Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Skopje and Piestany

For one person, living costs are similar in Skopje and in Piestany: $1,115 and $1,144 a month, rent and utilities included.

54

Cost of Living Index in Skopje
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Skopje Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Piestany
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Piestany Living Index

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Skopje

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$1,115

/mo nomad

Piestany

🇸🇰 Slovakia

$1,144

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Skopje and in Piestany

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,115 in Skopje versus $1,144 in Piestany.

Skopje $1,115
Piestany $1,144

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,664 in Skopje versus $1,774 in Piestany.

Skopje $1,664
Piestany $1,774

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,214 in Skopje versus $2,404 in Piestany.

Skopje $2,214
Piestany $2,404

Living in Skopje costs roughly 3% less than in Piestany, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Skopje 18% lower, Piestany 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.34 MKD 509

$7.26 €6.45

28.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.35 MKD 1,874

$26.17 €23.28

31.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.54 MKD 357

$7.81 €6.95

-16.26%

Cappuccino

$2.04 MKD 112

$1.95 €1.74

4.62%

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

$1.88 MKD 103

$1.61 €1.43

16.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 MKD 74.3

$1.09 €0.97

24.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.77 MKD 151

$1.42 €1.27

95.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 MKD 165

$2.30 €2.04

31.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 MKD 70.4

$1.03 €0.92

25.24%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 MKD 40.03

$0.91 €0.81

-19.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.81 MKD 98.8

$0.88 €0.78

105.68%

Eggs

$2.44 MKD 133

$2.85 €2.54

-14.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.74 MKD 422

$8.94 €7.95

-13.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.60 MKD 415

$6.36 €5.65

19.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.91 MKD 813

$11.08 €9.85

34.57%

Apples (1kg)

$1.49 MKD 81.1

$2.00 €1.78

-25.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 MKD 76.5

$1.50 €1.33

-6.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 MKD 75.0

$2.10 €1.87

-34.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.88 MKD 103

$4.31 €3.84

-56.38%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 MKD 48.99

$1.23 €1.10

-26.83%

Onion (1kg)

$0.84 MKD 45.65

$1.85 €1.64

-54.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 MKD 31.66

$1.34 €1.19

-56.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 MKD 30.17

$0.70 €0.62

-21.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.50 MKD 191

$5.26 €4.68

-33.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.13 MKD 389

$4.93 €4.39

44.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 MKD 58.6

$0.85 €0.76

25.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 MKD 81.9

$1.56 €1.38

-3.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.71 MKD 38.54

$1.02 €0.91

-30.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.22 MKD 1,485

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.12 MKD 61.1

$2.73 €2.43

-58.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.58 MKD 31.57

$1.15 €1.02

-49.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.50 MKD 409

$22.69 €20.18

-66.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.59 MKD 87.0

$1.76 €1.57

-9.66%

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

$33.6K MKD 1.8M

$26.3K €23.4K

27.53%

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

$26.5K MKD 1.4M

$27.9K €24.8K

-5.01%

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

$157 MKD 8,569

$222 €197

-29.24%

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

$18.34 MKD 1,000

$16.06 €14.29

14.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.32 MKD 1,054

$15.52 €13.81

24.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.60 MKD 2,105

$43.18 €38.41

-10.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.11 MKD 933

$16.54 €14.72

3.45%

Cinema Ticket

$7.37 MKD 402

$7.69 €6.84

-4.16%

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

$356 MKD 19.4K

$337 €300

5.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,733 MKD 312.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.7 MKD 4,512

$44.69 €39.75

85.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.07 MKD 2,022

$32.99 €29.35

12.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 MKD 5,508

$55.3 €49.15

82.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MKD 6,107

$44.96 €40.00

149.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$421 MKD 23.0K

$452 €402

-6.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$321 MKD 17.5K

$398 €354

-19.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$734 MKD 40.0K

$995 €885

-26.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$504 MKD 27.5K

$903 €803

-44.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,703 MKD 147.4K

$3,237 €2,880

-16.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,854 MKD 101.1K

$2,847 €2,533

-34.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$875 MKD 47.7K

$1,178 €1,047

-25.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.23

3.3

28.18%

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

Last update for Skopje: October 18, 2026

Last update for Piestany: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Skopje

$321 28.8%

Piestany

$398 34.8% 24% $77

Groceries & Markets

Skopje

$210 18.8%

Piestany

$213 18.7% 1.7% $3.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Skopje

$195 17.5%

Piestany

$254 22.2% 30.2% $59

Eating Out

Skopje

$152 13.6%

Piestany

$127 11.1% 16% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Skopje

$150 13.4%

Piestany

$80 7% 46.5% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Skopje

$53 4.8%

Piestany

$59 5.1% 9.8% $5.2

Getting Around

Skopje

$34 3.1%

Piestany

$13 * 1.1% 63.1% $21

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 $452 in Piestany. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Piestany pays 35% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $34.00 in Skopje vs $26.00 in Piestany. Groceries flip the comparison at $210 vs $213, with Skopje cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇰 Skopje

🇸🇰 Piestany

🕒 Local time

23:19 11:19 PM

Same time as Skopje

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

422,540 Capital

29,587

💱 Currency

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MKD = 1.83 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MKD – North Macedonian Denar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇰 North Macedonian Denar (ден)

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 54.55 MKD (100 MKD = 1.83 USD). 1 EUR = 61.33 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MKD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Skopje Piestany 790 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Skopje
Piestany

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 Piestany: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Skopje is cheaper overall, especially in groceries and leisure. The 3% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 35% lower in Piestany. 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 $452 in Piestany. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 2% higher in Piestany. 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 $1,144 in Piestany – a 3% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,115 in Skopje versus $1,144 in Piestany, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Skopje but tight or insufficient in Piestany. The gap between the two cities makes Skopje the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Skopje and Piestany 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 Skopje gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Piestany. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.