veles

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$768

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $768 per month in Veles vs $1,594 in Sofia, rent included.

Veles $768
Sofia $1,594

A couple spends around $1,139 per month in Veles vs $2,478 in Sofia, rent included.

Veles $1,139
Sofia $2,478

A family of three spends $1,510 per month in Veles vs $3,361 in Sofia, rent included.

Veles $1,510
Sofia $3,361

Veles is about 52% cheaper than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Veles sits 43% below the global median, while Sofia is 18% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.65 MKD 472

$16.87 BGN 29.35

-48.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.00 MKD 982

$65.8 BGN 115

-72.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.43 MKD 296

$11.32 BGN 19.69

-52.03%

Cappuccino

$1.50 MKD 82.0

$3.43 BGN 5.98

-56.27%

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

$1.32 MKD 72.0

$2.41 BGN 4.19

-45.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 MKD 43.42

$1.85 BGN 3.22

-56.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 MKD 80.7

$3.70 BGN 6.44

-60.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 MKD 165

$4.58 BGN 7.97

-33.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 MKD 57.9

$2.02 BGN 3.51

-47.52%

White Bread (500g)

$0.51 MKD 27.74

$1.56 BGN 2.72

-67.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 MKD 79.2

$2.33 BGN 4.05

-37.77%

Eggs

$2.48 MKD 135

$4.36 BGN 7.59

-43.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.96 MKD 162

$11.76 BGN 20.47

-74.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.07 MKD 222

$8.83 BGN 15.37

-53.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.11 MKD 824

$17.46 BGN 30.38

-13.46%

Apples (1kg)

$1.41 MKD 77.0

$2.15 BGN 3.74

-34.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MKD 77.9

$1.98 BGN 3.44

-27.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 MKD 75.2

$1.93 BGN 3.37

-28.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.88 MKD 103

$4.24 BGN 7.37

-55.66%

Potato (1kg)

$0.85 MKD 46.16

$1.04 BGN 1.80

-18.27%

Onion (1kg)

$0.83 MKD 45.33

$0.85 BGN 1.48

-2.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 MKD 31.96

$1.15 BGN 2.00

-48.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 MKD 32.06

$0.89 BGN 1.56

-33.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.33 MKD 182

$4.21 BGN 7.33

-20.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.44 MKD 351

$7.46 BGN 12.98

-13.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 MKD 57.8

$1.15 BGN 2.01

-7.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 MKD 81.0

$1.85 BGN 3.23

-19.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 MKD 43.05

$0.87 BGN 1.51

-9.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.23 MKD 1,267

$28.53 BGN 49.65

-18.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.11 MKD 60.3

$1.68 BGN 2.93

-33.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 MKD 33.44

$0.94 BGN 1.63

-35.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.43 MKD 405

$15.35 BGN 26.70

-51.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 MKD 79.8

$1.69 BGN 2.94

-13.61%

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

$26.8K MKD 1.5M

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

-10.07%

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

$24.9K MKD 1.4M

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

-4.87%

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

$108 MKD 5,901

$156 BGN 272

-30.69%

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

$17.34 MKD 946

$21.56 BGN 37.52

-19.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.02 MKD 655

$15.24 BGN 26.51

-21.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.47 MKD 1,389

$46.08 BGN 80.2

-44.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 MKD 972

$27.92 BGN 48.58

-36.17%

Cinema Ticket

$3.38 MKD 184

$10.18 BGN 17.72

-66.80%

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

$221 MKD 12.1K

$774 BGN 1,347

-71.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,716 MKD 311.8K

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

-55.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$21.99 MKD 1,199

$89.9 BGN 157

-75.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.42 MKD 1,005

$41.29 BGN 71.8

-55.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.2 MKD 3,940

$105 BGN 183

-31.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 MKD 5,987

$107 BGN 186

2.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$218 MKD 11.9K

$783 BGN 1,362

-72.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$170 MKD 9,300

$597 BGN 1,038

-71.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$290 MKD 15.8K

$1,516 BGN 2,638

-80.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$236 MKD 12.9K

$1,030 BGN 1,792

-77.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,174 MKD 64.0K

$4,350 BGN 7,568

-73.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$933 MKD 50.9K

$3,177 BGN 5,528

-70.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$594 MKD 32.4K

$1,735 BGN 3,019

-65.75%

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 Veles: October 12, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Veles

$171 22.3%

Sofia

$290 18.2% 69.6% $119

Accommodation & Living

Veles

$170 22.2%

Sofia

$597 37.4% 250% $426

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Veles

$138 17.9%

Sofia

$193 12.1% 40.2% $55

Eating Out

Veles

$125 16.4%

Sofia

$255 16% 103% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Veles

$100 13%

Sofia

$154 9.7% 54.3% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Veles

$32 4.2%

Sofia

$66 4.2% 106% $34

Getting Around

Veles

$31 4%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 25.6% $7.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $218 in Veles 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 192% 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 $18.00 in Veles versus $66.0 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $171 vs $290 – making Veles the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇰 Veles

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

06:05 6:05 AM

07:05 7:05 AM

1 h ahead of Veles

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

43,716

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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Veles
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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 Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $768 in Veles, $1,594 in Sofia – roughly 108% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,151 per month in Veles 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 Veles, 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 $768 in Veles and $1,594 in Sofia. That's a gap of about 108%.

Public transport costs about 23% less in Veles. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Veles, where all-in costs run around $768, than in Sofia at $1,594. In Veles 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 $768 in Veles 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 Veles. 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.