Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ohrid and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Ohrid: $968 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Ohrid
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Ohrid Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Ohrid

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$968

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ohrid and in Bucharest

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $968 in Ohrid versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Ohrid $968
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,539 in Ohrid versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Ohrid $1,539
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,110 in Ohrid versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Ohrid $2,110
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Ohrid costs roughly 28% less than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ohrid 28% lower, Bucharest 1% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.19 MKD 392

$14.49 RON 68.6

-50.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.12 MKD 1,970

$58.1 RON 275

-37.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.27 MKD 397

$7.48 RON 35.40

-2.81%

Cappuccino

$2.62 MKD 143

$3.44 RON 16.29

-23.84%

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

$2.93 MKD 160

$2.37 RON 11.22

23.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 MKD 100

$2.30 RON 10.88

-20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 MKD 202

$3.70 RON 17.51

0.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 MKD 244

$4.16 RON 19.69

7.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 MKD 69.5

$1.67 RON 7.90

-23.95%

White Bread (500g)

$0.72 MKD 39.05

$1.37 RON 6.50

-47.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 MKD 94.8

$1.72 RON 8.14

1.16%

Eggs

$2.26 MKD 123

$3.64 RON 17.22

-37.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.24 MKD 450

$9.08 RON 42.98

-9.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.53 MKD 465

$6.84 RON 32.35

24.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.71 MKD 803

$12.00 RON 56.8

22.58%

Apples (1kg)

$1.06 MKD 57.7

$1.23 RON 5.80

-13.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 MKD 68.5

$1.63 RON 7.73

-22.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.50 MKD 81.8

$1.57 RON 7.45

-4.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 MKD 108

$2.54 RON 12.01

-21.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 MKD 60.3

$0.79 RON 3.75

39.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 MKD 74.1

$0.77 RON 3.66

76.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 MKD 56.6

$0.87 RON 4.13

19.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 MKD 42.94

$0.99 RON 4.70

-20.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.34 MKD 182

$6.31 RON 29.86

-47.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.57 MKD 304

$6.20 RON 29.34

-10.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 MKD 59.5

$1.19 RON 5.63

-8.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 MKD 84.3

$1.57 RON 7.45

-1.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.06 MKD 57.9

$0.86 RON 4.08

23.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.66 MKD 1,291

$21.10 RON 99.8

12.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.11 MKD 60.5

$0.64 RON 3.05

73.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 MKD 51.4

$0.60 RON 2.86

56.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.81 MKD 481

$6.43 RON 30.43

37.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 MKD 81.6

$1.96 RON 9.25

-23.47%

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

$30.4K MKD 1.7M

$29.0K RON 137.2K

4.69%

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

$30.8K MKD 1.7M

$26.6K RON 126.0K

15.56%

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

$127 MKD 6,949

$196 RON 927

-34.97%

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

$17.88 MKD 975

$8.04 RON 38.04

122.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.68 MKD 1,456

$9.35 RON 44.21

185.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.72 MKD 1,839

$50.2 RON 238

-32.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.05 MKD 985

$25.33 RON 120

-28.74%

Cinema Ticket

$6.18 MKD 337

$8.15 RON 38.55

-24.17%

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

$269 MKD 14.7K

$628 RON 2,971

-57.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,382 MKD 184.5K

$14.1K RON 66.6K

-75.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.3 MKD 5,196

$89.6 RON 424

6.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.3 MKD 2,909

$38.32 RON 181

39.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 MKD 5,544

$79.3 RON 375

28.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 MKD 7,348

$90.4 RON 428

49.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$286 MKD 15.6K

$678 RON 3,209

-57.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$170 MKD 9,269

$448 RON 2,121

-62.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$540 MKD 29.4K

$1,083 RON 5,125

-50.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$361 MKD 19.7K

$725 RON 3,430

-50.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,038 MKD 111.2K

$3,751 RON 17.7K

-45.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,334 MKD 72.8K

$2,195 RON 10.4K

-39.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$613 MKD 33.4K

$1,329 RON 6,290

-53.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.3

6.75

8.15%

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

Last update for Ohrid: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ohrid

$215 22.3%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 4.4% $9.6

Clothing & Footwear

Ohrid

$173 17.9%

Bucharest

$134 10% 22.7% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ohrid

$172 17.8%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 24% $41

Accommodation & Living

Ohrid

$170 17.6%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 164% $278

Eating Out

Ohrid

$157 16.3%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 43.2% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Ohrid

$46 4.8%

Bucharest

$67 5% 44.4% $20

Getting Around

Ohrid

$34 3.5%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 16.3% $5.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $286 in Ohrid and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 117% 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: $36.00 in Ohrid vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $225 per month, with Ohrid cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇰 Ohrid

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

02:46 2:46 AM

03:46 3:46 AM

1 h ahead of Ohrid

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,940

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 MKD = 1.83 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇰 North Macedonian Denar (ден)

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 54.55 MKD (100 MKD = 1.83 USD). 1 EUR = 61.33 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to MKD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ohrid Bucharest 570 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Ohrid
Bucharest

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

Ohrid vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ohrid and Bucharest differ by about 39% in total monthly costs ($968 vs $1,340 including rent). Ohrid is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 117% lower in Bucharest. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $286 in Ohrid versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $968 per month in Ohrid versus $1,340 in Bucharest – a 39% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Ohrid runs roughly 12% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $968 in Ohrid versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ohrid but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Ohrid 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, Ohrid and Bucharest 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 Ohrid gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.