Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Skopje and Koh Samui

For one person, living is cheaper in Skopje: $1,112 a month against $1,221 in Koh Samui, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Skopje, North Macedonia
Koh Samui, Thailand
Skopje
🇲🇰 North Macedonia
$1,112
/mo nomad
Koh Samui
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,221
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Skopje and in Koh Samui

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

A single person spends $1,112 per month in Skopje vs $1,221 in Koh Samui, rent included.

  • Skopje $1,112
  • Koh Samui $1,221

A couple spends around $1,657 per month in Skopje vs $2,093 in Koh Samui, rent included.

  • Skopje $1,657
  • Koh Samui $2,093

A family of three spends $2,202 per month in Skopje vs $2,965 in Koh Samui, rent included.

  • Skopje $2,202
  • Koh Samui $2,965

Skopje is about 9% cheaper than Koh Samui, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Skopje and Koh Samui are more affordable than the global median – Skopje 18% lower, Koh Samui 10% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Skopje
Koh Samui
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.68 MKD 534
$4.31 ฿146
124.59%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$34.35 MKD 1,894
$32.28 ฿1,090
6.41%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.52 MKD 360
$8.55 ฿289
-23.74%
Cappuccino
$2.14 MKD 118
$2.75 ฿92.7
-22.18%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.81 MKD 99.8
$0.89 ฿30.03
103.37%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.38 MKD 76.1
$0.49 ฿16.57
181.63%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.68 MKD 148
$2.56 ฿86.4
4.69%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.03 MKD 167
$3.61 ฿122
-16.07%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Skopje
Koh Samui
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.28 MKD 70.4
$1.66 ฿56.0
-22.89%
White Bread (500g)
$0.74 MKD 40.87
$1.46 ฿49.34
-49.32%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.85 MKD 102
$1.58 ฿53.4
17.09%
Eggs
$2.50 MKD 138
$2.16 ฿73.0
15.74%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.11 MKD 447
$19.29 ฿651
-57.96%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.36 MKD 406
$3.34 ฿113
120.36%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.00 MKD 827
$10.86 ฿367
38.12%
Apples (1kg)
$1.43 MKD 78.7
$2.94 ฿99.3
-51.36%
Banana (1kg)
$1.41 MKD 77.5
$1.60 ฿54.2
-11.88%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.31 MKD 72.4
$2.29 ฿77.2
-42.79%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.86 MKD 103
$2.05 ฿69.2
-9.27%
Potato (1kg)
$0.88 MKD 48.43
$1.45 ฿48.83
-39.31%
Onion (1kg)
$0.78 MKD 42.84
$1.37 ฿46.17
-43.07%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.63 MKD 34.73
$1.12 ฿37.70
-43.75%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.59 MKD 32.41
$0.55 ฿18.64
7.27%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.36 MKD 185
$4.26 ฿144
-21.13%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.48 MKD 412
$18.41 ฿622
-59.37%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.06 MKD 58.5
$1.82 ฿61.4
-41.76%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.50 MKD 82.5
$2.85 ฿96.3
-47.37%
🚌 Getting Around
Skopje
Koh Samui
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.71 MKD 38.92
$1.53 ฿51.7
-53.59%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$25.73 MKD 1,418
$58.1 ฿1,961
-55.68%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.08 MKD 59.3
$3.15 ฿106
-65.71%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.57 MKD 31.68
$1.07 ฿36.16
-46.73%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.50 MKD 413
$4.08 ฿138
83.82%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.59 MKD 87.6
$1.53 ฿51.7
3.92%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.3K MKD 1.9M
$27.5K ฿929.7K
24.58%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.1K MKD 1.4M
$27.7K ฿936.9K
-6.06%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Skopje
Koh Samui
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$158 MKD 8,729
$104 ฿3,496
52.98%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.80 MKD 1,036
$11.49 ฿388
63.62%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.20 MKD 1,058
$18.05 ฿610
6.37%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Skopje
Koh Samui
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.03 MKD 2,041
$69.9 ฿2,360
-47.00%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.35 MKD 956
$11.34 ฿383
53.00%
Cinema Ticket
$7.44 MKD 410
$8.14 ฿275
-8.60%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Skopje
Koh Samui
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$369 MKD 20.3K
$509 ฿17.2K
-27.62%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,668 MKD 312.4K
$12.4K ฿417.2K
-54.12%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Skopje
Koh Samui
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$85.6 MKD 4,717
$62.9 ฿2,122
36.17%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.99 MKD 2,039
$29.10 ฿983
27.11%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$101 MKD 5,594
$95.8 ฿3,234
5.99%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$112 MKD 6,189
$87.2 ฿2,945
28.76%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Skopje
Koh Samui
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$394 MKD 21.7K
$607 ฿20.5K
-35.12%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$314 MKD 17.3K
$420 ฿14.2K
-25.34%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$715 MKD 39.4K
$1,653 ฿55.8K
-56.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$483 MKD 26.6K
$1,221 ฿41.2K
-60.44%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,745 MKD 151.3K
$3,583 ฿121.0K
-23.39%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,844 MKD 101.6K
$2,588 ฿87.4K
-28.76%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Skopje
Koh Samui
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$876 MKD 48.3K
$405 ฿13.7K
116.13%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.23
5.57
-24.06%

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

Last update for Skopje: October 24, 2026

Last update for Koh Samui: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Skopje
$314
Koh Samui
$420 33.9% $106
Groceries & Markets
Skopje
$211
Koh Samui
$267 26.5% $56
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Skopje
$196
Koh Samui
$133 32.2% $63
Eating Out
Skopje
$155
Koh Samui
$119 23.5% $36
Clothing & Footwear
Skopje
$151
Koh Samui
$124 18.3% $28
Sport & Entertainment
Skopje
$52
Koh Samui
$86 66% $34
Getting Around
Skopje
$33
Koh Samui
$73 124% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $394 in Skopje versus $607 in Koh Samui. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Skopje are about 2.2 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in Skopje versus $32 in Koh Samui. Groceries tell a different story – $211 in Skopje vs $267 in Koh Samui – so Skopje wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇲🇰 Skopje
🇹🇭 Koh Samui
🕒 Local time
19:43 7:43 PM
01:43 1:43 AM
6 h ahead of Skopje
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
422,540 Capital
62,110
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

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

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 55.12 MKD (100 MKD = 1.81 USD). 1 EUR = 61.36 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Skopje Koh Samui 8,360 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Skopje
  • Koh Samui

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 Koh Samui: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Skopje and in Koh Samui compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,112 in Skopje, $1,221 in Koh Samui – roughly 10% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Skopje compared to Koh Samui?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,667 per month in Skopje and $1,832 in Koh Samui. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Skopje and Koh Samui?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Skopje, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $394 there versus $607 in Koh Samui.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 26% more in Koh Samui, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in Skopje and $32 in Koh Samui. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is feasible on a $1,000 budget?
$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,112 in Skopje and $1,221 in Koh Samui. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
How does quality of life compare between Skopje and Koh Samui?
It depends on your priorities. Koh Samui has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,112 in Skopje to $1,221 in Koh Samui. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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