Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bialystok and Skopje

For one person, living is cheaper in Skopje: $1,112 a month against $1,434 in Bialystok, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Bialystok
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Bialystok Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Skopje
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Skopje Living Index

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Bialystok

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,434

/mo nomad

Skopje

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$1,112

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,434 per month in Bialystok vs $1,112 in Skopje, rent included.

Bialystok $1,434
Skopje $1,112

A couple spends around $2,029 per month in Bialystok vs $1,657 in Skopje, rent included.

Bialystok $2,029
Skopje $1,657

A family of three spends $2,625 per month in Bialystok vs $2,202 in Skopje, rent included.

Bialystok $2,625
Skopje $2,202

Bialystok costs about 29% more than Skopje, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Bialystok sits 5% above the global median, while Skopje is 18% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.61 zł 38.01

$9.68 MKD 532

-0.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.44 zł 180

$34.35 MKD 1,889

32.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.97 zł 35.46

$6.52 MKD 359

37.58%

Cappuccino

$3.60 zł 14.25

$2.14 MKD 118

68.22%

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

$1.81 zł 7.15

$1.81 MKD 99.6

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 zł 6.11

$1.38 MKD 75.9

12.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.36 zł 13.30

$2.68 MKD 147

25.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 zł 11.94

$3.03 MKD 167

-0.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 zł 3.98

$1.28 MKD 70.2

-21.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 zł 4.01

$0.74 MKD 40.78

36.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 zł 8.42

$1.85 MKD 102

15.14%

Eggs

$3.75 zł 14.83

$2.50 MKD 137

50.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.99 zł 35.52

$8.11 MKD 446

10.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.70 zł 22.52

$7.36 MKD 405

-22.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.28 zł 44.60

$15.00 MKD 825

-24.80%

Apples (1kg)

$1.24 zł 4.92

$1.43 MKD 78.5

-13.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 zł 7.18

$1.41 MKD 77.3

29.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 zł 6.47

$1.31 MKD 72.3

25.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 zł 7.91

$1.86 MKD 103

7.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 zł 4.12

$0.88 MKD 48.32

18.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 zł 4.55

$0.78 MKD 42.75

47.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 zł 4.63

$0.63 MKD 34.65

85.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 zł 2.41

$0.59 MKD 32.34

3.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.11 zł 20.19

$3.36 MKD 185

52.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 zł 24.52

$7.48 MKD 411

-17.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 zł 4.54

$1.06 MKD 58.4

8.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 zł 5.81

$1.50 MKD 82.3

-2.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 zł 4.94

$0.71 MKD 38.83

76.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.13 zł 131

$25.73 MKD 1,415

28.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 zł 8.14

$1.08 MKD 59.2

90.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.69 zł 2.74

$0.57 MKD 31.62

21.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.56 zł 49.66

$7.50 MKD 413

67.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 zł 6.25

$1.59 MKD 87.5

-0.63%

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

$30.4K zł 120.2K

$34.3K MKD 1.9M

-11.34%

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

$28.3K zł 111.7K

$26.1K MKD 1.4M

8.44%

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

$302 zł 1,193

$158 MKD 8,710

90.65%

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

$8.14 zł 32.18

$18.80 MKD 1,034

-56.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.99 zł 71.1

$19.20 MKD 1,056

-6.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.77 zł 173

$37.03 MKD 2,037

18.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.81 zł 106

$17.35 MKD 954

54.52%

Cinema Ticket

$8.16 zł 32.25

$7.44 MKD 409

9.68%

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

$353 zł 1,396

$369 MKD 20.3K

-4.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,215 zł 16.7K

$5,668 MKD 311.8K

-25.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$97.9 zł 387

$85.6 MKD 4,707

14.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.30 zł 143

$36.99 MKD 2,035

-1.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.5 zł 338

$101 MKD 5,582

-15.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.0 zł 352

$112 MKD 6,176

-20.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$558 zł 2,206

$394 MKD 21.6K

41.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$474 zł 1,876

$314 MKD 17.2K

51.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$812 zł 3,209

$715 MKD 39.3K

13.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 zł 2,645

$483 MKD 26.6K

38.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,817 zł 11.1K

$2,745 MKD 151.0K

2.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,240 zł 8,855

$1,844 MKD 101.4K

21.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,454 zł 5,748

$876 MKD 48.2K

66.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.07

4.23

67.14%

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

Last update for Bialystok: October 26, 2026

Last update for Skopje: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bialystok

$474 33.1%

Skopje

$314 28.2% 33.9% $161

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bialystok

$328 22.9%

Skopje

$196 17.7% 40.1% $132

Groceries & Markets

Bialystok

$205 14.3%

Skopje

$211 19% 2.8% $5.7

Eating Out

Bialystok

$183 12.8%

Skopje

$155 13.9% 15.5% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Bialystok

$139 9.7%

Skopje

$151 13.6% 9% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Bialystok

$60 4.2%

Skopje

$52 4.7% 13.6% $8.2

Getting Around

Bialystok

$44 3%

Skopje

$33 2.9% 25.5% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $558 in Bialystok versus $394 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 66% higher in Bialystok. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45 in Bialystok versus $34 in Skopje. Groceries tell a different story – $205 in Bialystok vs $211 in Skopje – so Bialystok wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Bialystok

🇲🇰 Skopje

🕒 Local time

01:08 1:08 AM

Same time as Bialystok

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

297,554

422,540 Capital

💱 Currency

Polish Złoty PLN zł

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

1 PLN = 0.253 USD

1 PLN = 0.227 EUR

100 MKD = 1.82 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MKD, USD, EUR to PLN – Polish Złoty Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇱 Polish Złoty (zł)

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3.95 PLN (1 PLN = 0.253 USD). 1 EUR = 4.41 PLN (1 PLN = 0.227 EUR).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 55 MKD (100 MKD = 1.82 USD). 1 EUR = 61.41 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

USD to PLN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bialystok Skopje 1,240 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Bialystok
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

Bialystok vs Skopje: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bialystok costs about 29% more than Skopje, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,151 per month in Bialystok and $1,667 in Skopje. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Skopje, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $394 there versus $558 in Bialystok.

Kindergarten costs $353 per month in Bialystok and $369 in Skopje. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Bialystok – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,434 in Bialystok and $1,112 in Skopje. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Skopje has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,112 in Skopje to $1,434 in Bialystok. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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