Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Veles and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Veles: $766 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $17,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Veles
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Veles Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Veles

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$766

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Veles 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 Veles and in Lisbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $766 in Veles versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Veles $766
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,137 in Veles versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Veles $1,137
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,507 in Veles versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Veles $1,507
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Veles costs roughly 65% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Veles is 44% below, Lisbon is 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.78 MKD 484

$16.65 €14.95

-47.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.09 MKD 997

$61.7 €55.5

-70.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.43 MKD 299

$11.36 €10.20

-52.20%

Cappuccino

$1.56 MKD 85.9

$2.97 €2.67

-47.47%

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

$1.33 MKD 73.5

$2.29 €2.06

-41.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MKD 45.09

$1.74 €1.56

-52.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 MKD 81.3

$3.40 €3.06

-56.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 MKD 171

$3.31 €2.97

-6.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 MKD 56.7

$1.16 €1.04

-11.21%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 MKD 29.34

$1.91 €1.72

-72.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 MKD 83.4

$1.51 €1.36

Eggs

$2.48 MKD 137

$4.02 €3.61

-38.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.97 MKD 164

$12.94 €11.62

-77.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.93 MKD 217

$7.77 €6.98

-49.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 MKD 828

$17.76 €15.95

-15.43%

Apples (1kg)

$1.44 MKD 79.2

$2.30 €2.07

-37.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 MKD 80.6

$1.73 €1.56

-15.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.34 MKD 73.8

$1.86 €1.67

-27.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.89 MKD 104

$2.59 €2.33

-27.03%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 MKD 49.77

$1.82 €1.64

-50.55%

Onion (1kg)

$0.83 MKD 45.99

$1.97 €1.77

-57.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 MKD 32.79

$1.47 €1.32

-59.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 MKD 32.96

$0.72 €0.65

-16.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.23 MKD 178

$6.58 €5.91

-50.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 MKD 343

$5.61 €5.04

10.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 MKD 56.3

$1.36 €1.22

-25.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 MKD 79.5

$2.14 €1.92

-32.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MKD 44.01

$2.33 €2.10

-65.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.73 MKD 1,308

$44.68 €40.14

-46.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 MKD 60.8

$3.85 €3.46

-71.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.58 MKD 31.76

$1.07 €0.96

-45.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.67 MKD 423

$16.46 €14.79

-53.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 MKD 77.0

$2.20 €1.98

-36.36%

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

$26.5K MKD 1.5M

$34.2K €30.7K

-22.48%

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

$24.8K MKD 1.4M

$38.7K €34.8K

-35.98%

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

$108 MKD 5,974

$161 €145

-32.77%

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

$16.80 MKD 926

$18.41 €16.54

-8.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.21 MKD 673

$32.74 €29.41

-62.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.03 MKD 1,379

$44.55 €40.02

-43.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.81 MKD 981

$19.10 €17.16

-6.75%

Cinema Ticket

$3.37 MKD 186

$9.60 €8.62

-64.90%

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

$214 MKD 11.8K

$668 €600

-67.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,661 MKD 312.0K

$17.6K €15.8K

-67.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$21.40 MKD 1,180

$102 €91.6

-79.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.01 MKD 993

$44.46 €39.94

-59.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.6 MKD 4,055

$98.5 €88.5

-25.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 MKD 5,988

$124 €111

-12.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$223 MKD 12.3K

$1,608 €1,445

-86.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$169 MKD 9,306

$1,190 €1,069

-85.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$290 MKD 16.0K

$2,812 €2,526

-89.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$232 MKD 12.8K

$2,013 €1,808

-88.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,181 MKD 65.1K

$7,839 €7,042

-84.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$940 MKD 51.8K

$4,576 €4,110

-79.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$586 MKD 32.3K

$1,575 €1,415

-62.80%

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 Veles: October 26, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Veles

$170 22.2%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 59.9% $102

Accommodation & Living

Veles

$169 22%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 605% $1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Veles

$137 17.9%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 54.6% $75

Eating Out

Veles

$127 16.6%

Lisbon

$243 11% 90.4% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Veles

$100 13%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 66.4% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Veles

$32 4.1%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 101% $32

Getting Around

Veles

$31 4%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 105% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $223 in Veles and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 2.7 times 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: $18 in Veles vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $170 vs $272 per month, with Veles cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇰 Veles

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

02:21 2:21 AM

01:21 1:21 AM

1 h behind Veles

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

43,716

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MKD = 1.81 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 55.12 MKD (100 MKD = 1.81 USD). 1 EUR = 61.36 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to MKD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Veles Lisbon 2,630 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Veles
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

Veles vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $766 in Veles and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Veles is about 65% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 63% lower in Veles. 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: $223 in Veles versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $214 in Veles versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 60% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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, Veles and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Veles gentler on the wallet – expenses run 65% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.