Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Skopje

For one person, living is cheaper in Skopje: $1,131 a month against $1,351 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 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
54

Cost of Living Index in Skopje
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Skopje Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Skopje

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$1,131

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,351 in Bucharest versus $1,131 in Skopje.

Bucharest $1,351
Skopje $1,131

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,033 in Bucharest versus $1,675 in Skopje.

Bucharest $2,033
Skopje $1,675

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,715 in Bucharest versus $2,220 in Skopje.

Bucharest $2,715
Skopje $2,220

Living in Bucharest is roughly 20% more expensive than in Skopje, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bucharest is 1% above, Skopje is 16% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.46 RON 68.4

$9.58 MKD 525

50.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 273

$34.25 MKD 1,877

68.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 RON 35.46

$6.45 MKD 353

16.28%

Cappuccino

$3.43 RON 16.20

$2.14 MKD 117

60.28%

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

$2.46 RON 11.63

$1.81 MKD 98.9

35.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 RON 11.01

$1.31 MKD 71.9

77.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.80 RON 17.97

$2.71 MKD 149

40.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 RON 19.41

$3.11 MKD 171

31.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 RON 7.79

$1.29 MKD 70.4

27.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.39

$0.74 MKD 40.67

82.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.42

$1.84 MKD 101

-3.26%

Eggs

$3.66 RON 17.33

$2.52 MKD 138

45.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.57 RON 40.54

$7.89 MKD 433

8.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.80 RON 32.17

$7.57 MKD 415

-10.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.72 RON 55.4

$15.00 MKD 822

-21.87%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 RON 6.11

$1.48 MKD 81.0

-12.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.37

$1.45 MKD 79.6

7.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 RON 7.28

$1.34 MKD 73.4

14.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 RON 11.75

$1.95 MKD 107

27.18%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 RON 3.92

$0.90 MKD 49.33

-7.78%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.77

$0.85 MKD 46.40

-5.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 RON 3.98

$0.64 MKD 34.81

31.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 RON 4.39

$0.55 MKD 30.01

69.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.44 RON 30.45

$3.52 MKD 193

82.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.32 RON 29.91

$7.06 MKD 387

-10.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 RON 5.94

$1.06 MKD 58.1

18.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 RON 7.59

$1.44 MKD 79.2

11.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 RON 3.85

$0.75 MKD 41.26

8.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.13 RON 99.9

$27.74 MKD 1,520

-23.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$1.11 MKD 60.8

-45.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.91

$0.62 MKD 33.87

-1.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 RON 29.19

$7.71 MKD 422

-19.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.27

$1.62 MKD 88.5

20.99%

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

$28.1K RON 133.1K

$34.9K MKD 1.9M

-19.43%

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

$26.3K RON 124.3K

$27.7K MKD 1.5M

-5.11%

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

$197 RON 931

$153 MKD 8,410

28.27%

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

$8.34 RON 39.44

$18.75 MKD 1,027

-55.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.19 RON 43.47

$19.33 MKD 1,059

-52.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.87 RON 236

$38.53 MKD 2,111

29.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.99 RON 118

$17.65 MKD 967

41.59%

Cinema Ticket

$8.46 RON 40.01

$7.15 MKD 392

18.32%

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

$639 RON 3,023

$358 MKD 19.6K

78.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 68.1K

$5,690 MKD 311.8K

152.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.6 RON 429

$84.1 MKD 4,610

7.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.05 RON 180

$37.22 MKD 2,040

2.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 RON 377

$103 MKD 5,620

-22.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.2 RON 441

$112 MKD 6,136

-16.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 RON 3,184

$416 MKD 22.8K

62.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 RON 2,123

$327 MKD 17.9K

37.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 RON 5,195

$731 MKD 40.1K

50.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 RON 3,448

$497 MKD 27.2K

46.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,740 RON 17.7K

$2,702 MKD 148.1K

38.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,189 RON 10.4K

$1,807 MKD 99.0K

21.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,323 RON 6,259

$877 MKD 48.1K

50.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

4.23

59.34%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Last update for Skopje: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$449 33.5%

Skopje

$327 29.1% 27.2% $122

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.8%

Skopje

$154 13.7% 31.8% $72

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$222 16.5%

Skopje

$211 18.8% 4.7% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 16%

Skopje

$192 17.1% 10.7% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$136 10.1%

Skopje

$151 13.5% 11.4% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Skopje

$53 4.7% 20.9% $14

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Skopje

$35 3.1% 24.6% $6.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $673 in Bucharest and $416 in Skopje. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 51% 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 $34.00 in Skopje for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $222 vs $211 per month, with Skopje cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇲🇰 Skopje

🕒 Local time

11:19 11:19 AM

10:19 10:19 AM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

422,540 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

100 MKD = 1.82 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.3 RON (1 RON = 0.189 EUR).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 54.8 MKD (100 MKD = 1.82 USD). 1 EUR = 61.46 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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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 Skopje: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Skopje differ by about 20% in total monthly costs ($1,351 vs $1,131 including rent). Skopje is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 51% 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: $673 in Bucharest versus $416 in Skopje. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,351 per month in Bucharest versus $1,131 in Skopje – a 20% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Skopje runs roughly 31% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,131 in Skopje versus $1,351 in Bucharest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Skopje but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Skopje 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.

Expats usually find Skopje gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.