For one person, living is cheaper in North Macedonia: $930 a month against $1,796 in Spain, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.
How much you'll spend in North Macedonia and in Spain
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 Spain actually costs, broken down by who's living it.
Monthly costs for one person with rent: $930 in North Macedonia versus $1,796 in Spain.
North Macedonia $930
Spain $1,796
Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,383 in North Macedonia versus $2,612 in Spain.
North Macedonia $1,383
Spain $2,612
Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,836 in North Macedonia versus $3,429 in Spain.
North Macedonia $1,836
Spain $3,429
📏
Internal cost variation is higher in Spain: monthly costs span $932 to $2,592, compared to $731–$1,074 in North Macedonia. City choice carries more weight in Spain.
🌍
Living in North Macedonia costs about 48% less than in Spain on average.
📊
North Macedonia (31% below) and Spain (33% above) straddle the global median.
Currency
No currencies found
🍽 Eating Out
North Macedonia
Spain
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.13MKD 388
$16.93€15.19
-57.89%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$26.99MKD 1,470
$56.3€50.5
-52.08%
Fast Food Meal(McDonalds, etc)
$5.41MKD 295
$11.32€10.16
-52.21%
Cappuccino
$1.69MKD 92.3
$2.42€2.17
-30.17%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.61MKD 87.8
$2.55€2.28
-36.86%
Water(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.23MKD 66.8
$1.79€1.61
-31.28%
Local Beer(0.5 liter draught)
$2.24MKD 122
$3.34€3.00
-32.93%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$2.77MKD 151
$4.03€3.62
-31.27%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
North Macedonia
Spain
Difference
Milk(1 liter)
$1.31MKD 71.2
$1.15€1.03
13.91%
White Bread(500g)
$0.72MKD 39.18
$1.47€1.32
-51.02%
Rice(white)(1kg)
$1.59MKD 86.8
$1.68€1.50
-5.36%
Eggs
$2.21MKD 121
$3.43€3.08
-35.57%
Local Cheese(1kg)
$7.86MKD 428
$14.11€12.67
-44.29%
Chicken Fillets(1kg)
$6.54MKD 357
$8.64€7.75
-24.31%
Beef Round Steak(1kg)
$12.20MKD 664
$16.44€14.76
-25.79%
Apples(1kg)
$1.16MKD 63.0
$2.53€2.27
-54.15%
Banana(1kg)
$1.45MKD 78.9
$2.05€1.84
-29.27%
Oranges(1kg)
$1.33MKD 72.6
$2.03€1.82
-34.48%
Tomato(1kg)
$1.82MKD 99.3
$2.46€2.21
-26.02%
Potato(1kg)
$0.88MKD 47.93
$1.87€1.68
-52.94%
Onion(1kg)
$1.01MKD 54.9
$1.95€1.75
-48.21%
Lettuce(1 head)
$0.62MKD 34.02
$1.37€1.23
-54.74%
Water(1.5 liter bottle)
$0.55MKD 29.83
$0.74€0.67
-25.68%
Cigarettes 20 Pack(Marlboro, Camel)
$3.30MKD 180
$6.61€5.93
-50.08%
Wine(Bottle)
$5.50MKD 299
$5.52€4.96
-0.36%
Local Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
$1.01MKD 55.2
$1.28€1.15
-21.09%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.36MKD 74.2
$2.08€1.87
-34.62%
🚌 Getting Around
North Macedonia
Spain
Difference
One-way Ticket(Public Transport)
$0.76MKD 41.14
$1.64€1.47
-53.66%
Public Transport Monthly Pass(Regular Price)
$25.85MKD 1,408
$32.79€29.43
-21.16%
Taxi Start(Normal Tariff)
$1.28MKD 69.9
$3.91€3.51
-67.26%
Taxi(Normal Tariff)(1km)
$0.71MKD 38.86
$1.32€1.18
-46.21%
Taxi 1hour Waiting(Normal Tariff)
$7.44MKD 405
$26.47€23.75
-71.89%
Gasoline(1 liter)
$1.46MKD 79.4
$1.75€1.57
-16.57%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l(Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.6KMKD 1.8M
$34.9K€31.3K
-3.56%
Compact Sedan 1.6l(Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.9KMKD 1.5M
$30.6K€27.5K
-8.78%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
North Macedonia
Spain
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment(Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage)(85m2)
$144MKD 7,867
$146€131
-1.03%
SIM Card Monthly Plan(Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.18MKD 936
$17.77€15.95
-3.32%
Internet(50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.96MKD 924
$32.25€28.94
-47.41%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
North Macedonia
Spain
Difference
Gym Membership(Monthly)
$27.09MKD 1,476
$44.93€40.32
-39.71%
Tennis Court(1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.74MKD 803
$15.01€13.47
-1.80%
Cinema Ticket
$6.53MKD 356
$9.36€8.40
-30.24%
🧸 Childcare & Education
North Macedonia
Spain
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child(Monthly)
