Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Skopje and Kocani

For one person, living is cheaper in Kocani: $872 a month against $1,074 in Skopje, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Skopje
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Skopje Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Kocani
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Kocani Living Index

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Skopje

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$1,074

/mo nomad

Kocani

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$872

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Skopje and in Kocani

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,074 in Skopje versus $872 in Kocani.

Skopje $1,074
Kocani $872

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,602 in Skopje versus $1,315 in Kocani.

Skopje $1,602
Kocani $1,315

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,131 in Skopje versus $1,758 in Kocani.

Skopje $2,131
Kocani $1,758

Living in Skopje is roughly 23% more expensive than in Kocani, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Skopje 21% lower, Kocani 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.45 MKD 406

$9.84 MKD 536

-24.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.04 MKD 1,800

$34.59 MKD 1,885

-4.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.45 MKD 352

$6.64 MKD 362

-2.86%

Cappuccino

$2.06 MKD 112

$1.06 MKD 57.8

94.34%

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

$1.83 MKD 99.9

$1.43 MKD 77.9

27.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 MKD 75.2

$1.06 MKD 57.6

30.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.71 MKD 147

$2.81 MKD 153

-3.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 MKD 148

$3.11 MKD 170

-12.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 MKD 66.9

$1.18 MKD 64.3

4.24%

White Bread (500g)

$0.79 MKD 43.00

$0.56 MKD 30.54

41.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.84 MKD 100

$1.63 MKD 88.8

12.88%

Eggs

$2.40 MKD 131

$1.78 MKD 97.0

34.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.95 MKD 433

$6.26 MKD 341

27.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.10 MKD 387

$4.40 MKD 240

61.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.50 MKD 790

$8.05 MKD 439

80.12%

Apples (1kg)

$1.47 MKD 80.0

$1.29 MKD 70.3

13.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 MKD 76.7

$1.43 MKD 78.1

-1.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.32 MKD 71.8

$1.24 MKD 67.7

6.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 MKD 111

$1.86 MKD 101

9.68%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 MKD 45.39

$0.75 MKD 40.71

10.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.78 MKD 42.35

$0.79 MKD 42.90

-1.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 MKD 32.45

$0.56 MKD 30.70

7.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 MKD 32.20

$0.44 MKD 23.81

34.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.44 MKD 187

Wine (Bottle)

$7.43 MKD 405

$3.67 MKD 200

102.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 MKD 59.1

$0.83 MKD 45.47

30.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 MKD 81.3

$1.07 MKD 58.4

39.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 MKD 38.27

$1.40 MKD 76.3

-50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.57 MKD 1,393

$23.86 MKD 1,300

7.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.06 MKD 57.8

$1.07 MKD 58.4

-0.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 MKD 34.10

$0.60 MKD 32.79

5.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.81 MKD 425

$3.15 MKD 171

147.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 MKD 90.2

$1.44 MKD 78.2

14.58%

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

$34.2K MKD 1.9M

$33.4K MKD 1.8M

2.41%

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

$25.9K MKD 1.4M

0.12%

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

$153 MKD 8,336

$158 MKD 8,604

-3.12%

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

$18.46 MKD 1,006

$17.23 MKD 939

7.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.81 MKD 916

$14.84 MKD 808

13.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.25 MKD 2,030

$16.66 MKD 908

123.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.13 MKD 933

$17.42 MKD 949

-1.66%

Cinema Ticket

$7.37 MKD 402

$7.47 MKD 407

-1.34%

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

$366 MKD 20.0K

$361 MKD 19.7K

1.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,853 MKD 482.3K

$5,574 MKD 303.7K

58.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.4 MKD 4,545

$62.9 MKD 3,429

32.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.40 MKD 2,038

$36.86 MKD 2,008

1.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 MKD 5,516

$92.4 MKD 5,034

9.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 MKD 6,201

$98.6 MKD 5,371

15.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$382 MKD 20.8K

$275 MKD 15.0K

38.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$306 MKD 16.7K

$194 MKD 10.6K

57.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$711 MKD 38.8K

$495 MKD 27.0K

43.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$479 MKD 26.1K

$296 MKD 16.1K

61.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,745 MKD 149.6K

$1,553 MKD 84.6K

76.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 MKD 104.0K

$1,146 MKD 62.4K

66.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$882 MKD 48.1K

$448 MKD 24.4K

96.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.23

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

Last update for Skopje: October 31, 2026

Last update for Kocani: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Skopje

$306 28.6%

Kocani

$194 22.3% 36.7% $112

Groceries & Markets

Skopje

$208 19.4%

Kocani

$150 17.2% 27.8% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Skopje

$188 17.5%

Kocani

$190 21.8% 0.9% $1.7

Clothing & Footwear

Skopje

$151 14.1%

Kocani

$131 15% 13.4% $20

Eating Out

Skopje

$135 12.6%

Kocani

$142 16.2% 4.5% $6.1

Sport & Entertainment

Skopje

$52 4.8%

Kocani

$32 3.6% 39.2% $20

Getting Around

Skopje

$33 3%

Kocani

$34 3.9% 3% $1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $382 in Skopje and $275 in Kocani. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Skopje pays 97% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $33 in Skopje vs $35 in Kocani. Groceries flip the comparison at $208 vs $150, with Kocani cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇰 Skopje

🇲🇰 Kocani

🕒 Local time

13:17 1:17 PM

Same time as Skopje

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

422,540 Capital

29,000

💱 Currency

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

100 MKD = 1.84 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

100 MKD = 1.84 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Skopje Kocani 81 km

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Skopje
Kocani

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 Kocani: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,074 in Skopje and $872 in Kocani, so Kocani is about 19% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 97% 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: $382 in Skopje versus $275 in Kocani. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Kocani runs roughly 7% less than in Skopje. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $366 in Skopje versus $361 in Kocani. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Kocani gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Kocani wins on affordability, Skopje on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.