Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Skopje

For one person, living is cheaper in Skopje: $1,112 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Skopje
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Skopje Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Skopje

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$1,112

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Skopje

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,112 in Skopje.

Phuket $1,278
Skopje $1,112

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,657 in Skopje.

Phuket $2,216
Skopje $1,657

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,202 in Skopje.

Phuket $3,154
Skopje $2,202

Living in Phuket is roughly 15% more expensive than in Skopje, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Skopje 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$9.68 MKD 532

-53.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$34.35 MKD 1,889

-5.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$6.52 MKD 359

35.12%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.14 MKD 118

32.24%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$1.81 MKD 99.6

-51.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$1.38 MKD 75.9

-64.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$2.68 MKD 147

-4.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.03 MKD 167

21.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.28 MKD 70.2

29.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$0.74 MKD 40.78

97.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.85 MKD 102

-18.92%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.50 MKD 137

-16.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$8.11 MKD 446

135.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$7.36 MKD 405

-55.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$15.00 MKD 825

-27.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$1.43 MKD 78.5

104.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.41 MKD 77.3

19.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.31 MKD 72.3

71.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.86 MKD 103

11.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.88 MKD 48.32

71.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$0.78 MKD 42.75

76.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$0.63 MKD 34.65

69.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.59 MKD 32.34

-11.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.36 MKD 185

25.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$7.48 MKD 411

151.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.06 MKD 58.4

71.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$1.50 MKD 82.3

89.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.71 MKD 38.83

104.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$25.73 MKD 1,415

120.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.08 MKD 59.2

179.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.57 MKD 31.62

78.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$7.50 MKD 413

-50.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.59 MKD 87.5

-7.55%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$34.3K MKD 1.9M

-21.93%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$26.1K MKD 1.4M

2.42%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$158 MKD 8,710

-39.15%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$18.80 MKD 1,034

-40.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$19.20 MKD 1,056

-12.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$37.03 MKD 2,037

81.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$17.35 MKD 954

-38.16%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$7.44 MKD 409

0.81%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$369 MKD 20.3K

29.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$5,668 MKD 311.8K

98.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$85.6 MKD 4,707

-27.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$36.99 MKD 2,035

-23.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$101 MKD 5,582

-7.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$112 MKD 6,176

-23.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$394 MKD 21.6K

81.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$314 MKD 17.2K

56.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$715 MKD 39.3K

169.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$483 MKD 26.6K

196.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$2,745 MKD 151.0K

52.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$1,844 MKD 101.4K

65.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$876 MKD 48.2K

-42.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.23

31.68%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Skopje: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Skopje

$314 28.2% 36.1% $177

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Skopje

$211 19% 20.8% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Skopje

$196 17.7% 57.7% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Skopje

$151 13.6% 24.2% $29

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Skopje

$155 13.9% 27.4% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Skopje

$52 4.7% 36.9% $30

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Skopje

$33 2.9% 53.9% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $394 in Skopje. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Skopje pays 74% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $34 in Skopje. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $211, with Skopje cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇰 Skopje

🕒 Local time

03:46 3:46 AM

21:46 9:46 PM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

422,540 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 MKD = 1.82 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MKD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 55 MKD (100 MKD = 1.82 USD). 1 EUR = 61.41 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Skopje 8,350 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Skopje

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

Phuket vs Skopje: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Skopje is about 13% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 43% lower in Phuket. 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: $716 in Phuket versus $394 in Skopje. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $369 in Skopje. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Skopje is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, Skopje is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.