Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between North Macedonia and Australia

For one person, living is cheaper in North Macedonia: $930 a month against $2,589 in Australia, rent and utilities included – about $19,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

North Macedonia
Australia
🇲🇰 North Macedonia
$930
/mo nomad
🇦🇺 Australia
$2,589
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in North Macedonia and in Australia

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

A single person spends $930 per month in North Macedonia vs $2,589 in Australia, rent included.

  • North Macedonia $930
  • Australia $2,589

A couple spends around $1,383 per month in North Macedonia vs $3,789 in Australia, rent included.

  • North Macedonia $1,383
  • Australia $3,789

A family of three spends $1,836 per month in North Macedonia vs $4,990 in Australia, rent included.

  • North Macedonia $1,836
  • Australia $4,990

The regional cost range is wider in Australia ($1,068–$3,299) than in North Macedonia ($731–$1,074), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in North Macedonia is roughly 64% lower than in Australia on average.

North Macedonia sits 31% below the global median, while Australia is 91% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
North Macedonia
Australia
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.13 MKD 388
$17.24 A$25.10
-58.64%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$26.99 MKD 1,470
$85.1 A$124
-68.28%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.41 MKD 295
$11.18 A$16.28
-51.61%
Cappuccino
$1.69 MKD 92.3
$4.01 A$5.84
-57.86%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.61 MKD 87.8
$2.90 A$4.22
-44.48%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.23 MKD 66.8
$2.30 A$3.35
-46.52%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.24 MKD 122
$7.74 A$11.27
-71.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.77 MKD 151
$8.16 A$11.89
-66.05%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
North Macedonia
Australia
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.31 MKD 71.2
$1.73 A$2.51
-24.28%
White Bread (500g)
$0.72 MKD 39.18
$2.69 A$3.91
-73.23%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.59 MKD 86.8
$2.24 A$3.25
-29.02%
Eggs
$2.21 MKD 121
$4.95 A$7.20
-55.35%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.86 MKD 428
$9.42 A$13.72
-16.56%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.54 MKD 357
$9.40 A$13.68
-30.43%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.20 MKD 664
$15.30 A$22.27
-20.26%
Apples (1kg)
$1.16 MKD 63.0
$3.65 A$5.32
-68.22%
Banana (1kg)
$1.45 MKD 78.9
$3.08 A$4.49
-52.92%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.33 MKD 72.6
$3.27 A$4.76
-59.33%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.82 MKD 99.3
$4.59 A$6.68
-60.35%
Potato (1kg)
$0.88 MKD 47.93
$2.83 A$4.12
-68.90%
Onion (1kg)
$1.01 MKD 54.9
$2.26 A$3.30
-55.31%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.62 MKD 34.02
$2.37 A$3.46
-73.84%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.55 MKD 29.83
$1.66 A$2.41
-66.87%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.30 MKD 180
$38.43 A$56.0
-91.41%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.50 MKD 299
$14.21 A$20.69
-61.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.01 MKD 55.2
$4.95 A$7.21
-79.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.36 MKD 74.2
$5.13 A$7.47
-73.49%
🚌 Getting Around
North Macedonia
Australia
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.76 MKD 41.14
$2.46 A$3.59
-69.11%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$25.85 MKD 1,408
$93.0 A$135
-72.20%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.28 MKD 69.9
$3.66 A$5.33
-65.03%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.71 MKD 38.86
$1.82 A$2.64
-60.99%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.44 MKD 405
$43.83 A$63.8
-83.03%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.46 MKD 79.4
$1.35 A$1.96
8.15%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.6K MKD 1.8M
$29.8K A$43.5K
12.67%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.9K MKD 1.5M
$26.1K A$38.0K
6.93%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
North Macedonia
Australia
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$144 MKD 7,867
$208 A$303
-30.62%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.18 MKD 936
$29.05 A$42.29
-40.86%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.96 MKD 924
$58.7 A$85.4
-71.10%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
North Macedonia
Australia
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$27.09 MKD 1,476
$56.4 A$82.1
-51.97%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.74 MKD 803
$19.40 A$28.25
-24.02%
Cinema Ticket
$6.53 MKD 356
$15.11 A$22.00
-56.78%
🧸 Childcare & Education
North Macedonia
Australia
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$286 MKD 15.6K
$2,113 A$3,076
-86.44%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,525 MKD 410.0K
$23.1K A$33.6K
-67.40%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
North Macedonia
Australia
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$66.4 MKD 3,618
$80.0 A$116
-16.99%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$37.55 MKD 2,045
$54.2 A$78.9
-30.75%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$86.6 MKD 4,720
$112 A$162
-22.36%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$101 MKD 5,503
$125 A$181
-18.95%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
North Macedonia
Australia
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$297 MKD 16.2K
$1,620 A$2,359
-81.67%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$235 MKD 12.8K
$1,256 A$1,829
-81.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$538 MKD 29.3K
$2,616 A$3,809
-79.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$360 MKD 19.6K
$2,007 A$2,923
-82.08%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,888 MKD 102.9K
$8,539 A$12.4K
-77.89%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,309 MKD 71.3K
$6,404 A$9,324
-79.56%
💵 Salaries & Financials
North Macedonia
Australia
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$736 MKD 40.1K
$3,931 A$5,723
-81.27%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.69
5.96
-21.31%

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

Last update for North Macedonia: November 2, 2026

Last update for Australia: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
North Macedonia
$235
Australia
$1.3K 435% $1K
Groceries & Markets
North Macedonia
$190
Australia
$373 96.3% $183
Monthly Utilities & Internet
North Macedonia
$179
Australia
$296 65.7% $117
Clothing & Footwear
North Macedonia
$131
Australia
$167 27% $35
Eating Out
North Macedonia
$122
Australia
$295 143% $174
Sport & Entertainment
North Macedonia
$40
Australia
$87 116% $46
Getting Around
North Macedonia
$34
Australia
$116 243% $82

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $273 in North Macedonia vs $1,381 in Australia. For reference, capital cities sit at $382 in Skopje and $1,761 in Canberra.

Average salary: $640 in North Macedonia vs $3,863 in Australia. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 406% higher in Australia.

Dining out costs 207% more in Australia.

Public transport is 254% more expensive in Australia.

Salaries are about 6 times higher in Australia, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Australia.

Good to know
🇲🇰 North Macedonia
🇦🇺 Australia
🕒 Local time
20:20 8:20 PM
06:20 6:20 AM
10 h ahead of North Macedonia
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,836,713
26,473,055
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

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

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 54.48 MKD (100 MKD = 1.84 USD). 1 EUR = 60.71 MKD (100 MKD = 1.65 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 1.46 AUD (1 AUD = 0.687 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.616 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • North Macedonia Australia 15,480 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight
From you
  • North Macedonia
  • Australia

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
North Macedonia vs Australia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Australia more expensive than North Macedonia?
North Macedonia is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 64% lower on average.
Which country has higher housing costs?
Housing costs more in Australia: a central one-bedroom averages $1,381 versus $273 in North Macedonia.
Which country is cheaper for everyday spending?
Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in North Macedonia – part of why living there is about 64% cheaper overall.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget in Australia or in North Macedonia?
$1,500 buys a comfortable lifestyle in North Macedonia, but in Australia it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.
Should I move to Australia or to North Macedonia?
North Macedonia is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.

North Macedonia vs other spots: cost of living compared

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