Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Spain and North Macedonia

Name: North Macedonia
Address: MK

For one person, living is cheaper in North Macedonia: $930 a month against $1,796 in Spain, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Spain
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Spain Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in North Macedonia
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North Macedonia Living Index

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🇪🇸 Spain

$1,796

/mo nomad

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$930

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Spain and in North Macedonia

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Spain and in North Macedonia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,796 in Spain versus $930 in North Macedonia.

Spain $1,796
North Macedonia $930

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,612 in Spain versus $1,383 in North Macedonia.

Spain $2,612
North Macedonia $1,383

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,429 in Spain versus $1,836 in North Macedonia.

Spain $3,429
North Macedonia $1,836

Internal cost variation is higher in Spain: monthly costs span $932 to $2,592, compared to $731–$1,074 in North Macedonia. City choice carries more weight in Spain.

Living in Spain is roughly 93% more expensive than in North Macedonia on average.

Spain (33% above) and North Macedonia (31% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.93 €15.19

$7.13 MKD 388

137.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.3 €50.5

$26.99 MKD 1,470

108.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 €10.16

$5.41 MKD 295

109.24%

Cappuccino

$2.42 €2.17

$1.69 MKD 92.3

43.20%

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

$2.55 €2.28

$1.61 MKD 87.8

58.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 €1.61

$1.23 MKD 66.8

45.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 €3.00

$2.24 MKD 122

49.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.03 €3.62

$2.77 MKD 151

45.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.03

$1.31 MKD 71.2

-12.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.72 MKD 39.18

104.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.59 MKD 86.8

5.66%

Eggs

$3.43 €3.08

$2.21 MKD 121

55.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.11 €12.67

$7.86 MKD 428

79.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.64 €7.75

$6.54 MKD 357

32.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.44 €14.76

$12.20 MKD 664

34.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.53 €2.27

$1.16 MKD 63.0

118.10%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 €1.84

$1.45 MKD 78.9

41.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 €1.82

$1.33 MKD 72.6

52.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.46 €2.21

$1.82 MKD 99.3

35.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.87 €1.68

$0.88 MKD 47.93

112.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.95 €1.75

$1.01 MKD 54.9

93.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 €1.23

$0.62 MKD 34.02

120.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 €0.67

$0.55 MKD 29.83

34.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.61 €5.93

$3.30 MKD 180

100.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.52 €4.96

$5.50 MKD 299

0.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.15

$1.01 MKD 55.2

26.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 €1.87

$1.36 MKD 74.2

52.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 €1.47

$0.76 MKD 41.14

115.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.79 €29.43

$25.85 MKD 1,408

26.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.91 €3.51

$1.28 MKD 69.9

205.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.32 €1.18

$0.71 MKD 38.86

85.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.47 €23.75

$7.44 MKD 405

255.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 €1.57

$1.46 MKD 79.4

19.86%

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

$34.9K €31.3K

$33.6K MKD 1.8M

3.69%

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

$30.6K €27.5K

$27.9K MKD 1.5M

9.62%

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

$146 €131

$144 MKD 7,867

1.04%

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

$17.77 €15.95

$17.18 MKD 936

3.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.25 €28.94

$16.96 MKD 924

90.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.93 €40.32

$27.09 MKD 1,476

65.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.01 €13.47

$14.74 MKD 803

1.83%

Cinema Ticket

$9.36 €8.40

$6.53 MKD 356

43.34%

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

$564 €506

$286 MKD 15.6K

96.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K €11.9K

$7,525 MKD 410.0K

76.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.3 €75.6

$66.4 MKD 3,618

26.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.06 €33.26

$37.55 MKD 2,045

-1.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.2 €81.8

$86.6 MKD 4,720

5.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 €96.6

$101 MKD 5,503

6.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 €920

$297 MKD 16.2K

245.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$829 €744

$235 MKD 12.8K

253.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,473

$538 MKD 29.3K

204.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,231 €1,105

$360 MKD 19.6K

242.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,131 €3,707

$1,888 MKD 102.9K

118.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,739 €2,458

$1,309 MKD 71.3K

109.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,012 €1,806

$736 MKD 40.1K

173.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

4.69

-29.64%

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

Last update for Spain: November 2, 2026

Last update for North Macedonia: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Spain

$829 46.2%

North Macedonia

$235 25.2% 71.7% $595

Groceries & Markets

Spain

$272 15.2%

North Macedonia

$190 20.4% 30.3% $83

Eating Out

Spain

$241 13.4%

North Macedonia

$122 13.1% 49.4% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Spain

$196 10.9%

North Macedonia

$179 19.2% 8.9% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Spain

$144 8%

North Macedonia

$131 14.1% 8.9% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Spain

$64 3.5%

North Macedonia

$40 4.3% 36.9% $24

Getting Around

Spain

$50 2.8%

North Macedonia

$34 3.6% 32.3% $16

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $937 in Spain, $273 in North Macedonia. Capital cities: $1,525 in Madrid vs $382 in Skopje.

National salary averages: $1,975 in Spain, $640 in North Macedonia. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 243% higher in Spain.

Dining out costs 111% more in Spain.

Public transport is 29% more expensive in Spain.

Salaries are about 3.1 times higher in Spain, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Spain.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Spain

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

🕒 Local time

22:03 10:03 PM

Same time as Spain

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

47,415,750

1,836,713

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 MKD = 1.84 USD

100 MKD = 1.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MKD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 0.897 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 54.48 MKD (100 MKD = 1.84 USD). 1 EUR = 60.71 MKD (100 MKD = 1.65 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Spain North Macedonia 2,100 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Spain
North Macedonia

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

Spain vs North Macedonia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $930 per month in North Macedonia and $1,796 in Spain, North Macedonia comes out about 48% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in North Macedonia: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $937 in Spain and $273 in North Macedonia. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In North Macedonia, $1,500 covers most cities easily; in Spain it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you’ll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you’re after: North Macedonia wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.