Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sveti Nikole and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Sveti Nikole: $858 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $16,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Sveti Nikole
🇲🇰 North Macedonia
$858
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,223
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sveti Nikole and in Lisbon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $858 in Sveti Nikole versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

  • Sveti Nikole $858
  • Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,309 in Sveti Nikole versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

  • Sveti Nikole $1,309
  • Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,760 in Sveti Nikole versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

  • Sveti Nikole $1,760
  • Lisbon $4,319

Living in Sveti Nikole costs roughly 61% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sveti Nikole is 36% below, Lisbon is 65% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sveti Nikole
Lisbon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.81 MKD 481
$16.50 €14.67
-46.61%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.98 MKD 1,799
$61.3 €54.5
-46.16%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.36 MKD 292
$11.27 €10.03
-52.44%
Cappuccino
$1.61 MKD 88.0
$3.06 €2.72
-47.39%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.38 MKD 75.5
$2.26 €2.01
-38.94%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.03 MKD 56.2
$1.73 €1.54
-40.46%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.51 MKD 82.2
$3.39 €3.02
-55.46%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.85 MKD 101
$3.40 €3.02
-45.59%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sveti Nikole
Lisbon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.33 MKD 72.6
$1.12 €1.00
18.75%
White Bread (500g)
$0.55 MKD 30.14
$1.86 €1.65
-70.43%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.17 MKD 63.8
$1.53 €1.36
-23.53%
Eggs
$2.43 MKD 132
$3.96 €3.53
-38.64%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.29 MKD 507
$12.76 €11.35
-27.19%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.62 MKD 252
$7.90 €7.02
-41.52%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.58 MKD 632
$16.97 €15.09
-31.76%
Apples (1kg)
$1.29 MKD 70.1
$2.27 €2.02
-43.17%
Banana (1kg)
$1.30 MKD 71.1
$1.75 €1.55
-25.71%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.28 MKD 69.9
$1.85 €1.64
-30.81%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.74 MKD 94.7
$2.57 €2.28
-32.30%
Potato (1kg)
$0.74 MKD 40.20
$1.86 €1.65
-60.22%
Onion (1kg)
$1.14 MKD 62.2
$2.02 €1.80
-43.56%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.86 MKD 46.91
$1.44 €1.28
-40.28%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.40 MKD 21.64
$0.82 €0.73
-51.22%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.07 MKD 168
$6.56 €5.83
-53.20%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.48 MKD 354
$5.62 €5.00
15.30%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.02 MKD 55.9
$1.28 €1.14
-20.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.49 MKD 81.3
$2.07 €1.84
-28.02%
🚌 Getting Around
Sveti Nikole
Lisbon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.71 MKD 38.82
$2.35 €2.09
-69.79%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$23.57 MKD 1,286
$44.18 €39.30
-46.65%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.46 MKD 79.8
$3.99 €3.55
-63.41%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.01 MKD 55.2
$1.09 €0.97
-7.34%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.65 MKD 199
$16.64 €14.81
-78.06%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.40 MKD 76.3
$2.28 €2.03
-38.60%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$31.4K MKD 1.7M
$33.7K €30.0K
-6.67%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.7K MKD 1.5M
$39.3K €35.0K
-29.44%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sveti Nikole
Lisbon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$127 MKD 6,901
$167 €149
-24.47%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$15.70 MKD 857
$18.80 €16.72
-16.49%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$11.97 MKD 653
$33.09 €29.43
-63.83%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sveti Nikole
Lisbon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$21.94 MKD 1,197
$46.01 €40.93
-52.31%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.74 MKD 1,077
$19.19 €17.07
2.87%
Cinema Ticket
$5.10 MKD 278
$9.84 €8.75
-48.17%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sveti Nikole
Lisbon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$280 MKD 15.3K
$677 €602
-58.70%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,095 MKD 168.8K
$16.9K €15.1K
-81.71%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sveti Nikole
Lisbon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$72.7 MKD 3,968
$101 €90.1
-28.15%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$31.84 MKD 1,737
$45.76 €40.70
-30.42%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$82.0 MKD 4,474
$100.0 €88.9
-17.97%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$87.4 MKD 4,765
$123 €109
-28.85%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sveti Nikole
Lisbon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$313 MKD 17.1K
$1,614 €1,436
-80.60%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$207 MKD 11.3K
$1,197 €1,065
-82.67%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$451 MKD 24.6K
$2,862 €2,545
-84.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$315 MKD 17.2K
$1,990 €1,770
-84.15%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,523 MKD 83.1K
$7,577 €6,740
-79.90%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,169 MKD 63.8K
$4,307 €3,831
-72.85%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sveti Nikole
Lisbon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$539 MKD 29.4K
$1,588 €1,412
-66.08%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.23
3.85
9.87%

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

Last update for Sveti Nikole: October 13, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Sveti Nikole
$207
Lisbon
$1.2K 477% $990
Groceries & Markets
Sveti Nikole
$181
Lisbon
$269 49% $89
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sveti Nikole
$154
Lisbon
$219 42.3% $65
Eating Out
Sveti Nikole
$127
Lisbon
$242 91% $115
Clothing & Footwear
Sveti Nikole
$123
Lisbon
$166 35% $43
Getting Around
Sveti Nikole
$33
Lisbon
$63 91.2% $30
Sport & Entertainment
Sveti Nikole
$32
Lisbon
$66 104% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $313 in Sveti Nikole and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 195% 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: $33.00 in Sveti Nikole vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $181 vs $269 per month, with Sveti Nikole cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇰 Sveti Nikole
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🕒 Local time
21:25 9:25 PM
20:25 8:25 PM
1 h behind Sveti Nikole
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
13,220
545,923 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MKD – North Macedonian Denar Converter

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 19, 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Sveti Nikole Lisbon 2,640 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Sveti Nikole
  • Lisbon

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
Sveti Nikole vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Sveti Nikole and in Lisbon?
Sveti Nikole and Lisbon differ by about 159% in total monthly costs ($858 vs $2,223 including rent). Sveti Nikole is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 195% lower in Lisbon. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Sveti Nikole and in Lisbon?
Rent for a central apartment: $313 in Sveti Nikole versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Sveti Nikole and Lisbon?
Childcare runs $280 in Sveti Nikole versus $677 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 49% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $1,000 per month?
At $858 in Sveti Nikole versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sveti Nikole but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Sveti Nikole the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Sveti Nikole and Lisbon?
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.
Is Sveti Nikole or Lisbon safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Sveti Nikole and Lisbon are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Sveti Nikole or Lisbon?
Expats usually find Sveti Nikole gentler on the wallet – expenses run 159% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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