Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Skopje and Cairo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $643 a month against $1,131 in Skopje, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Skopje
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Skopje Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index

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Skopje

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$1,131

/mo nomad

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$643

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Skopje and in Cairo

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

A single person spends $1,131 per month in Skopje vs $643 in Cairo, rent included.

Skopje $1,131
Cairo $643

A couple spends around $1,675 per month in Skopje vs $1,037 in Cairo, rent included.

Skopje $1,675
Cairo $1,037

A family of three spends $2,220 per month in Skopje vs $1,431 in Cairo, rent included.

Skopje $2,220
Cairo $1,431

Skopje costs about 76% more than Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Skopje and Cairo are more affordable than the global median – Skopje 16% lower, Cairo 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.58 MKD 523

$4.69 E£245

104.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.25 MKD 1,870

$28.49 E£1,491

20.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.45 MKD 352

$6.03 E£316

6.97%

Cappuccino

$2.14 MKD 117

$1.81 E£94.8

18.23%

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

$1.81 MKD 98.6

$0.35 E£18.18

417.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 MKD 71.6

$0.15 E£7.95

773.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.71 MKD 148

$1.45 E£76.0

86.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 MKD 170

$2.24 E£117

38.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 MKD 70.2

$0.97 E£50.7

32.99%

White Bread (500g)

$0.74 MKD 40.52

$0.73 E£37.97

1.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.84 MKD 100

$0.77 E£40.25

138.96%

Eggs

$2.52 MKD 138

$1.17 E£61.2

115.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.89 MKD 431

$4.32 E£226

82.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.57 MKD 413

$5.07 E£265

49.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 MKD 819

$8.92 E£467

68.16%

Apples (1kg)

$1.48 MKD 80.7

$1.83 E£95.8

-19.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 MKD 79.3

$0.75 E£39.08

93.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.34 MKD 73.1

$0.57 E£29.78

135.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.95 MKD 106

$0.51 E£26.63

282.35%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 MKD 49.14

$0.38 E£20.06

136.84%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 MKD 46.22

$0.42 E£21.89

102.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 MKD 34.67

$0.35 E£18.43

82.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 MKD 29.89

$0.24 E£12.57

129.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.52 MKD 192

$1.99 E£104

76.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.06 MKD 386

$7.48 E£391

-5.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 MKD 57.9

$1.52 E£79.4

-30.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 MKD 78.9

$2.13 E£112

-32.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 MKD 41.10

$0.33 E£17.10

127.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.74 MKD 1,514

$8.66 E£453

220.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.11 MKD 60.6

$0.37 E£19.27

200.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 MKD 33.74

$0.20 E£10.65

210.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.71 MKD 421

$1.49 E£77.8

417.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 MKD 88.2

$0.46 E£23.95

252.17%

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

$34.9K MKD 1.9M

$32.6K E£1.7M

7.07%

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

$27.7K MKD 1.5M

$28.4K E£1.5M

-2.43%

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

$153 MKD 8,377

$27.54 E£1,441

457.23%

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

$18.75 MKD 1,023

$8.27 E£433

126.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.33 MKD 1,055

$14.05 E£735

37.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.53 MKD 2,103

$28.27 E£1,480

36.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.65 MKD 963

$6.70 E£350

163.43%

Cinema Ticket

$7.15 MKD 390

$4.40 E£230

62.50%

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

$358 MKD 19.5K

$121 E£6,357

194.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,690 MKD 310.6K

$3,619 E£189.4K

57.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.1 MKD 4,592

$40.16 E£2,102

109.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.22 MKD 2,032

$49.61 E£2,596

-24.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 MKD 5,599

$115 E£6,034

-11.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MKD 6,113

$60.6 E£3,170

84.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$416 MKD 22.7K

$220 E£11.5K

88.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$327 MKD 17.8K

$194 E£10.2K

68.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$731 MKD 39.9K

$514 E£26.9K

42.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$497 MKD 27.1K

$334 E£17.5K

48.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,702 MKD 147.5K

$806 E£42.2K

235.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,807 MKD 98.6K

$513 E£26.9K

252.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$877 MKD 47.9K

$200 E£10.5K

338.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.23

16.21

-73.90%

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

Last update for Skopje: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cairo: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Skopje

$327 29.1%

Cairo

$194 30.1% 40.6% $133

Groceries & Markets

Skopje

$211 18.8%

Cairo

$141 21.9% 33.1% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Skopje

$192 17.1%

Cairo

$50 7.7% 74% $142

Eating Out

Skopje

$154 13.7%

Cairo

$91 14.1% 40.8% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Skopje

$151 13.5%

Cairo

$120 18.6% 20.9% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Skopje

$53 4.7%

Cairo

$37 5.8% 29.8% $16

Getting Around

Skopje

$35 3.1%

Cairo

$11 1.8% 67.5% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $416 in Skopje versus $220 in Cairo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 338% higher in Skopje, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34.00 in Skopje versus $28.00 in Cairo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $211 vs $141 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇰 Skopje

🇪🇬 Cairo

🕒 Local time

06:59 6:59 AM

07:59 7:59 AM

1 h ahead of Skopje

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

422,540 Capital

9,120,350 Capital

💱 Currency

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 MKD = 1.83 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

100 EGP = 1.91 USD

100 EGP = 1.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇰 North Macedonian Denar (ден)

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 54.59 MKD (100 MKD = 1.83 USD). 1 EUR = 61.23 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 52.33 EGP (100 EGP = 1.91 USD). 1 EUR = 58.69 EGP (100 EGP = 1.7 EUR).

USD to MKD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Skopje Cairo 1,590 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Skopje
Cairo

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

Skopje vs Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Skopje is pricier by about 76%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,696 per month in Skopje and $965 in Cairo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cairo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 50% more in Skopje, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34.00 in Skopje and $28.00 in Cairo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cairo, where all-in costs run around $643, than in Skopje at $1,131. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Skopje it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cairo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Cairo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Skopje makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.