Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Skopje and Cuernavaca

For one person, living is cheaper in Skopje: $1,112 a month against $1,208 in Cuernavaca, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cuernavaca outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

53

Cost of Living Index in Skopje
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Skopje Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Cuernavaca
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Cuernavaca Living Index

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Skopje

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$1,112

/mo nomad

Cuernavaca

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Skopje and in Cuernavaca

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 Cuernavaca actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,112 in Skopje versus $1,208 in Cuernavaca.

Skopje $1,112
Cuernavaca $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,657 in Skopje versus $1,788 in Cuernavaca.

Skopje $1,657
Cuernavaca $1,788

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,202 in Skopje versus $2,368 in Cuernavaca.

Skopje $2,202
Cuernavaca $2,368

Living in Skopje costs roughly 8% less than in Cuernavaca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Skopje 18% lower, Cuernavaca 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.68 MKD 533

$7.98 MX$148

21.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.35 MKD 1,891

$37.14 MX$691

-7.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.52 MKD 359

$6.83 MX$127

-4.54%

Cappuccino

$2.14 MKD 118

$2.48 MX$46.10

-13.71%

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

$1.81 MKD 99.7

$1.31 MX$24.36

38.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 MKD 76.0

$0.61 MX$11.38

126.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.68 MKD 148

$2.44 MX$45.35

9.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 MKD 167

$3.27 MX$60.9

-7.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 MKD 70.3

$1.62 MX$30.20

-20.99%

White Bread (500g)

$0.74 MKD 40.81

$2.21 MX$41.13

-66.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 MKD 102

$1.42 MX$26.40

30.28%

Eggs

$2.50 MKD 138

$1.89 MX$35.09

32.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.11 MKD 447

$7.76 MX$144

4.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.36 MKD 405

$4.82 MX$89.7

52.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 MKD 826

$13.55 MX$252

10.70%

Apples (1kg)

$1.43 MKD 78.6

$2.21 MX$41.10

-35.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 MKD 77.3

$1.32 MX$24.63

6.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.31 MKD 72.3

$2.22 MX$41.29

-40.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.86 MKD 103

$1.66 MX$30.83

12.05%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 MKD 48.36

$1.76 MX$32.81

-50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.78 MKD 42.78

$1.71 MX$31.82

-54.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 MKD 34.68

$1.49 MX$27.79

-57.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 MKD 32.37

$0.83 MX$15.45

-28.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.36 MKD 185

$4.23 MX$78.8

-20.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 MKD 412

$8.03 MX$149

-6.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 MKD 58.5

$1.21 MX$22.54

-12.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 MKD 82.3

$3.30 MX$61.4

-54.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.71 MKD 38.86

$0.71 MX$13.26

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.73 MKD 1,416

$34.93 MX$650

-26.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.08 MKD 59.2

$1.91 MX$35.49

-43.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 MKD 31.64

$2.49 MX$46.43

-77.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.50 MKD 413

$10.64 MX$198

-29.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.59 MKD 87.5

$1.33 MX$24.85

19.55%

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

$34.3K MKD 1.9M

$24.5K MX$455.2K

40.26%

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

$26.1K MKD 1.4M

$23.4K MX$434.9K

11.55%

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

$158 MKD 8,716

$56.4 MX$1,050

180.86%

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

$18.80 MKD 1,035

$18.52 MX$345

1.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.20 MKD 1,057

$24.73 MX$460

-22.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.03 MKD 2,038

$29.09 MX$541

27.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.35 MKD 955

Cinema Ticket

$7.44 MKD 409

$5.24 MX$97.5

41.98%

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

$369 MKD 20.3K

$218 MX$4,056

69.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,668 MKD 312.0K

$5,055 MX$94.1K

12.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.6 MKD 4,710

$40.44 MX$753

111.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.99 MKD 2,036

$32.23 MX$600

14.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 MKD 5,586

$92.5 MX$1,722

9.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MKD 6,180

$97.7 MX$1,819

14.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$394 MKD 21.7K

$619 MX$11.5K

-36.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$314 MKD 17.3K

$529 MX$9,845

-40.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$715 MKD 39.3K

$901 MX$16.8K

-20.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$483 MKD 26.6K

$803 MX$15.0K

-39.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,745 MKD 151.1K

$851 MX$15.8K

222.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,844 MKD 101.5K

$594 MX$11.1K

210.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 MKD 48.2K

$638 MX$11.9K

37.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.23

11.4

-62.89%

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

Last update for Skopje: October 24, 2026

Last update for Cuernavaca: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Skopje

$314 28.2%

Cuernavaca

$529 43.8% 68.6% $215

Groceries & Markets

Skopje

$211 19%

Cuernavaca

$229 19% 8.6% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Skopje

$196 17.7%

Cuernavaca

$100 8.3% 49.3% $97

Eating Out

Skopje

$155 13.9%

Cuernavaca

$140 11.6% 9.4% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Skopje

$151 13.6%

Cuernavaca

$118 9.8% 21.8% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Skopje

$52 4.7%

Cuernavaca

$40 3.3% 23.8% $12

Getting Around

Skopje

$33 2.9%

Cuernavaca

$52 4.3% 60.4% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $394 in Skopje and $619 in Cuernavaca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Skopje pays 37% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $34 in Skopje vs $37 in Cuernavaca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $211 vs $229 per month, with Skopje cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇰 Skopje

🇲🇽 Cuernavaca

🕒 Local time

09:20 9:20 AM

02:20 2:20 AM

7 h behind Skopje

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

422,540 Capital

341,029

💱 Currency

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MKD = 1.82 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.83 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇰 North Macedonian Denar (ден)

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 55.04 MKD (100 MKD = 1.82 USD). 1 EUR = 61.26 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.62 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.72 MXN (100 MXN = 4.83 EUR).

USD to MKD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Skopje Cuernavaca 10,910 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Skopje
Cuernavaca

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 Cuernavaca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Skopje is cheaper overall, especially in transport, groceries, and utilities. The 9% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 37% higher in Skopje, 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: $394 in Skopje versus $619 in Cuernavaca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Cuernavaca. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Skopje – a meal for two runs $34 versus $37 in Cuernavaca. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.

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.

Expats usually find Skopje gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Cuernavaca. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.