Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cuernavaca and Skopje

For one person, living is cheaper in Skopje: $1,112 a month against $1,208 in Cuernavaca, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cuernavaca outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Cuernavaca, Mexico
Skopje, North Macedonia
Cuernavaca
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,208
/mo nomad
Skopje
🇲🇰 North Macedonia
$1,112
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Cuernavaca versus $1,112 in Skopje.

  • Cuernavaca $1,208
  • Skopje $1,112

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,788 in Cuernavaca versus $1,657 in Skopje.

  • Cuernavaca $1,788
  • Skopje $1,657

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,368 in Cuernavaca versus $2,202 in Skopje.

  • Cuernavaca $2,368
  • Skopje $2,202

Living in Cuernavaca is roughly 9% more expensive than in Skopje, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cuernavaca 11% lower, Skopje 18% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cuernavaca
Skopje
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.98 MX$149
$9.68 MKD 533
-17.56%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$37.14 MX$694
$34.35 MKD 1,891
8.12%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.83 MX$128
$6.52 MKD 359
4.75%
Cappuccino
$2.48 MX$46.28
$2.14 MKD 118
15.89%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.31 MX$24.45
$1.81 MKD 99.7
-27.62%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.61 MX$11.42
$1.38 MKD 76.0
-55.80%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.44 MX$45.52
$2.68 MKD 148
-8.96%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.27 MX$61.1
$3.03 MKD 167
7.92%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cuernavaca
Skopje
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.62 MX$30.31
$1.28 MKD 70.3
26.56%
White Bread (500g)
$2.21 MX$41.29
$0.74 MKD 40.82
198.65%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.50
$1.85 MKD 102
-23.24%
Eggs
$1.89 MX$35.23
$2.50 MKD 138
-24.40%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.76 MX$145
$8.11 MKD 447
-4.32%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.82 MX$90.0
$7.36 MKD 405
-34.51%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.55 MX$253
$15.00 MKD 826
-9.67%
Apples (1kg)
$2.21 MX$41.26
$1.43 MKD 78.6
54.55%
Banana (1kg)
$1.32 MX$24.73
$1.41 MKD 77.4
-6.38%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.22 MX$41.45
$1.31 MKD 72.4
69.47%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.66 MX$30.95
$1.86 MKD 103
-10.75%
Potato (1kg)
$1.76 MX$32.94
$0.88 MKD 48.37
100.00%
Onion (1kg)
$1.71 MX$31.94
$0.78 MKD 42.78
119.23%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.49 MX$27.89
$0.63 MKD 34.69
136.51%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.83 MX$15.50
$0.59 MKD 32.37
40.68%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.23 MX$79.1
$3.36 MKD 185
25.89%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.03 MX$150
$7.48 MKD 412
7.35%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.21 MX$22.63
$1.06 MKD 58.5
14.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.30 MX$61.6
$1.50 MKD 82.4
120.00%
🚌 Getting Around
Cuernavaca
Skopje
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.71 MX$13.31
$0.71 MKD 38.87
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$34.93 MX$653
$25.73 MKD 1,417
35.76%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.91 MX$35.62
$1.08 MKD 59.2
76.85%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.49 MX$46.60
$0.57 MKD 31.64
336.84%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.64 MX$199
$7.50 MKD 413
41.87%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.33 MX$24.94
$1.59 MKD 87.5
-16.35%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.5K MX$456.9K
$34.3K MKD 1.9M
-28.70%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.4K MX$436.5K
$26.1K MKD 1.4M
-10.36%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cuernavaca
Skopje
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$56.4 MX$1,054
$158 MKD 8,717
-64.40%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.52 MX$346
$18.80 MKD 1,035
-1.49%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$24.73 MX$462
$19.20 MKD 1,057
28.80%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cuernavaca
Skopje
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$29.09 MX$543
$37.03 MKD 2,038
-21.44%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$17.35 MKD 955
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.24 MX$97.9
$7.44 MKD 409
-29.57%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cuernavaca
Skopje
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$218 MX$4,072
$369 MKD 20.3K
-40.88%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,055 MX$94.5K
$5,668 MKD 312.1K
-10.83%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cuernavaca
Skopje
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$40.44 MX$756
$85.6 MKD 4,711
-52.75%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.23 MX$602
$36.99 MKD 2,036
-12.87%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$92.5 MX$1,728
$101 MKD 5,587
-8.86%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.7 MX$1,826
$112 MKD 6,181
-12.99%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cuernavaca
Skopje
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$619 MX$11.6K
$394 MKD 21.7K
57.38%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$529 MX$9,882
$314 MKD 17.3K
68.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$901 MX$16.8K
$715 MKD 39.3K
26.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$803 MX$15.0K
$483 MKD 26.6K
66.27%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$851 MX$15.9K
$2,745 MKD 151.1K
-69.01%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$594 MX$11.1K
$1,844 MKD 101.5K
-67.79%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cuernavaca
Skopje
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$638 MX$11.9K
$876 MKD 48.2K
-27.19%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.4
4.23
169.50%

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

Last update for Cuernavaca: October 25, 2026

Last update for Skopje: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cuernavaca
$529
Skopje
$314 40.7% $215
Groceries & Markets
Cuernavaca
$229
Skopje
$211 7.9% $18
Eating Out
Cuernavaca
$140
Skopje
$155 10.4% $15
Clothing & Footwear
Cuernavaca
$118
Skopje
$151 28% $33
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cuernavaca
$100
Skopje
$196 97.1% $97
Getting Around
Cuernavaca
$52
Skopje
$33 37.7% $20
Sport & Entertainment
Cuernavaca
$40
Skopje
$52 31.2% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $619 in Cuernavaca and $394 in Skopje. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Skopje pays 37% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $37 in Cuernavaca vs $34 in Skopje for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $229 vs $211 per month, with Skopje cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Cuernavaca
🇲🇰 Skopje
🕒 Local time
20:11 8:11 PM
03:11 3:11 AM
7 h ahead of Cuernavaca
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
341,029
422,540 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MKD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.83 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 55.05 MKD (100 MKD = 1.82 USD). 1 EUR = 61.37 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cuernavaca Skopje 10,910 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cuernavaca
  • 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
Cuernavaca vs Skopje: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Skopje cheaper than Cuernavaca?
Skopje is cheaper overall, especially in transport, groceries, and utilities. The 9% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Cuernavaca or Skopje?
On paper, salaries run 27% lower in Cuernavaca. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Cuernavaca and Skopje?
Rent for a central apartment: $619 in Cuernavaca versus $394 in Skopje. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do food prices compare in Cuernavaca and in Skopje?
Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Cuernavaca. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Is eating out cheaper in Cuernavaca or in Skopje?
Dining out is cheaper in Skopje – a meal for two runs $34 versus $37 in Cuernavaca. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $1,000 enough to cover costs in Cuernavaca or in Skopje?
Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Skopje is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
Is it better to live in Cuernavaca or in Skopje?
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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Skopje gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Cuernavaca. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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