Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yekaterinburg and Skopje

For one person, living is cheaper in Skopje: $1,117 a month against $1,369 in Yekaterinburg, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Yekaterinburg
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Yekaterinburg Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Skopje
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Skopje Living Index

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Yekaterinburg

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,369

/mo nomad

Skopje

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$1,117

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,369 per month in Yekaterinburg vs $1,117 in Skopje, rent included.

Yekaterinburg $1,369
Skopje $1,117

A couple spends around $2,228 per month in Yekaterinburg vs $1,654 in Skopje, rent included.

Yekaterinburg $2,228
Skopje $1,654

A family of three spends $3,088 per month in Yekaterinburg vs $2,191 in Skopje, rent included.

Yekaterinburg $3,088
Skopje $2,191

Yekaterinburg costs about 23% more than Skopje, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Yekaterinburg sits 1% above the global median, while Skopje is 17% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.53 ₽1,046

$9.29 MKD 507

34.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.9 ₽4,498

$34.04 MKD 1,857

58.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.82 ₽486

$6.28 MKD 343

-7.32%

Cappuccino

$2.33 ₽195

$2.05 MKD 112

13.66%

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

$1.24 ₽104

$1.84 MKD 101

-32.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ₽31.27

$1.31 MKD 71.3

-71.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.29 ₽191

$2.67 MKD 146

-14.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 ₽256

$3.11 MKD 170

-1.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 ₽94.9

$1.22 MKD 66.7

-6.56%

White Bread (500g)

$0.71 ₽59.3

$0.74 MKD 40.54

-4.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 ₽99.0

$1.75 MKD 95.5

-32.00%

Eggs

$1.69 ₽141

$2.40 MKD 131

-29.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.11 ₽928

$8.16 MKD 445

36.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.18 ₽432

$7.43 MKD 405

-30.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.43 ₽1,121

$14.85 MKD 810

-9.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 ₽171

$1.43 MKD 78.1

43.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 ₽145

$1.44 MKD 78.5

20.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.46 ₽122

$1.37 MKD 74.6

6.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.66 ₽222

$1.90 MKD 103

40.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₽55.8

$0.89 MKD 48.32

-24.72%

Onion (1kg)

$0.58 ₽48.80

$0.84 MKD 46.04

-30.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 ₽124

$0.63 MKD 34.61

136.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 ₽76.1

$0.55 MKD 29.98

65.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.42 ₽285

$3.40 MKD 185

0.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.29 ₽609

$7.47 MKD 407

-2.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 ₽119

$1.01 MKD 55.2

41.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 ₽209

$1.43 MKD 78.3

75.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 ₽43.02

$0.76 MKD 41.68

-31.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.69 ₽1,477

$27.14 MKD 1,480

-34.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.15 ₽346

$1.11 MKD 60.3

273.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.19 ₽15.64

$0.61 MKD 33.03

-68.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.21 ₽351

$7.55 MKD 412

-44.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 ₽71.9

$1.56 MKD 85.0

-44.87%

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

$36.1K ₽3.0M

$34.9K MKD 1.9M

3.40%

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

$28.5K ₽2.4M

$27.3K MKD 1.5M

4.29%

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

$120 ₽10.0K

$154 MKD 8,393

-21.99%

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

$5.81 ₽485

$18.77 MKD 1,024

-69.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.93 ₽996

$18.72 MKD 1,021

-36.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.24 ₽3,609

$38.00 MKD 2,073

13.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.43 ₽3,040

$17.14 MKD 935

112.54%

Cinema Ticket

$7.22 ₽603

$7.24 MKD 395

-0.28%

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

$350 ₽29.2K

$351 MKD 19.1K

-0.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,645 ₽304.2K

$5,732 MKD 312.7K

-36.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$133 ₽11.1K

$85.6 MKD 4,671

55.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$105 ₽8,738

$37.04 MKD 2,020

182.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$237 ₽19.8K

$101 MKD 5,498

135.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$170 ₽14.2K

$113 MKD 6,150

50.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$767 ₽64.0K

$422 MKD 23.0K

81.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$472 ₽39.4K

$328 MKD 17.9K

44.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,263 ₽105.4K

$721 MKD 39.3K

75.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$976 ₽81.5K

$487 MKD 26.6K

100.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,455 ₽204.9K

$2,700 MKD 147.3K

-9.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,672 ₽139.6K

$1,811 MKD 98.8K

-7.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$980 ₽81.8K

$876 MKD 47.8K

11.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

22.22

4.23

425.30%

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

Last update for Yekaterinburg: October 12, 2026

Last update for Skopje: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Yekaterinburg

$472 34.5%

Skopje

$328 29.4% 30.6% $145

Clothing & Footwear

Yekaterinburg

$290 21.2%

Skopje

$151 13.6% 47.9% $139

Groceries & Markets

Yekaterinburg

$216 15.8%

Skopje

$210 18.8% 3% $6.6

Eating Out

Yekaterinburg

$170 12.4%

Skopje

$150 13.4% 11.7% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yekaterinburg

$138 10.1%

Skopje

$191 17.1% 38.9% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Yekaterinburg

$58 4.2%

Skopje

$52 4.7% 9% $5.2

Getting Around

Yekaterinburg

$25 1.8%

Skopje

$34 3.1% 38.2% $9.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $767 in Yekaterinburg 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 12% higher in Yekaterinburg, 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 $54.0 in Yekaterinburg versus $34.00 in Skopje. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $216 vs $210 – making Skopje the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Yekaterinburg

🇲🇰 Skopje

🕒 Local time

11:10 11:10 AM

08:10 8:10 AM

3 h behind Yekaterinburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,495,066

422,540 Capital

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

100 MKD = 1.83 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MKD, USD, EUR to RUB – Russian Ruble Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇺 Russian Ruble (₽)

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 54.55 MKD (100 MKD = 1.83 USD). 1 EUR = 61.33 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

USD to RUB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Yekaterinburg Skopje 3,220 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Yekaterinburg
Skopje

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Yekaterinburg vs Skopje: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yekaterinburg costs about 23% more than Skopje, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,053 per month in Yekaterinburg 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 Skopje, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $350 per month in Yekaterinburg 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 3% more in Yekaterinburg, 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 Skopje, where all-in costs run around $1,117, than in Yekaterinburg at $1,369. In Skopje it covers expenses comfortably, while in Yekaterinburg it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Skopje costs $1,117 versus $1,369 in Yekaterinburg. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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