Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between North Macedonia and Italy

Name: Italy
Address: IT

For one person, living is cheaper in North Macedonia: $940 a month against $1,843 in Italy, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in North Macedonia
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North Macedonia Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Italy
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Italy Living Index

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🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$940

/mo nomad

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,843

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Italy actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $940 in North Macedonia versus $1,843 in Italy.

North Macedonia $940
Italy $1,843

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,393 in North Macedonia versus $2,816 in Italy.

North Macedonia $1,393
Italy $2,816

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,847 in North Macedonia versus $3,788 in Italy.

North Macedonia $1,847
Italy $3,788

Internal cost variation is higher in Italy: monthly costs span $1,038 to $2,555, compared to $730–$1,112 in North Macedonia. City choice carries more weight in Italy.

Living in North Macedonia costs about 49% less than in Italy on average.

North Macedonia (31% below) and Italy (35% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.37 MKD 406

$20.46 €18.38

-63.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.76 MKD 1,530

$79.5 €71.4

-65.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.37 MKD 296

$11.15 €10.02

-51.84%

Cappuccino

$1.67 MKD 91.9

$2.04 €1.83

-18.14%

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

$1.62 MKD 89.2

$3.10 €2.78

-47.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.18 MKD 65.1

$1.40 €1.26

-15.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.15 MKD 119

$5.51 €4.95

-60.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 MKD 148

$5.74 €5.16

-53.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 MKD 71.0

$1.57 €1.41

-17.83%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 MKD 40.11

$2.38 €2.14

-69.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 MKD 85.8

$2.90 €2.60

-46.21%

Eggs

$2.21 MKD 122

$4.07 €3.66

-45.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.29 MKD 457

$17.44 €15.67

-52.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.77 MKD 373

$12.56 €11.28

-46.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.23 MKD 674

$20.17 €18.12

-39.37%

Apples (1kg)

$1.16 MKD 64.1

$2.58 €2.32

-55.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MKD 78.9

$2.19 €1.97

-34.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 MKD 73.3

$2.68 €2.41

-50.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.77 MKD 97.6

$3.27 €2.93

-45.87%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 MKD 51.9

$1.90 €1.71

-50.53%

Onion (1kg)

$0.97 MKD 53.4

$1.82 €1.63

-46.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 MKD 36.95

$1.57 €1.41

-57.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 MKD 28.15

$0.55 €0.49

-7.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.26 MKD 180

$6.69 €6.01

-51.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.48 MKD 302

$7.99 €7.17

-31.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 MKD 54.8

$1.77 €1.59

-44.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 MKD 74.0

$2.35 €2.11

-42.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 MKD 38.55

$1.91 €1.72

-63.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.31 MKD 1,395

$43.44 €39.02

-41.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.26 MKD 69.3

$5.62 €5.05

-77.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.68 MKD 37.44

$1.71 €1.54

-60.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.68 MKD 368

$33.64 €30.22

-80.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MKD 80.9

$2.03 €1.82

-27.59%

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

$33.9K MKD 1.9M

$35.3K €31.7K

-3.94%

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

$27.7K MKD 1.5M

$36.7K €33.0K

-24.57%

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

$144 MKD 7,936

$227 €204

-36.45%

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

$17.29 MKD 953

$11.59 €10.41

49.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.06 MKD 996

$30.38 €27.29

-40.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.80 MKD 1,477

$51.8 €46.51

-48.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.58 MKD 804

$23.70 €21.29

-38.48%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 MKD 359

$10.60 €9.52

-38.58%

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

$289 MKD 15.9K

$568 €510

-49.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,691 MKD 258.6K

$11.5K €10.4K

-59.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.4 MKD 3,661

$90.5 €81.3

-26.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.71 MKD 2,134

$38.55 €34.63

0.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.1 MKD 4,857

$103 €92.2

-14.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 MKD 5,686

$131 €118

-21.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$306 MKD 16.9K

$826 €742

-62.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$241 MKD 13.3K

$646 €580

-62.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$533 MKD 29.4K

$1,400 €1,258

-61.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$357 MKD 19.7K

$1,054 €947

-66.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,930 MKD 106.4K

$3,662 €3,290

-47.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,360 MKD 75.0K

$2,301 €2,067

-40.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$732 MKD 40.3K

$1,886 €1,694

-61.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.69

3.56

31.74%

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

Last update for North Macedonia: October 25, 2026

Last update for Italy: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

North Macedonia

$241 25.6%

Italy

$646 35.1% 168% $405

Groceries & Markets

North Macedonia

$191 20.4%

Italy

$348 18.9% 81.8% $157

Monthly Utilities & Internet

North Macedonia

$179 19.1%

Italy

$269 14.6% 49.7% $89

Clothing & Footwear

North Macedonia

$133 14.2%

Italy

$163 8.9% 22.4% $30

Eating Out

North Macedonia

$122 13%

Italy

$279 15.1% 128% $156

Sport & Entertainment

North Macedonia

$40 4.2%

Italy

$73 4% 83.2% $33

Getting Around

North Macedonia

$33 3.5%

Italy

$65 3.5% 99.2% $33

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $274 in North Macedonia, $729 in Italy. Capital cities: $394 in Skopje vs $1,297 in Rome.

National salary averages: $639 in North Macedonia, $1,890 in Italy. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 166% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 170% more in Italy.

Public transport is 79% more expensive in Italy.

Salaries are about 3 times higher in Italy, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Italy.

Good to know

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

🇮🇹 Italy

🕒 Local time

21:05 9:05 PM

Same time as North Macedonia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,836,713

58,850,717

💱 Currency

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MKD = 1.81 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MKD – North Macedonian Denar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇰 North Macedonian Denar (ден)

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 55.12 MKD (100 MKD = 1.81 USD). 1 EUR = 61.36 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to MKD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

North Macedonia Italy 740 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

North Macedonia
Italy

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 Italy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,843 per month in Italy and $940 in North Macedonia, North Macedonia comes out about 49% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in North Macedonia: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $729 in Italy and $274 in North Macedonia. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In North Macedonia, $1,500 covers most cities easily; in Italy it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you’ll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you’re after: North Macedonia wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.