Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gevgelija and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Gevgelija: $782 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $25,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Gevgelija
Learn more

Gevgelija Living Index
140

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
Learn more

Dubai Living Index

Jump to prices

Gevgelija

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$782

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Gevgelija and in Dubai

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $782 in Gevgelija versus $2,896 in Dubai.

Gevgelija $782
Dubai $2,896

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,226 in Gevgelija versus $4,384 in Dubai.

Gevgelija $1,226
Dubai $4,384

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,670 in Gevgelija versus $5,872 in Dubai.

Gevgelija $1,670
Dubai $5,872

Living in Gevgelija costs roughly 73% less than in Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Gevgelija is 42% below, Dubai is 115% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.12 MKD 388

$12.67 AED 46.55

-43.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.15 MKD 1,699

$81.7 AED 300

-61.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 MKD 288

$9.34 AED 34.30

-43.47%

Cappuccino

$1.33 MKD 72.3

$5.89 AED 21.62

-77.42%

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

$0.94 MKD 51.3

$1.69 AED 6.20

-44.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 MKD 37.73

$0.78 AED 2.86

-11.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 MKD 63.6

$13.66 AED 50.2

-91.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 MKD 165

$13.49 AED 49.54

-77.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 MKD 66.9

$1.84 AED 6.78

-33.15%

White Bread (500g)

$0.65 MKD 35.19

$1.50 AED 5.50

-56.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.72 MKD 39.18

$2.57 AED 9.45

-71.98%

Eggs

$2.14 MKD 117

$3.32 AED 12.18

-35.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.06 MKD 385

$12.60 AED 46.28

-43.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.53 MKD 302

$9.66 AED 35.46

-42.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.01 MKD 601

$12.78 AED 46.93

-13.85%

Apples (1kg)

$1.11 MKD 60.5

$2.60 AED 9.54

-57.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.11 MKD 60.6

$1.90 AED 6.99

-41.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.36 MKD 74.1

$1.91 AED 7.02

-28.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.86 MKD 101

$1.37 AED 5.02

35.77%

Potato (1kg)

$0.52 MKD 28.44

$1.13 AED 4.14

-53.98%

Onion (1kg)

$0.38 MKD 20.57

$1.01 AED 3.71

-62.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 MKD 19.00

$1.44 AED 5.30

-75.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 MKD 28.87

$0.67 AED 2.48

-20.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.40 MKD 131

$5.88 AED 21.59

-59.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.70 MKD 202

$16.15 AED 59.3

-77.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 MKD 58.0

$2.72 AED 10.00

-61.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 MKD 78.0

$3.08 AED 11.32

-53.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 MKD 40.45

$1.60 AED 5.87

-53.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.23 MKD 1,104

$76.0 AED 279

-73.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.11 MKD 60.7

$3.24 AED 11.91

-65.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 MKD 33.56

$0.71 AED 2.61

-12.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.56 MKD 303

$7.96 AED 29.22

-30.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 MKD 85.6

$0.98 AED 3.62

60.20%

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

$35.1K MKD 1.9M

$27.4K AED 100.6K

28.21%

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

$27.1K MKD 1.5M

$22.0K AED 80.9K

22.78%

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

$92.4 MKD 5,038

$249 AED 913

-62.84%

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

$18.24 MKD 995

$54.4 AED 200

-66.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.08 MKD 1,041

$91.5 AED 336

-79.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.96 MKD 1,307

$103 AED 380

-76.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.12 MKD 879

$42.32 AED 155

-61.91%

Cinema Ticket

$5.37 MKD 293

$16.29 AED 59.8

-67.03%

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

$109 MKD 5,949

$844 AED 3,098

-87.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,751 MKD 313.7K

$18.3K AED 67.1K

-68.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.5 MKD 4,498

$67.0 AED 246

23.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.31 MKD 1,980

$57.9 AED 213

-37.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$54.4 MKD 2,967

$102 AED 375

-46.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MKD 6,149

$98.7 AED 363

14.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$245 MKD 13.4K

$2,393 AED 8,788

-89.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$190 MKD 10.3K

$1,533 AED 5,630

-87.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$426 MKD 23.2K

$4,594 AED 16.9K

-90.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$330 MKD 18.0K

$2,939 AED 10.8K

-88.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,725 MKD 94.1K

$7,046 AED 25.9K

-75.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,125 MKD 61.3K

$4,222 AED 15.5K

-73.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$579 MKD 31.6K

$3,461 AED 12.7K

-83.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.23

4.54

-6.83%

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

Last update for Gevgelija: October 12, 2026

Last update for Dubai: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gevgelija

$190 24.3%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9% 708% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Gevgelija

$165 21.1%

Dubai

$292 10.1% 77.1% $127

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gevgelija

$130 16.6%

Dubai

$394 13.6% 204% $265

Clothing & Footwear

Gevgelija

$129 16.5%

Dubai

$147 5.1% 13.9% $18

Eating Out

Gevgelija

$107 13.7%

Dubai

$305 10.5% 185% $198

Sport & Entertainment

Gevgelija

$35 4.4%

Dubai

$136 4.7% 292% $101

Getting Around

Gevgelija

$27 3.5%

Dubai

$89 3.1% 226% $62

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $245 in Gevgelija and $2,393 in Dubai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 498% 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: $31.00 in Gevgelija vs $82.0 in Dubai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $165 vs $292 per month, with Gevgelija cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇰 Gevgelija

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

01:11 1:11 AM

03:11 3:11 AM

2 h ahead of Gevgelija

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,664

3,790,000

💱 Currency

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

100 MKD = 1.83 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, USD, EUR to MKD – North Macedonian Denar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇰 North Macedonian Denar (ден)

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 54.55 MKD (100 MKD = 1.83 USD). 1 EUR = 61.33 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 EUR).

USD to MKD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Gevgelija Dubai 3,500 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Gevgelija
Dubai

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

Gevgelija vs Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gevgelija is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 270% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 498% lower in Dubai. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $245 in Gevgelija versus $2,393 in Dubai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Gevgelija runs roughly 275% less than in Dubai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $109 in Gevgelija versus $844 in Dubai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $782 in Gevgelija versus $2,896 in Dubai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Gevgelija but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Gevgelija the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Gevgelija is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Dubai, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Gevgelija and Dubai 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 Gevgelija gentler on the wallet – expenses run 270% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.