Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Sveti Nikole

For one person, living is cheaper in Sveti Nikole: $858 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $16,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Sveti Nikole
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Sveti Nikole Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Sveti Nikole

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$858

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Sveti Nikole

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $858 in Sveti Nikole.

Lisbon $2,223
Sveti Nikole $858

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $1,309 in Sveti Nikole.

Lisbon $3,271
Sveti Nikole $1,309

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $1,760 in Sveti Nikole.

Lisbon $4,319
Sveti Nikole $1,760

Living in Lisbon is roughly 159% more expensive than in Sveti Nikole, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 65% above, Sveti Nikole is 36% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$8.81 MKD 481

87.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$32.98 MKD 1,799

85.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$5.36 MKD 292

110.26%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$1.61 MKD 88.0

90.06%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$1.38 MKD 75.5

63.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.03 MKD 56.2

67.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$1.51 MKD 82.2

124.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$1.85 MKD 101

83.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.33 MKD 72.6

-15.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$0.55 MKD 30.14

238.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.17 MKD 63.8

30.77%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$2.43 MKD 132

62.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$9.29 MKD 507

37.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$4.62 MKD 252

71.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$11.58 MKD 632

46.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.29 MKD 70.1

75.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.30 MKD 71.1

34.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.28 MKD 69.9

44.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$1.74 MKD 94.7

47.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$0.74 MKD 40.20

151.35%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.14 MKD 62.2

77.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.86 MKD 46.91

67.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.40 MKD 21.64

105.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$3.07 MKD 168

113.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$6.48 MKD 354

-13.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.02 MKD 55.9

25.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.49 MKD 81.3

38.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$0.71 MKD 38.82

230.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$23.57 MKD 1,286

87.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$1.46 MKD 79.8

173.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.01 MKD 55.2

7.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$3.65 MKD 199

355.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.40 MKD 76.3

62.86%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$31.4K MKD 1.7M

7.15%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$27.7K MKD 1.5M

41.72%

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

$167 €149

$127 MKD 6,901

32.39%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$15.70 MKD 857

19.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$11.97 MKD 653

176.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$21.94 MKD 1,197

109.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$19.74 MKD 1,077

-2.79%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$5.10 MKD 278

92.94%

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

$677 €602

$280 MKD 15.3K

142.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$3,095 MKD 168.8K

446.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$72.7 MKD 3,968

39.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$31.84 MKD 1,737

43.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$82.0 MKD 4,474

21.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$87.4 MKD 4,765

40.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$313 MKD 17.1K

415.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$207 MKD 11.3K

477.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$451 MKD 24.6K

534.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$315 MKD 17.2K

530.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$1,523 MKD 83.1K

397.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$1,169 MKD 63.8K

268.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$539 MKD 29.4K

194.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

4.23

-8.98%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Sveti Nikole: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Sveti Nikole

$207 24.2% 82.7% $990

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Sveti Nikole

$181 21.1% 32.9% $89

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Sveti Nikole

$127 14.8% 47.6% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Sveti Nikole

$154 18% 29.7% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Sveti Nikole

$123 14.4% 25.9% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Sveti Nikole

$32 3.8% 51.1% $34

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Sveti Nikole

$33 3.8% 47.7% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $313 in Sveti Nikole. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 195% 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: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $33.00 in Sveti Nikole for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $181 per month, with Sveti Nikole cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇰 Sveti Nikole

🕒 Local time

20:56 8:56 PM

21:56 9:56 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

13,220

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MKD = 1.83 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MKD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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 EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Sveti Nikole 2,640 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

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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

Lisbon vs Sveti Nikole: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Sveti Nikole differ by about 159% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $858 including rent). Sveti Nikole is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 195% higher in Lisbon, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $313 in Sveti Nikole. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $677 in Lisbon versus $280 in Sveti Nikole. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 49% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $858 in Sveti Nikole versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sveti Nikole but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Sveti Nikole the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Sveti Nikole 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 Sveti Nikole gentler on the wallet – expenses run 159% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.