Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Skopje and Piatra Neamt

For one person, living is cheaper in Piatra Neamt: $785 a month against $1,115 in Skopje, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Skopje
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Skopje Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Piatra Neamt
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Piatra Neamt Living Index

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Skopje

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$1,115

/mo nomad

Piatra Neamt

🇷🇴 Romania

$785

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Skopje and in Piatra Neamt

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,115 in Skopje versus $783 in Piatra Neamt.

Skopje $1,115
Piatra Neamt $783

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,664 in Skopje versus $1,190 in Piatra Neamt.

Skopje $1,664
Piatra Neamt $1,190

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,214 in Skopje versus $1,598 in Piatra Neamt.

Skopje $2,214
Piatra Neamt $1,598

Living in Skopje is roughly 42% more expensive than in Piatra Neamt, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Skopje 18% lower, Piatra Neamt 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.34 MKD 509

$8.73 RON 41.30

6.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.35 MKD 1,874

$32.34 RON 153

6.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.54 MKD 357

$7.31 RON 34.59

-10.53%

Cappuccino

$2.04 MKD 112

$2.26 RON 10.70

-9.73%

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

$1.88 MKD 103

$1.49 RON 7.07

26.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 MKD 74.3

$1.23 RON 5.82

10.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.77 MKD 151

$1.87 RON 8.87

48.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 MKD 165

$2.25 RON 10.66

34.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 MKD 70.4

$1.40 RON 6.61

-7.86%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 MKD 40.03

$0.97 RON 4.61

-24.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.81 MKD 98.8

$1.40 RON 6.63

29.29%

Eggs

$2.44 MKD 133

$2.91 RON 13.78

-16.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.74 MKD 422

$7.90 RON 37.39

-2.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.60 MKD 415

$5.74 RON 27.17

32.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.91 MKD 813

$9.82 RON 46.46

51.83%

Apples (1kg)

$1.49 MKD 81.1

$0.96 RON 4.53

55.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 MKD 76.5

$1.33 RON 6.29

5.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 MKD 75.0

$1.25 RON 5.92

9.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.88 MKD 103

$1.83 RON 8.65

2.73%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 MKD 48.99

$0.60 RON 2.83

50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.84 MKD 45.65

$0.50 RON 2.38

68.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 MKD 31.66

$0.87 RON 4.13

-33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 MKD 30.17

$0.67 RON 3.16

-17.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.50 MKD 191

$5.80 RON 27.46

-39.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.13 MKD 389

$4.69 RON 22.18

52.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 MKD 58.6

$0.85 RON 4.02

25.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 MKD 81.9

$1.14 RON 5.37

31.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.71 MKD 38.54

$0.62 RON 2.92

14.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.22 MKD 1,485

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.12 MKD 61.1

$0.81 RON 3.82

38.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.58 MKD 31.57

$0.86 RON 4.06

-32.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.50 MKD 409

$7.69 RON 36.38

-2.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.59 MKD 87.0

$1.61 RON 7.63

-1.24%

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

$33.6K MKD 1.8M

$28.9K RON 136.6K

16.19%

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

$26.5K MKD 1.4M

$25.4K RON 120.2K

4.29%

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

$157 MKD 8,569

$103 RON 486

52.96%

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

$18.34 MKD 1,000

$7.35 RON 34.77

149.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.32 MKD 1,054

$5.63 RON 26.66

243.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.60 MKD 2,105

$31.23 RON 148

23.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.11 MKD 933

$8.39 RON 39.71

103.93%

Cinema Ticket

$7.37 MKD 402

$5.53 RON 26.15

33.27%

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

$356 MKD 19.4K

$1,323 RON 6,260

-73.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,733 MKD 312.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.7 MKD 4,512

$52.7 RON 249

56.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.07 MKD 2,022

$29.77 RON 141

24.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 MKD 5,508

$75.7 RON 358

33.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MKD 6,107

$78.3 RON 370

43.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$421 MKD 23.0K

$282 RON 1,335

49.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$321 MKD 17.5K

$190 RON 897

69.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$734 MKD 40.0K

$409 RON 1,937

79.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$504 MKD 27.5K

$268 RON 1,269

88.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,703 MKD 147.4K

$2,326 RON 11.0K

16.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,854 MKD 101.1K

$1,864 RON 8,818

-0.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$875 MKD 47.7K

$1,355 RON 6,412

-35.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.23

6.63

-36.20%

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

Last update for Skopje: October 18, 2026

Last update for Piatra Neamt: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Skopje

$321 28.8%

Piatra Neamt

$190 24.1% 41% $132

Groceries & Markets

Skopje

$210 18.8%

Piatra Neamt

$180 22.9% 14.3% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Skopje

$195 17.5%

Piatra Neamt

$116 14.7% 40.6% $79

Eating Out

Skopje

$152 13.6%

Piatra Neamt

$144 18.3% 5.3% $8.1

Clothing & Footwear

Skopje

$150 13.4%

Piatra Neamt

$106 13.6% 28.9% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Skopje

$53 4.8%

Piatra Neamt

$42 5.4% 20.7% $11

Getting Around

Skopje

$34 3.1%

Piatra Neamt

$7.6 * 1% 77.7% $26

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $421 in Skopje and $287 in Piatra Neamt. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Piatra Neamt pays 52% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $34.00 in Skopje vs $33.00 in Piatra Neamt for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $178 per month, with Piatra Neamt cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇰 Skopje

🇷🇴 Piatra Neamt

🕒 Local time

12:00 12:00 PM

13:00 1:00 PM

1 h ahead of Skopje

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

422,540 Capital

85,055

💱 Currency

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 MKD = 1.83 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 54.55 MKD (100 MKD = 1.83 USD). 1 EUR = 61.33 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to MKD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Skopje Piatra Neamt 670 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Skopje
Piatra Neamt

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 Piatra Neamt: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Skopje and Piatra Neamt differ by about 42% in total monthly costs ($1,115 vs $783 including rent). Piatra Neamt is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 52% lower in Piatra Neamt. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $421 in Skopje versus $287 in Piatra Neamt. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Skopje. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,115 per month in Skopje versus $783 in Piatra Neamt – a 42% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $783 in Piatra Neamt versus $1,115 in Skopje, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Piatra Neamt but tight or insufficient in Skopje. The gap between the two cities makes Piatra Neamt the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Skopje and Piatra Neamt are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Piatra Neamt gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Skopje. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.