$286MKD 15.6K
$564€506
-49.22%
International Primary School, 1 Child(Yearly)
$7,525MKD 410.0K
$13.3K€11.9K
-43.28%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
North Macedonia
Spain
Difference
Jeans(Levis 501 Or Similar)
$66.4MKD 3,618
$84.3€75.6
-21.20%
Summer Dress(H&M, Zara, etc)
$37.55MKD 2,045
$37.06€33.26
1.32%
Sport Shoes(Adidas, Nike)
$86.6MKD 4,720
$91.2€81.8
-4.97%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$101MKD 5,503
$108€96.6
-6.19%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
North Macedonia
Spain
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$297MKD 16.2K
$1,025€920
-71.03%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$235MKD 12.8K
$829€744
-71.71%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$538MKD 29.3K
$1,641€1,473
-67.19%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$360MKD 19.6K
$1,231€1,105
-70.77%
Buy Apartment in City Center(m2)
$1,888MKD 102.9K
$4,131€3,707
-54.28%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center(m2)
$1,309MKD 71.3K
$2,739€2,458
-52.22%
💵 Salaries & Financials
North Macedonia
Spain
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary(After Tax)
$736MKD 40.1K
$2,012€1,806
-63.41%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate(Annual %)
4.69
3.3
42.12%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for North Macedonia: November 2, 2026
Last update for Spain: November 2, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
🏠Accommodation & Living
North Macedonia
$235 25.2%
Spain
$829 46.2% ↑ 254%$595
🛒Groceries & Markets
North Macedonia
$190 20.4%
Spain
$272 15.2% ↑ 43.5%$83
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
North Macedonia
$179 19.2%
Spain
$196 10.9% ↑ 9.7%$17
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
North Macedonia
$131 14.1%
Spain
$144 8% ↑ 9.8%$13
🍽Eating Out
North Macedonia
$122 13.1%
Spain
$241 13.4% ↑ 97.7%$119
🎉Sport & Entertainment
North Macedonia
$40 4.3%
Spain
$64 3.5% ↑ 58.6%$24
🚌Getting Around
North Macedonia
$34 3.6%
Spain
$50 2.8% ↑ 47.8%$16
🏠Accommodation & Living
North Macedonia
$360 19.6%
Spain
$1.2K 35.9% ↑ 242%$871
🛒Groceries & Markets
North Macedonia
$448 24.4%
Spain
$649 18.9% ↑ 44.7%$200
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
North Macedonia
$196 10.7%
Spain
$214 6.2% ↑ 9.2%$18
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
North Macedonia
$292 15.9%
Spain
$320 9.3% ↑ 9.8%$29
🍽Eating Out
North Macedonia
$377 20.5%
Spain
$770 22.5% ↑ 104%$393
🎉Sport & Entertainment
North Macedonia
$95 5.2%
Spain
$142 4.2% ↑ 49.8%$47
🚌Getting Around
North Macedonia
$69 3.8%
Spain
$103 3% ↑ 49.3%$34
Cost Breakdown
🏠National rent averages: $273 in North Macedonia, $937 in Spain. Capital cities: $382 in Skopje vs $1,525 in Madrid.
💰National salary averages: $640 in North Macedonia, $1,975 in Spain. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.
Cost Highlights
⭐Rent is 243% higher in Spain.
⭐Dining out costs 111% more in Spain.
⭐Public transport is 29% more expensive in Spain.
⭐Salaries are about 3.1 times higher in Spain, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Spain.
North Macedonia→Spain2,100 km≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
North Macedonia
Spain
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 Spain: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost difference between North Macedonia and Spain?
At $930 per month in North Macedonia and $1,796 in Spain, North Macedonia comes out about 48% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.
Which country is cheaper for everyday spending?
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.
Which country has higher housing costs?
Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $937 in Spain and $273 in North Macedonia. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget in North Macedonia or in Spain?
In North Macedonia, $1,500 covers most cities easily; in Spain it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you’ll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.
Should I move to North Macedonia or to Spain?
It depends on what you’re after: North Macedonia wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.
North Macedonia vs other spots: cost of living compared