Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Windhoek and Skopje

For one person, living is cheaper in Skopje: $1,117 a month against $1,188 in Windhoek, rent and utilities included – about $850 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Windhoek
🇳🇦 Namibia
$1,188
/mo nomad
Skopje
🇲🇰 North Macedonia
$1,117
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,188 per month in Windhoek vs $1,117 in Skopje, rent included.

  • Windhoek $1,188
  • Skopje $1,117

A couple spends around $1,981 per month in Windhoek vs $1,654 in Skopje, rent included.

  • Windhoek $1,981
  • Skopje $1,654

A family of three spends $2,775 per month in Windhoek vs $2,191 in Skopje, rent included.

  • Windhoek $2,775
  • Skopje $2,191

Windhoek costs about 6% more than Skopje, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Windhoek and Skopje are more affordable than the global median – Windhoek 12% lower, Skopje 17% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Windhoek
Skopje
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.42 NAD 188
$9.29 MKD 507
22.93%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$63.4 NAD 1,045
$34.04 MKD 1,857
86.28%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.94 NAD 97.9
$6.28 MKD 343
-5.41%
Cappuccino
$2.38 NAD 39.25
$2.05 MKD 112
16.10%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.84 NAD 13.78
$1.84 MKD 101
-54.35%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.91 NAD 15.00
$1.31 MKD 71.3
-30.53%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.95 NAD 32.05
$2.67 MKD 146
-26.97%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.06 NAD 33.86
$3.11 MKD 170
-33.76%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Windhoek
Skopje
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.53 NAD 25.23
$1.22 MKD 66.7
25.41%
White Bread (500g)
$0.95 NAD 15.64
$0.74 MKD 40.54
28.38%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.99 NAD 32.85
$1.75 MKD 95.5
13.71%
Eggs
$3.06 NAD 50.4
$2.40 MKD 131
27.50%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.40 NAD 155
$8.16 MKD 445
15.20%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.98 NAD 115
$7.43 MKD 405
-6.06%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.71 NAD 127
$14.85 MKD 810
-48.08%
Apples (1kg)
$2.15 NAD 35.50
$1.43 MKD 78.1
50.35%
Banana (1kg)
$1.98 NAD 32.65
$1.44 MKD 78.5
37.50%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.81 NAD 29.78
$1.37 MKD 74.6
32.12%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.05 NAD 33.75
$1.90 MKD 103
7.89%
Potato (1kg)
$2.04 NAD 33.54
$0.89 MKD 48.32
129.21%
Onion (1kg)
$1.83 NAD 30.18
$0.84 MKD 46.04
117.86%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.97 NAD 32.48
$0.63 MKD 34.61
212.70%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.08 NAD 17.78
$0.55 MKD 29.98
96.36%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.28 NAD 54.0
$3.40 MKD 185
-3.53%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.52 NAD 107
$7.47 MKD 407
-12.72%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.41 NAD 23.19
$1.01 MKD 55.2
39.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.43 NAD 23.53
$1.43 MKD 78.3
-
🚌 Getting Around
Windhoek
Skopje
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.82 NAD 13.51
$0.76 MKD 41.68
7.89%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$47.82 NAD 788
$27.14 MKD 1,480
76.20%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.81 NAD 13.32
$1.11 MKD 60.3
-27.03%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.92 NAD 15.19
$0.61 MKD 33.03
50.82%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$15.81 NAD 260
$7.55 MKD 412
109.40%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 NAD 22.20
$1.56 MKD 85.0
-13.46%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.8K NAD 391.7K
$34.9K MKD 1.9M
-31.89%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K NAD 440.5K
$27.3K MKD 1.5M
-2.21%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Windhoek
Skopje
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$144 NAD 2,378
$154 MKD 8,393
-6.19%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$26.72 NAD 440
$18.77 MKD 1,024
42.35%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$51.2 NAD 843
$18.72 MKD 1,021
173.45%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Windhoek
Skopje
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.32 NAD 615
$38.00 MKD 2,073
-1.79%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.77 NAD 177
$17.14 MKD 935
-37.16%
Cinema Ticket
$5.29 NAD 87.2
$7.24 MKD 395
-26.93%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Windhoek
Skopje
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 NAD 3,411
$351 MKD 19.1K
-40.99%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,433 NAD 89.5K
$5,732 MKD 312.7K
-5.21%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Windhoek
Skopje
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$56.1 NAD 924
$85.6 MKD 4,671
-34.51%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.37 NAD 583
$37.04 MKD 2,020
-4.51%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$89.1 NAD 1,468
$101 MKD 5,498
-11.62%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$94.1 NAD 1,551
$113 MKD 6,150
-16.51%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Windhoek
Skopje
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$504 NAD 8,302
$422 MKD 23.0K
19.29%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$354 NAD 5,831
$328 MKD 17.9K
7.96%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,147 NAD 18.9K
$721 MKD 39.3K
59.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$864 NAD 14.2K
$487 MKD 26.6K
77.35%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,625 NAD 26.8K
$2,700 MKD 147.3K
-39.81%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$602 NAD 9,920
$1,811 MKD 98.8K
-66.75%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Windhoek
Skopje
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,005 NAD 16.6K
$876 MKD 47.8K
14.77%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
4.23
169.98%

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

Last update for Windhoek: October 10, 2026

Last update for Skopje: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Windhoek
$354
Skopje
$328 7.4% $26
Groceries & Markets
Windhoek
$225
Skopje
$210 6.8% $15
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Windhoek
$222
Skopje
$191 13.9% $31
Eating Out
Windhoek
$159
Skopje
$150 5.5% $8.7
Clothing & Footwear
Windhoek
$124
Skopje
$151 22.4% $28
Getting Around
Windhoek
$57
Skopje
$34 39.2% $22
Sport & Entertainment
Windhoek
$48
Skopje
$52 9.5% $4.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $504 in Windhoek 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 15% higher in Windhoek, 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 $63.0 in Windhoek versus $34.00 in Skopje. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $210 – making Skopje the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇳🇦 Windhoek
🇲🇰 Skopje
🕒 Local time
15:57 3:57 PM
15:57 3:57 PM
Same time as Windhoek
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
322,500 Capital
422,540 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MKD, USD, EUR to NAD – Namibian Dollar Converter

Namibian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 NAD (100 NAD = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.53 NAD (100 NAD = 5.4 EUR).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 54.55 MKD (100 MKD = 1.83 USD). 1 EUR = 61.33 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Windhoek Skopje 7,190 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Windhoek
  • Skopje

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
Windhoek vs Skopje: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Windhoek or Skopje?
Windhoek costs about 6% more than Skopje, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Windhoek and in Skopje?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,782 per month in Windhoek and $1,675 in Skopje. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Windhoek or Skopje?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Skopje, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do childcare costs compare in Windhoek and in Skopje?
Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Windhoek and $351 in Skopje. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Windhoek or in Skopje?
Groceries cost about 7% more in Windhoek, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Windhoek or in Skopje?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Skopje, where all-in costs run around $1,117, than in Windhoek at $1,188. In Skopje it covers expenses comfortably, while in Windhoek it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Windhoek or Skopje?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Skopje costs $1,117 versus $1,188 in Windhoek. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
Should I move to Windhoek or to Skopje?
If budget matters most, go with Skopje. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Windhoek makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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