Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Skopje and Iasi

For one person, living is cheaper in Skopje: $1,112 a month against $1,256 in Iasi, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Skopje
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Skopje Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Iasi
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Iasi Living Index

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Skopje

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$1,112

/mo nomad

Iasi

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,256

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Skopje and in Iasi

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

A single person spends $1,112 per month in Skopje vs $1,256 in Iasi, rent included.

Skopje $1,112
Iasi $1,256

A couple spends around $1,657 per month in Skopje vs $1,841 in Iasi, rent included.

Skopje $1,657
Iasi $1,841

A family of three spends $2,202 per month in Skopje vs $2,425 in Iasi, rent included.

Skopje $2,202
Iasi $2,425

Skopje is about 12% cheaper than Iasi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Skopje and Iasi are more affordable than the global median – Skopje 18% lower, Iasi 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.68 MKD 532

$10.50 RON 50.2

-7.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.35 MKD 1,889

$42.22 RON 202

-18.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.52 MKD 359

$7.18 RON 34.29

-9.19%

Cappuccino

$2.14 MKD 118

$2.95 RON 14.11

-27.46%

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

$1.81 MKD 99.6

$2.28 RON 10.89

-20.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 MKD 75.9

$1.78 RON 8.49

-22.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.68 MKD 147

$3.20 RON 15.28

-16.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 MKD 167

$3.84 RON 18.34

-21.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 MKD 70.2

$1.55 RON 7.40

-17.42%

White Bread (500g)

$0.74 MKD 40.78

$1.31 RON 6.27

-43.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 MKD 102

$1.97 RON 9.44

-6.09%

Eggs

$2.50 MKD 137

$3.25 RON 15.55

-23.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.11 MKD 446

$8.23 RON 39.35

-1.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.36 MKD 405

$6.59 RON 31.48

11.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 MKD 825

$10.07 RON 48.10

48.96%

Apples (1kg)

$1.43 MKD 78.5

$1.31 RON 6.25

9.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 MKD 77.3

$1.62 RON 7.73

-12.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.31 MKD 72.3

$1.68 RON 8.01

-22.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.86 MKD 103

$2.12 RON 10.14

-12.26%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 MKD 48.32

$0.86 RON 4.09

2.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.78 MKD 42.75

$0.82 RON 3.94

-4.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 MKD 34.65

$1.10 RON 5.26

-42.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 MKD 32.34

$0.94 RON 4.49

-37.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.36 MKD 185

$6.11 RON 29.21

-45.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 MKD 411

$6.64 RON 31.74

12.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 MKD 58.4

$1.34 RON 6.39

-20.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 MKD 82.3

$2.12 RON 10.11

-29.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.71 MKD 38.83

$0.85 RON 4.07

-16.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.73 MKD 1,415

$27.49 RON 131

-6.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.08 MKD 59.2

$0.80 RON 3.83

35.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 MKD 31.62

$0.87 RON 4.15

-34.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.50 MKD 413

$8.14 RON 38.88

-7.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.59 MKD 87.5

$1.92 RON 9.19

-17.19%

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

$34.3K MKD 1.9M

$28.6K RON 136.6K

19.96%

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

$26.1K MKD 1.4M

$25.8K RON 123.5K

0.84%

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

$158 MKD 8,710

$181 RON 866

-12.57%

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

$18.80 MKD 1,034

$7.28 RON 34.81

158.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.20 MKD 1,056

$8.20 RON 39.18

134.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.03 MKD 2,037

$43.94 RON 210

-15.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.35 MKD 954

$15.95 RON 76.2

8.78%

Cinema Ticket

$7.44 MKD 409

$8.58 RON 41.01

-13.29%

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

$369 MKD 20.3K

$385 RON 1,842

-4.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,668 MKD 311.8K

$6,965 RON 33.3K

-18.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.6 MKD 4,707

$73.6 RON 352

16.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.99 MKD 2,035

$38.25 RON 183

-3.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 MKD 5,582

$92.0 RON 440

10.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MKD 6,176

$89.0 RON 425

26.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$394 MKD 21.6K

$542 RON 2,592

-27.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$314 MKD 17.2K

$435 RON 2,078

-27.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$715 MKD 39.3K

$836 RON 3,997

-14.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$483 MKD 26.6K

$645 RON 3,082

-25.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,745 MKD 151.0K

$2,797 RON 13.4K

-1.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,844 MKD 101.4K

$1,907 RON 9,114

-3.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 MKD 48.2K

$1,130 RON 5,398

-22.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.23

7.18

-41.09%

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

Last update for Skopje: October 24, 2026

Last update for Iasi: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Skopje

$314 28.2%

Iasi

$435 34.6% 38.7% $121

Groceries & Markets

Skopje

$211 19%

Iasi

$215 17.1% 1.9% $4.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Skopje

$196 17.7%

Iasi

$197 15.7% 0.1% $0.3

Eating Out

Skopje

$155 13.9%

Iasi

$181 14.4% 16.7% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Skopje

$151 13.6%

Iasi

$132 10.5% 12.9% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Skopje

$52 4.7%

Iasi

$61 4.9% 17.7% $9.2

Getting Around

Skopje

$33 2.9%

Iasi

$36 2.9% 10.9% $3.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $394 in Skopje versus $542 in Iasi. 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 29% higher in Iasi. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in Skopje versus $42 in Iasi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $211 vs $215 – making Skopje the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇰 Skopje

🇷🇴 Iasi

🕒 Local time

23:12 11:12 PM

00:12 12:12 AM

1 h ahead of Skopje

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

422,540 Capital

290,422

💱 Currency

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 MKD = 1.82 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 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 31, 2026: 1 USD = 55 MKD (100 MKD = 1.82 USD). 1 EUR = 61.41 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 4.78 RON (1 RON = 0.209 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to MKD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Skopje Iasi 750 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Skopje
Iasi

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 Iasi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,112 in Skopje, $1,256 in Iasi – Skopje comes out roughly 12% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,667 per month in Skopje and $1,884 in Iasi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Skopje, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $394 there versus $542 in Iasi.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in Skopje and $42 in Iasi. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 6% less in Skopje. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,112 in Skopje and $1,256 in Iasi. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Skopje has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,112 in Skopje to $1,256 in Iasi. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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