Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and North Macedonia

Name: North Macedonia
Address: MK

For one person, living is cheaper in North Macedonia: $943 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in North Macedonia
Learn more

North Macedonia Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$943

/mo nomad

😐 Solo nomad: Istanbul is 47.8% more expensive than North Macedonia without rent, and 61.8% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Istanbul is 50.2% more expensive than North Macedonia without rent, and 78.3% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$7.15 MKD 390

66.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,715

$27.49 MKD 1,500

100.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$5.31 MKD 290

72.13%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$1.69 MKD 92.2

150.89%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$1.59 MKD 86.9

10.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.84

$1.18 MKD 64.5

-54.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$2.22 MKD 121

111.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$2.74 MKD 150

117.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$1.29 MKD 70.6

-2.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.82

$0.67 MKD 36.50

41.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.63 MKD 88.7

41.72%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$2.32 MKD 127

6.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$8.16 MKD 446

29.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$6.70 MKD 366

-16.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$11.95 MKD 652

77.49%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$1.21 MKD 66.2

59.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.39 MKD 76.0

64.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.29 MKD 70.3

-0.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$1.84 MKD 100

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.87

$0.88 MKD 47.77

-23.86%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$0.99 MKD 54.2

-40.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$0.65 MKD 35.63

104.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.11

$0.51 MKD 27.96

15.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$3.20 MKD 175

-26.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$5.50 MKD 300

144.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$1.01 MKD 54.9

139.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$1.33 MKD 72.8

166.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.65

$0.70 MKD 38.16

18.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,274

$26.27 MKD 1,434

152.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$1.24 MKD 67.7

8.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.06

$0.72 MKD 39.16

18.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$6.75 MKD 369

60.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$1.46 MKD 79.5

0.68%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$33.3K MKD 1.8M

55.06%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$28.7K MKD 1.6M

54.93%

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

$89.2 ₺4,396

$146 MKD 7,953

-38.76%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$16.98 MKD 927

-31.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$17.82 MKD 973

-9.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,806

$27.38 MKD 1,495

182.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

$14.35 MKD 783

57.91%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$6.56 MKD 358

27.13%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$268 MKD 14.6K

263.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$4,597 MKD 250.9K

460.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$68.2 MKD 3,722

-22.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,930

$37.57 MKD 2,051

4.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,084

$89.3 MKD 4,876

15.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,760

$102 MKD 5,555

-5.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$301 MKD 16.4K

230.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$233 MKD 12.7K

170.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$529 MKD 28.9K

282.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$355 MKD 19.4K

225.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$1,870 MKD 102.1K

69.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$1,307 MKD 71.4K

40.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$727 MKD 39.7K

65.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

4.69

776.12%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for North Macedonia: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

North Macedonia

$233 25% 63% $397

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

North Macedonia

$190 20.4% 28% $74

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

North Macedonia

$121 13% 44.4% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

North Macedonia

$134 14.3% 1.8% $2.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

North Macedonia

$180 19.4% 54.4% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

North Macedonia

$41 4.3% 56.9% $53

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

North Macedonia

$34 3.6% 55% $41

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

🕒 Local time

10:47 10:47 AM

09:47 9:47 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

1,836,713

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

100 MKD = 1.83 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MKD, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.27 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.26 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 54.59 MKD (100 MKD = 1.83 USD). 1 EUR = 61.23 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul North Macedonia 640 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
North Macedonia

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

Istanbul vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

Seminyak, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

Yerevan

🇦🇲 Armenia

Riga

🇱🇻 Latvia