Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iasi and Skopje

For one person, living is cheaper in Skopje: $1,117 a month against $1,247 in Iasi, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Iasi
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Iasi Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Skopje
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Skopje Living Index

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Iasi

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,247

/mo nomad

Skopje

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$1,117

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,247 per month in Iasi vs $1,117 in Skopje, rent included.

Iasi $1,247
Skopje $1,117

A couple spends around $1,839 per month in Iasi vs $1,654 in Skopje, rent included.

Iasi $1,839
Skopje $1,654

A family of three spends $2,431 per month in Iasi vs $2,191 in Skopje, rent included.

Iasi $2,431
Skopje $2,191

Iasi costs about 12% more than Skopje, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Iasi and Skopje are more affordable than the global median – Iasi 8% lower, Skopje 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.43 RON 49.33

$9.29 MKD 507

12.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.89 RON 198

$34.04 MKD 1,857

23.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.81 RON 32.22

$6.28 MKD 343

8.44%

Cappuccino

$2.86 RON 13.55

$2.05 MKD 112

39.51%

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

$2.20 RON 10.42

$1.84 MKD 101

19.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 RON 8.68

$1.31 MKD 71.3

39.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 RON 15.06

$2.67 MKD 146

19.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.78 RON 17.88

$3.11 MKD 170

21.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 RON 7.44

$1.22 MKD 66.7

28.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 RON 6.34

$0.74 MKD 40.54

81.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.00 RON 9.47

$1.75 MKD 95.5

14.29%

Eggs

$3.22 RON 15.22

$2.40 MKD 131

34.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.22 RON 38.87

$8.16 MKD 445

0.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.42 RON 30.38

$7.43 MKD 405

-13.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.12 RON 47.89

$14.85 MKD 810

-31.85%

Apples (1kg)

$1.33 RON 6.27

$1.43 MKD 78.1

-6.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 RON 7.82

$1.44 MKD 78.5

14.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 RON 7.58

$1.37 MKD 74.6

16.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 RON 9.73

$1.90 MKD 103

8.42%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.77

$0.89 MKD 48.32

-10.11%

Onion (1kg)

$0.84 RON 3.99

$0.84 MKD 46.04

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 RON 5.26

$0.63 MKD 34.61

76.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.69

$0.55 MKD 29.98

80.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.26 RON 29.61

$3.40 MKD 185

84.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.60 RON 31.23

$7.47 MKD 407

-11.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 RON 6.07

$1.01 MKD 55.2

26.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 RON 9.68

$1.43 MKD 78.3

43.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 RON 3.82

$0.76 MKD 41.68

6.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.14 RON 128

$27.14 MKD 1,480

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.82 RON 3.86

$1.11 MKD 60.3

-26.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 RON 4.09

$0.61 MKD 33.03

40.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.31 RON 39.33

$7.55 MKD 412

10.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 RON 9.05

$1.56 MKD 85.0

22.44%

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

$28.7K RON 135.8K

$34.9K MKD 1.9M

-17.75%

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

$27.7K RON 131.3K

$27.3K MKD 1.5M

1.48%

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

$179 RON 847

$154 MKD 8,393

16.39%

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

$7.29 RON 34.47

$18.77 MKD 1,024

-61.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.28 RON 39.19

$18.72 MKD 1,021

-55.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.12 RON 209

$38.00 MKD 2,073

16.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.93 RON 75.4

$17.14 MKD 935

-7.06%

Cinema Ticket

$8.49 RON 40.15

$7.24 MKD 395

17.27%

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

$413 RON 1,956

$351 MKD 19.1K

17.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,058 RON 33.4K

$5,732 MKD 312.7K

23.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.4 RON 347

$85.6 MKD 4,671

-14.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.95 RON 180

$37.04 MKD 2,020

2.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.0 RON 445

$101 MKD 5,498

-6.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.7 RON 429

$113 MKD 6,150

-19.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$541 RON 2,561

$422 MKD 23.0K

28.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$431 RON 2,037

$328 MKD 17.9K

31.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$879 RON 4,159

$721 MKD 39.3K

21.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$660 RON 3,121

$487 MKD 26.6K

35.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,924 RON 13.8K

$2,700 MKD 147.3K

8.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,902 RON 8,999

$1,811 MKD 98.8K

5.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,126 RON 5,325

$876 MKD 47.8K

28.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.18

4.23

69.74%

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

Last update for Iasi: October 11, 2026

Last update for Skopje: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Iasi

$431 34.5%

Skopje

$328 29.4% 23.9% $103

Groceries & Markets

Iasi

$215 17.2%

Skopje

$210 18.8% 2.3% $5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iasi

$195 15.6%

Skopje

$191 17.1% 1.7% $3.3

Eating Out

Iasi

$178 14.3%

Skopje

$150 13.4% 15.7% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Iasi

$133 10.7%

Skopje

$151 13.6% 13.5% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Iasi

$61 4.9%

Skopje

$52 4.7% 14.1% $8.6

Getting Around

Iasi

$36 2.9%

Skopje

$34 3.1% 3.3% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $541 in Iasi versus $422 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 29% higher in Iasi, 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 $42.00 in Iasi versus $34.00 in Skopje. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $210 – making Skopje the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Iasi

🇲🇰 Skopje

🕒 Local time

06:25 6:25 AM

05:25 5:25 AM

1 h behind Iasi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

290,422

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 19, 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 19, 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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Highest

Between locations

Iasi Skopje 750 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Iasi
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

Iasi vs Skopje: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,247 in Iasi, $1,117 in Skopje – roughly 12% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,871 per month in Iasi and $1,675 in Skopje. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 0% less in Skopje. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $413 per month in Iasi and $351 in Skopje. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Skopje, where all-in costs run around $1,117, than in Iasi at $1,247. In Skopje it covers expenses comfortably, while in Iasi 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 $1,117 in Skopje to $1,247 in Iasi. 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 Skopje. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Iasi makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.