Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sveti Nikole and Skopje

For one person, living is cheaper in Sveti Nikole: $858 a month against $1,117 in Skopje, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Sveti Nikole
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Sveti Nikole Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Skopje
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Skopje Living Index

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Sveti Nikole

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$858

/mo nomad

Skopje

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$1,117

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $858 per month in Sveti Nikole vs $1,117 in Skopje, rent included.

Sveti Nikole $858
Skopje $1,117

A couple spends around $1,309 per month in Sveti Nikole vs $1,654 in Skopje, rent included.

Sveti Nikole $1,309
Skopje $1,654

A family of three spends $1,760 per month in Sveti Nikole vs $2,191 in Skopje, rent included.

Sveti Nikole $1,760
Skopje $2,191

Sveti Nikole is about 23% cheaper than Skopje, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sveti Nikole and Skopje are more affordable than the global median – Sveti Nikole 36% lower, Skopje 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.81 MKD 481

$9.29 MKD 507

-5.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.98 MKD 1,799

$34.04 MKD 1,857

-3.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.36 MKD 292

$6.28 MKD 343

-14.65%

Cappuccino

$1.61 MKD 88.0

$2.05 MKD 112

-21.46%

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

$1.38 MKD 75.5

$1.84 MKD 101

-25.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MKD 56.2

$1.31 MKD 71.3

-21.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 MKD 82.2

$2.67 MKD 146

-43.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 MKD 101

$3.11 MKD 170

-40.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 MKD 72.6

$1.22 MKD 66.7

9.02%

White Bread (500g)

$0.55 MKD 30.14

$0.74 MKD 40.54

-25.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 MKD 63.8

$1.75 MKD 95.5

-33.14%

Eggs

$2.43 MKD 132

$2.40 MKD 131

1.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.29 MKD 507

$8.16 MKD 445

13.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.62 MKD 252

$7.43 MKD 405

-37.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.58 MKD 632

$14.85 MKD 810

-22.02%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 MKD 70.1

$1.43 MKD 78.1

-9.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 MKD 71.1

$1.44 MKD 78.5

-9.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 MKD 69.9

$1.37 MKD 74.6

-6.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.74 MKD 94.7

$1.90 MKD 103

-8.42%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 MKD 40.20

$0.89 MKD 48.32

-16.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 MKD 62.2

$0.84 MKD 46.04

35.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 MKD 46.91

$0.63 MKD 34.61

36.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.40 MKD 21.64

$0.55 MKD 29.98

-27.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.07 MKD 168

$3.40 MKD 185

-9.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.48 MKD 354

$7.47 MKD 407

-13.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 MKD 55.9

$1.01 MKD 55.2

0.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 MKD 81.3

$1.43 MKD 78.3

4.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.71 MKD 38.82

$0.76 MKD 41.68

-6.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.57 MKD 1,286

$27.14 MKD 1,480

-13.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.46 MKD 79.8

$1.11 MKD 60.3

31.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 MKD 55.2

$0.61 MKD 33.03

65.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.65 MKD 199

$7.55 MKD 412

-51.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 MKD 76.3

$1.56 MKD 85.0

-10.26%

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

$31.4K MKD 1.7M

$34.9K MKD 1.9M

-9.97%

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

$27.7K MKD 1.5M

$27.3K MKD 1.5M

1.41%

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

$127 MKD 6,901

$154 MKD 8,393

-17.78%

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

$15.70 MKD 857

$18.77 MKD 1,024

-16.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.97 MKD 653

$18.72 MKD 1,021

-36.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.94 MKD 1,197

$38.00 MKD 2,073

-42.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.74 MKD 1,077

$17.14 MKD 935

15.17%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MKD 278

$7.24 MKD 395

-29.56%

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

$280 MKD 15.3K

$351 MKD 19.1K

-20.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,095 MKD 168.8K

$5,732 MKD 312.7K

-46.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.7 MKD 3,968

$85.6 MKD 4,671

-15.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.84 MKD 1,737

$37.04 MKD 2,020

-14.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.0 MKD 4,474

$101 MKD 5,498

-18.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.4 MKD 4,765

$113 MKD 6,150

-22.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$313 MKD 17.1K

$422 MKD 23.0K

-25.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$207 MKD 11.3K

$328 MKD 17.9K

-36.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$451 MKD 24.6K

$721 MKD 39.3K

-37.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$315 MKD 17.2K

$487 MKD 26.6K

-35.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,523 MKD 83.1K

$2,700 MKD 147.3K

-43.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,169 MKD 63.8K

$1,811 MKD 98.8K

-35.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$539 MKD 29.4K

$876 MKD 47.8K

-38.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.23

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

Last update for Sveti Nikole: October 13, 2026

Last update for Skopje: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sveti Nikole

$207 24.2%

Skopje

$328 29.4% 58.1% $120

Groceries & Markets

Sveti Nikole

$181 21.1%

Skopje

$210 18.8% 15.9% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sveti Nikole

$154 18%

Skopje

$191 17.1% 24.1% $37

Eating Out

Sveti Nikole

$127 14.8%

Skopje

$150 13.4% 18.2% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Sveti Nikole

$123 14.4%

Skopje

$151 13.6% 22.7% $28

Getting Around

Sveti Nikole

$33 3.8%

Skopje

$34 3.1% 4.2% $1.4

Sport & Entertainment

Sveti Nikole

$32 3.8%

Skopje

$52 4.7% 63.2% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $313 in Sveti Nikole versus $422 in Skopje. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 63% higher in Skopje, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33.00 in Sveti Nikole versus $34.00 in Skopje. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $181 vs $210 – making Sveti Nikole the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇰 Sveti Nikole

🇲🇰 Skopje

🕒 Local time

21:25 9:25 PM

Same time as Sveti Nikole

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,220

422,540 Capital

💱 Currency

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

100 MKD = 1.83 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

100 MKD = 1.83 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Sveti Nikole
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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 Skopje: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Skopje costs about 30% more than Sveti Nikole, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,286 per month in Sveti Nikole and $1,675 in Skopje. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sveti Nikole, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $280 per month in Sveti Nikole and $351 in Skopje. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 16% more in Skopje, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sveti Nikole, where all-in costs run around $858, than in Skopje at $1,117. In Sveti Nikole it covers expenses comfortably, while in Skopje it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sveti Nikole costs $858 versus $1,117 in Skopje. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Sveti Nikole. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Skopje makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.