Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Ohrid

For one person, living is cheaper in Ohrid: $968 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Ohrid
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Ohrid Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Ohrid

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$968

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Ohrid

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $968 in Ohrid.

Bucharest $1,340
Ohrid $968

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $1,539 in Ohrid.

Bucharest $2,037
Ohrid $1,539

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $2,110 in Ohrid.

Bucharest $2,734
Ohrid $2,110

Living in Bucharest is roughly 39% more expensive than in Ohrid, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Ohrid 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$7.19 MKD 392

101.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$36.12 MKD 1,970

60.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$7.27 MKD 397

2.89%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$2.62 MKD 143

31.30%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$2.93 MKD 160

-19.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$1.84 MKD 100

25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$3.71 MKD 202

-0.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$4.47 MKD 244

-6.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$1.27 MKD 69.5

31.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$0.72 MKD 39.05

90.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$1.74 MKD 94.8

-1.15%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$2.26 MKD 123

61.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$8.24 MKD 450

10.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$8.53 MKD 465

-19.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$14.71 MKD 803

-18.42%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$1.06 MKD 57.7

16.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$1.26 MKD 68.5

29.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.50 MKD 81.8

4.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$1.99 MKD 108

27.64%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$1.10 MKD 60.3

-28.18%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$1.36 MKD 74.1

-43.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$1.04 MKD 56.6

-16.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$0.79 MKD 42.94

25.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$3.34 MKD 182

88.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$5.57 MKD 304

11.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$1.09 MKD 59.5

9.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.54 MKD 84.3

1.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$1.06 MKD 57.9

-18.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

$23.66 MKD 1,291

-10.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$1.11 MKD 60.5

-42.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$0.94 MKD 51.4

-36.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$8.81 MKD 481

-27.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$1.50 MKD 81.6

30.67%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$30.4K MKD 1.7M

-4.48%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$30.8K MKD 1.7M

-13.47%

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

$196 RON 927

$127 MKD 6,949

53.78%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$17.88 MKD 975

-55.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$26.68 MKD 1,456

-64.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$33.72 MKD 1,839

48.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

$18.05 MKD 985

40.33%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$6.18 MKD 337

31.88%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$269 MKD 14.7K

133.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$3,382 MKD 184.5K

316.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$95.3 MKD 5,196

-5.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$53.3 MKD 2,909

-28.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$102 MKD 5,544

-22.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$135 MKD 7,348

-32.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$286 MKD 15.6K

137.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$170 MKD 9,269

163.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$540 MKD 29.4K

100.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$361 MKD 19.7K

100.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

$2,038 MKD 111.2K

84.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

$1,334 MKD 72.8K

64.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

$613 MKD 33.4K

116.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

7.3

-7.53%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ohrid: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Ohrid

$170 17.6% 62.1% $278

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Ohrid

$157 16.3% 30.2% $68

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Ohrid

$215 22.3% 4.3% $9.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Ohrid

$172 17.8% 19.4% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Ohrid

$173 17.9% 29.3% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Ohrid

$46 4.8% 30.7% $20

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Ohrid

$34 3.5% 19.5% $5.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $286 in Ohrid. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 117% 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: $58.0 in Bucharest vs $36.00 in Ohrid for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $215 per month, with Ohrid cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇲🇰 Ohrid

🕒 Local time

04:32 4:32 AM

03:32 3:32 AM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

38,940

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

100 MKD = 1.83 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MKD, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

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).

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).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Ohrid 570 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Ohrid

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

Bucharest vs Ohrid: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Ohrid differ by about 39% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $968 including rent). Ohrid is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 117% higher in Bucharest, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $678 in Bucharest versus $286 in Ohrid. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,340 per month in Bucharest versus $968 in Ohrid – a 39% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Ohrid runs roughly 12% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $968 in Ohrid versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ohrid but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Ohrid 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, Bucharest and Ohrid 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 Ohrid gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.