Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Skopje and Irkutsk

For one person, living is cheaper in Skopje: $1,112 a month against $1,168 in Irkutsk, rent and utilities included – about $670 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Skopje
Learn more

Skopje Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Irkutsk
Learn more

Irkutsk Living Index

Jump to prices

Skopje

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$1,112

/mo nomad

Irkutsk

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,168

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Skopje and in Irkutsk

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,112 in Skopje versus $1,168 in Irkutsk.

Skopje $1,112
Irkutsk $1,168

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,657 in Skopje versus $1,712 in Irkutsk.

Skopje $1,657
Irkutsk $1,712

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,202 in Skopje versus $2,256 in Irkutsk.

Skopje $2,202
Irkutsk $2,256

Living in Skopje costs roughly 5% less than in Irkutsk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Skopje 18% lower, Irkutsk 14% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.68 MKD 532

$9.23 ₽744

4.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.35 MKD 1,889

$36.50 ₽2,940

-5.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.52 MKD 359

$6.13 ₽494

6.36%

Cappuccino

$2.14 MKD 118

$3.09 ₽249

-30.74%

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

$1.81 MKD 99.6

$1.62 ₽130

11.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 MKD 75.9

$0.65 ₽52.5

112.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.68 MKD 147

$2.41 ₽194

11.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 MKD 167

$3.73 ₽300

-18.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 MKD 70.2

$1.25 ₽100

2.40%

White Bread (500g)

$0.74 MKD 40.78

$0.64 ₽51.2

15.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 MKD 102

$1.54 ₽124

20.13%

Eggs

$2.50 MKD 137

$1.67 ₽134

49.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.11 MKD 446

$11.87 ₽956

-31.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.36 MKD 405

$7.44 ₽599

-1.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 MKD 825

$12.70 ₽1,023

18.11%

Apples (1kg)

$1.43 MKD 78.5

$2.20 ₽177

-35.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 MKD 77.3

$1.98 ₽159

-28.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.31 MKD 72.3

$1.69 ₽136

-22.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.86 MKD 103

$3.51 ₽282

-47.01%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 MKD 48.32

$0.71 ₽56.9

23.94%

Onion (1kg)

$0.78 MKD 42.75

$0.72 ₽58.0

8.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 MKD 34.65

$1.52 ₽122

-58.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 MKD 32.34

$0.67 ₽54.1

-11.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.36 MKD 185

$3.31 ₽266

1.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 MKD 411

$7.89 ₽636

-5.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 MKD 58.4

$1.03 ₽83.3

2.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 MKD 82.3

$2.03 ₽163

-26.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.71 MKD 38.83

$0.53 ₽43.06

33.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.73 MKD 1,415

$19.42 ₽1,564

32.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.08 MKD 59.2

$1.26 ₽102

-14.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 MKD 31.62

$0.18 ₽14.45

216.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.50 MKD 413

$9.22 ₽742

-18.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.59 MKD 87.5

$0.84 ₽67.6

89.29%

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

$34.3K MKD 1.9M

$54.6K ₽4.4M

-37.21%

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

$26.1K MKD 1.4M

$41.8K ₽3.4M

-37.72%

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

$158 MKD 8,710

$124 ₽9,963

28.00%

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

$18.80 MKD 1,034

$6.10 ₽491

208.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.20 MKD 1,056

$11.77 ₽948

63.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.03 MKD 2,037

$71.9 ₽5,790

-48.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.35 MKD 954

$21.96 ₽1,768

-20.99%

Cinema Ticket

$7.44 MKD 409

$6.82 ₽549

9.09%

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

$369 MKD 20.3K

$403 ₽32.5K

-8.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,668 MKD 311.8K

$3,288 ₽264.8K

72.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.6 MKD 4,707

$78.5 ₽6,324

8.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.99 MKD 2,035

$25.13 ₽2,024

47.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 MKD 5,582

$105 ₽8,420

-2.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MKD 6,176

$118 ₽9,531

-5.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$394 MKD 21.6K

$535 ₽43.1K

-26.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$314 MKD 17.2K

$380 ₽30.6K

-17.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$715 MKD 39.3K

$791 ₽63.7K

-9.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$483 MKD 26.6K

$497 ₽40.0K

-2.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,745 MKD 151.0K

$2,799 ₽225.4K

-1.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,844 MKD 101.4K

$1,886 ₽151.9K

-2.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 MKD 48.2K

$683 ₽55.0K

28.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.23

24.57

-82.78%

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

Last update for Skopje: October 24, 2026

Last update for Irkutsk: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Skopje

$314 28.2%

Irkutsk

$380 32.5% 21.1% $66

Groceries & Markets

Skopje

$211 19%

Irkutsk

$232 19.9% 10.2% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Skopje

$196 17.7%

Irkutsk

$142 12.1% 27.9% $55

Eating Out

Skopje

$155 13.9%

Irkutsk

$158 13.5% 1.9% $2.9

Clothing & Footwear

Skopje

$151 13.6%

Irkutsk

$147 12.6% 2.9% $4.4

Sport & Entertainment

Skopje

$52 4.7%

Irkutsk

$86 7.3% 64.8% $34

Getting Around

Skopje

$33 2.9%

Irkutsk

$24 2% 27% $8.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $394 in Skopje and $535 in Irkutsk. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Skopje pays 28% 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 Irkutsk for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $211 vs $232 per month, with Skopje cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇰 Skopje

🇷🇺 Irkutsk

🕒 Local time

10:03 10:03 AM

17:03 5:03 PM

7 h ahead of Skopje

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

422,540 Capital

617,515

💱 Currency

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 MKD = 1.82 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

100 RUB = 1.24 USD

100 RUB = 1.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇰 North Macedonian Denar (ден)

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 55 MKD (100 MKD = 1.82 USD). 1 EUR = 61.38 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 80.53 RUB (100 RUB = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 89.87 RUB (100 RUB = 1.11 EUR).

USD to MKD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Skopje Irkutsk 6,020 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Skopje
Irkutsk

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 Irkutsk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Skopje wins on cost – living expenses run 5% lower than in Irkutsk. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Skopje the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 28% 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 $535 in Irkutsk. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $369 in Skopje versus $403 in Irkutsk. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Irkutsk. 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.

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.