Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Piestany and Skopje

For one person, living costs are similar in Piestany and in Skopje: $1,144 and $1,115 a month, rent and utilities included.

55

Cost of Living Index in Piestany
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Piestany Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Skopje
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Skopje Living Index

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Piestany

🇸🇰 Slovakia

$1,144

/mo nomad

Skopje

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$1,115

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Piestany 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 Piestany and in Skopje actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,144 in Piestany versus $1,115 in Skopje.

Piestany $1,144
Skopje $1,115

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,774 in Piestany versus $1,664 in Skopje.

Piestany $1,774
Skopje $1,664

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,404 in Piestany versus $2,214 in Skopje.

Piestany $2,404
Skopje $2,214

Living in Piestany is roughly 3% more expensive than in Skopje, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Piestany 16% lower, Skopje 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.26 €6.45

$9.34 MKD 509

-22.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.17 €23.28

$34.35 MKD 1,874

-23.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.81 €6.95

$6.54 MKD 357

19.42%

Cappuccino

$1.95 €1.74

$2.04 MKD 112

-4.41%

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

$1.61 €1.43

$1.88 MKD 103

-14.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.36 MKD 74.3

-19.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.42 €1.27

$2.77 MKD 151

-48.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 €2.04

$3.03 MKD 165

-24.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.29 MKD 70.4

-20.16%

White Bread (500g)

$0.91 €0.81

$0.73 MKD 40.03

24.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.88 €0.78

$1.81 MKD 98.8

-51.38%

Eggs

$2.85 €2.54

$2.44 MKD 133

16.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.94 €7.95

$7.74 MKD 422

15.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.36 €5.65

$7.60 MKD 415

-16.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.08 €9.85

$14.91 MKD 813

-25.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.00 €1.78

$1.49 MKD 81.1

34.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 €1.33

$1.40 MKD 76.5

7.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.37 MKD 75.0

53.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.31 €3.84

$1.88 MKD 103

129.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 €1.10

$0.90 MKD 48.99

36.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$0.84 MKD 45.65

120.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 €1.19

$0.58 MKD 31.66

131.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 €0.62

$0.55 MKD 30.17

27.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.26 €4.68

$3.50 MKD 191

50.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.93 €4.39

$7.13 MKD 389

-30.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.76

$1.07 MKD 58.6

-20.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 €1.38

$1.50 MKD 81.9

4.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 €0.91

$0.71 MKD 38.54

43.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.22 MKD 1,485

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 €2.43

$1.12 MKD 61.1

143.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.58 MKD 31.57

98.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.69 €20.18

$7.50 MKD 409

202.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 €1.57

$1.59 MKD 87.0

10.69%

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

$26.3K €23.4K

$33.6K MKD 1.8M

-21.59%

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

$27.9K €24.8K

$26.5K MKD 1.4M

5.27%

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

$222 €197

$157 MKD 8,569

41.31%

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

$16.06 €14.29

$18.34 MKD 1,000

-12.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.52 €13.81

$19.32 MKD 1,054

-19.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.18 €38.41

$38.60 MKD 2,105

11.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.54 €14.72

$17.11 MKD 933

-3.33%

Cinema Ticket

$7.69 €6.84

$7.37 MKD 402

4.34%

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

$337 €300

$356 MKD 19.4K

-5.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,733 MKD 312.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.69 €39.75

$82.7 MKD 4,512

-45.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.99 €29.35

$37.07 MKD 2,022

-11.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$55.3 €49.15

$101 MKD 5,508

-45.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$44.96 €40.00

$112 MKD 6,107

-59.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$452 €402

$421 MKD 23.0K

7.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$398 €354

$321 MKD 17.5K

23.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 €885

$734 MKD 40.0K

35.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$903 €803

$504 MKD 27.5K

79.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,237 €2,880

$2,703 MKD 147.4K

19.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,847 €2,533

$1,854 MKD 101.1K

53.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,178 €1,047

$875 MKD 47.7K

34.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

4.23

-21.99%

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

Last update for Piestany: October 19, 2026

Last update for Skopje: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Piestany

$398 34.8%

Skopje

$321 28.8% 19.4% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Piestany

$254 22.2%

Skopje

$195 17.5% 23.2% $59

Groceries & Markets

Piestany

$213 18.7%

Skopje

$210 18.8% 1.6% $3.5

Eating Out

Piestany

$127 11.1%

Skopje

$152 13.6% 19.1% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Piestany

$80 7%

Skopje

$150 13.4% 87% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Piestany

$59 5.1%

Skopje

$53 4.8% 8.9% $5.2

Getting Around

Piestany

$13 * 1.1%

Skopje

$34 3.1% 171% $21

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $452 in Piestany and $421 in Skopje. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Piestany pays 35% 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: $26.00 in Piestany vs $34.00 in Skopje. Groceries flip the comparison at $213 vs $210, with Skopje cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇰 Piestany

🇲🇰 Skopje

🕒 Local time

22:41 10:41 PM

Same time as Piestany

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,587

422,540 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MKD = 1.83 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MKD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 54.55 MKD (100 MKD = 1.83 USD). 1 EUR = 61.33 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Piestany Skopje 790 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Piestany
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

Piestany vs Skopje: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Skopje is cheaper overall, especially in groceries and leisure. The 3% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 35% higher in Piestany, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $452 in Piestany versus $421 in Skopje. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 2% higher in Piestany. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,144 per month in Piestany versus $1,115 in Skopje – a 3% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,115 in Skopje versus $1,144 in Piestany, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Skopje but tight or insufficient in Piestany. The gap between the two cities makes Skopje the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Piestany and Skopje 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 Skopje gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Piestany. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.