Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Skopje and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Skopje: $1,112 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 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
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Skopje

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$1,112

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Skopje and in Phuket

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,112 in Skopje versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Skopje $1,112
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,657 in Skopje versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Skopje $1,657
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,202 in Skopje versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Skopje $2,202
Phuket $3,154

Living in Skopje costs roughly 13% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Skopje 18% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.68 MKD 532

$4.47 ฿151

116.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.35 MKD 1,889

$32.41 ฿1,093

5.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.52 MKD 359

$8.81 ฿297

-25.99%

Cappuccino

$2.14 MKD 118

$2.83 ฿95.4

-24.38%

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

$1.81 MKD 99.6

$0.87 ฿29.41

108.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 MKD 75.9

$0.49 ฿16.65

181.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.68 MKD 147

$2.56 ฿86.3

4.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 MKD 167

$3.68 ฿124

-17.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 MKD 70.2

$1.66 ฿55.9

-22.89%

White Bread (500g)

$0.74 MKD 40.78

$1.46 ฿49.31

-49.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 MKD 102

$1.50 ฿50.5

23.33%

Eggs

$2.50 MKD 137

$2.09 ฿70.5

19.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.11 MKD 446

$19.07 ฿643

-57.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.36 MKD 405

$3.30 ฿111

123.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 MKD 825

$10.91 ฿368

37.49%

Apples (1kg)

$1.43 MKD 78.5

$2.93 ฿98.9

-51.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 MKD 77.3

$1.69 ฿57.0

-16.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.31 MKD 72.3

$2.25 ฿75.8

-41.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.86 MKD 103

$2.08 ฿70.0

-10.58%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 MKD 48.32

$1.51 ฿51.0

-41.72%

Onion (1kg)

$0.78 MKD 42.75

$1.38 ฿46.52

-43.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 MKD 34.65

$1.07 ฿35.96

-41.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 MKD 32.34

$0.52 ฿17.51

13.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.36 MKD 185

$4.20 ฿142

-20.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 MKD 411

$18.79 ฿634

-60.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 MKD 58.4

$1.82 ฿61.5

-41.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 MKD 82.3

$2.84 ฿95.8

-47.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.71 MKD 38.83

$1.45 ฿48.98

-51.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.73 MKD 1,415

$56.7 ฿1,912

-54.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.08 MKD 59.2

$3.02 ฿102

-64.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 MKD 31.62

$1.02 ฿34.33

-44.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.50 MKD 413

$3.69 ฿125

103.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.59 MKD 87.5

$1.47 ฿49.76

8.16%

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

$34.3K MKD 1.9M

$26.8K ฿903.4K

28.09%

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

$26.1K MKD 1.4M

$26.7K ฿900.5K

-2.36%

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

$158 MKD 8,710

$96.4 ฿3,251

64.35%

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

$18.80 MKD 1,034

$11.26 ฿380

66.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.20 MKD 1,056

$16.85 ฿568

13.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.03 MKD 2,037

$67.2 ฿2,268

-44.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.35 MKD 954

$10.73 ฿362

61.70%

Cinema Ticket

$7.44 MKD 409

$7.50 ฿253

-0.80%

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

$369 MKD 20.3K

$476 ฿16.1K

-22.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,668 MKD 311.8K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

-49.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.6 MKD 4,707

$62.4 ฿2,104

37.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.99 MKD 2,035

$28.41 ฿958

30.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 MKD 5,582

$94.3 ฿3,181

7.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MKD 6,176

$85.8 ฿2,895

30.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$394 MKD 21.6K

$716 ฿24.2K

-45.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$314 MKD 17.2K

$491 ฿16.6K

-36.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$715 MKD 39.3K

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-62.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$483 MKD 26.6K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-66.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,745 MKD 151.0K

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-34.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,844 MKD 101.4K

$3,045 ฿102.7K

-39.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 MKD 48.2K

$502 ฿16.9K

74.33%

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 Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Skopje

$314 28.2%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 56.5% $177

Groceries & Markets

Skopje

$211 19%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 26.2% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Skopje

$196 17.7%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 36.6% $72

Eating Out

Skopje

$155 13.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 21.5% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Skopje

$151 13.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 19.5% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Skopje

$52 4.7%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 58.4% $30

Getting Around

Skopje

$33 2.9%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 117% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $394 in Skopje and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Skopje pays 74% 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 $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $211 vs $266, with Skopje cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇰 Skopje

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

03:04 3:04 AM

09:04 9:04 AM

6 h ahead of Skopje

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

422,540 Capital

79,308

💱 Currency

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MKD = 1.82 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇰 North Macedonian Denar (ден)

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 55 MKD (100 MKD = 1.82 USD). 1 EUR = 61.41 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to MKD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Skopje Phuket 8,350 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Skopje
Phuket

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 Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Skopje is about 13% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 74% 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 $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $369 in Skopje versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Phuket. 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.

For families, Skopje is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.