Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calarasi and Skopje

For one person, living is cheaper in Calarasi: $884 a month against $1,115 in Skopje, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Calarasi
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Calarasi Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Skopje
Learn more

Skopje Living Index

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Calarasi

🇷🇴 Romania

$884

/mo nomad

Skopje

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$1,115

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $884 per month in Calarasi vs $1,115 in Skopje, rent included.

Calarasi $884
Skopje $1,115

A couple spends around $1,371 per month in Calarasi vs $1,664 in Skopje, rent included.

Calarasi $1,371
Skopje $1,664

A family of three spends $1,858 per month in Calarasi vs $2,214 in Skopje, rent included.

Calarasi $1,858
Skopje $2,214

Calarasi is about 21% cheaper than Skopje, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Calarasi and Skopje are more affordable than the global median – Calarasi 35% lower, Skopje 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.99 RON 42.55

$9.34 MKD 509

-3.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.27 RON 162

$34.35 MKD 1,874

-0.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.82 RON 37.01

$6.54 MKD 357

19.57%

Cappuccino

$2.09 RON 9.90

$2.04 MKD 112

2.45%

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

$1.85 RON 8.77

$1.88 MKD 103

-1.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$1.36 MKD 74.3

19.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.62 RON 7.65

$2.77 MKD 151

-41.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 RON 7.04

$3.03 MKD 165

-50.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 RON 6.88

$1.29 MKD 70.4

12.40%

White Bread (500g)

$0.96 RON 4.52

$0.73 MKD 40.03

31.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 RON 7.06

$1.81 MKD 98.8

-17.68%

Eggs

$2.75 RON 13.00

$2.44 MKD 133

12.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.59 RON 35.91

$7.74 MKD 422

-1.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$7.60 MKD 415

-45.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.62 RON 40.77

$14.91 MKD 813

-42.19%

Apples (1kg)

$1.10 RON 5.19

$1.49 MKD 81.1

-26.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 RON 6.59

$1.40 MKD 76.5

-0.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.27 RON 6.02

$1.37 MKD 75.0

-7.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.45 RON 6.87

$1.88 MKD 103

-22.87%

Potato (1kg)

$0.43 RON 2.06

$0.90 MKD 48.99

-52.22%

Onion (1kg)

$0.60 RON 2.85

$0.84 MKD 45.65

-28.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.40 RON 1.89

$0.58 MKD 31.66

-31.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 RON 3.65

$0.55 MKD 30.17

40.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.27 RON 29.65

$3.50 MKD 191

79.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.19 RON 19.84

$7.13 MKD 389

-41.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 RON 4.64

$1.07 MKD 58.6

-8.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 RON 6.58

$1.50 MKD 81.9

-7.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 RON 2.08

$0.71 MKD 38.54

-38.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.59 RON 59.6

$27.22 MKD 1,485

-53.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.85

$1.12 MKD 61.1

-46.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.87

$0.58 MKD 31.57

5.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.21 RON 29.37

$7.50 MKD 409

-17.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.63 RON 7.74

$1.59 MKD 87.0

2.52%

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

$28.1K RON 132.8K

$33.6K MKD 1.8M

-16.36%

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

$25.1K RON 118.6K

$26.5K MKD 1.4M

-5.41%

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

$164 RON 777

$157 MKD 8,569

4.51%

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

$6.23 RON 29.48

$18.34 MKD 1,000

-66.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.75 RON 31.92

$19.32 MKD 1,054

-65.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.96 RON 227

$38.60 MKD 2,105

24.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$53.2 RON 252

$17.11 MKD 933

210.87%

Cinema Ticket

$8.23 RON 38.94

$7.37 MKD 402

11.67%

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

$399 RON 1,888

$356 MKD 19.4K

12.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,817 RON 27.5K

$5,733 MKD 312.7K

1.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.4 RON 347

$82.7 MKD 4,512

-11.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.12 RON 99.9

$37.07 MKD 2,022

-43.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.8 RON 430

$101 MKD 5,508

-10.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.8 RON 458

$112 MKD 6,107

-13.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$310 RON 1,465

$421 MKD 23.0K

-26.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$186 RON 880

$321 MKD 17.5K

-42.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$414 RON 1,958

$734 MKD 40.0K

-43.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$321 RON 1,517

$504 MKD 27.5K

-36.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,187 RON 5,614

$2,703 MKD 147.4K

-56.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$946 RON 4,474

$1,854 MKD 101.1K

-49.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$714 RON 3,380

$875 MKD 47.7K

-18.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.85

4.23

85.58%

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

Last update for Calarasi: October 17, 2026

Last update for Skopje: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calarasi

$186 21%

Skopje

$321 28.8% 72.8% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calarasi

$177 20%

Skopje

$195 17.5% 9.9% $18

Groceries & Markets

Calarasi

$166 18.8%

Skopje

$210 18.8% 26.4% $44

Eating Out

Calarasi

$146 16.5%

Skopje

$152 13.6% 4.3% $6.2

Clothing & Footwear

Calarasi

$127 14.4%

Skopje

$150 13.4% 17.9% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Calarasi

$64 7.3%

Skopje

$53 4.8% 17.2% $11

Getting Around

Calarasi

$18 2%

Skopje

$34 3.1% 89.3% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $310 in Calarasi versus $421 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 22% higher in Skopje, 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 $34.00 in Calarasi versus $34.00 in Skopje. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $166 vs $210 – making Calarasi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Calarasi

🇲🇰 Skopje

🕒 Local time

13:52 1:52 PM

12:52 12:52 PM

1 h behind Calarasi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

65,181

422,540 Capital

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Calarasi Skopje 540 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Calarasi
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

Calarasi vs Skopje: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $884 in Calarasi, $1,115 in Skopje – roughly 26% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,326 per month in Calarasi and $1,672 in Skopje. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Calarasi, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $399 per month in Calarasi and $356 in Skopje. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 26% more in Skopje, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Calarasi, where all-in costs run around $884, than in Skopje at $1,115. In Calarasi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Skopje it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Skopje has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $884 in Calarasi to $1,115 in Skopje. 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 Calarasi. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Skopje makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.