Skopje cost of living – How much money do you acctualy need? At one occasion Skopje came out on the cover page of National Geographic Magazine as one of 100 places in the world that will change your life, and strangely it happened to me. Due to the circumstances two years ago we moved from Kyiv to Skopje, and somehow I left my corporate job to become entrepreneur – didn’t had any plans to do that, it just happened.
For me personally there were several main reasons to make a base here; a very much alive real estate market, super welcoming and hospitable community, and the enormous potential of this country. Affordable cost of living, and some additional factors that we will explore in this article.
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Skopje Cost of Living (Breakdown)
The main question here probably is whether Skopje is cheap or expensive, Skopje is forth European Capital that I have lived in, and I have visited at least 40 others throughout my life, and let me tell you one thing;
The monthly amount of money that your lifestyle needs will all depend on your personal preferences, however regardless if you like extravagant lifestyles, or you really want to stretch your budget, Skopje is here to help you to do that with lowest cost compared to the rest of the European Capitals.If we compare how much money you will spend to live in Skopje with the quality of life that you will pay for it – Skopje just might be one of the champions of Europe. Let’s see why.
Housing Cost
Utility bills are about 60 to 150€ per month depending on the type of heating and the size of the apartment. Monthly rentals can vary, for one bedroom apartments that are a bit far from the city center you will need 400 euros or more, while centrally located apartments with one bedroom will cost you from 500 to 800 euros.
Centrally located two bedroom apartment will cost you around 600 to 1200 euros, while something that is outside of the city center will cost you around 500-700 euros.
The price will hughley depend on the location of the apartment and the condition of the apartment. They can be even 20 to 30% cheaper, however those properties will be old and will have significant marks of usage – we are pointing the prices for new apartments.
Please read our article The Best Neighborhoods to Rent Apartment in Skopje where we have in-depth information about each location and prices.
Restaurant Prices
Plenty of restaurant options in Skopje. From an international cuisine restaurant, to the most popular type of restaurant in Macedonian, a traditional restaurant called “Kafana”. Macedonias adore those, and you should too. Macedonian cuisine is all about meat, and it’s almost completely focused on barbecued meat. There will be no problem for you regardless of your taste to find a nice place to eat, and it will not cost much.
A coffee will cost you from 1.5€ to 2€, it’s the same for sodas and mineral water. Launch or dinner for two should be around 20 to 50€ depending on the establishment. Drinks can cost from about 1.5 to 2€ for beer, 3-5 for whisky and from 10€ for a bottle of wine.
Entertaiment
There is a lot of things that you can do in Skopje;
Bicycle driving, an extremely popular hobby in Skopje. I sometimes have a feeling that everyone is doing it here. The most popular route is from the city to Vodno hill (Hill that is overlooking Skopje)..
Another thing that you can do on Vodno, is paragliding, from there to the city.
You can also go for a cart drive, or kayaking in the canyon of Matka that is just 15 minutes drive from Skopje.
Macedonia is also a big wine manufacturer, there are several beautiful wineries around Skopje or not far from Skopje which are ideal for weekend wine tours.
Exploring the cultural heritage of Macedonia by visiting churches and monasteries, there are plenty of them, very old ones. In one of the monasteries, called Bigorski there is a legend that in the foundation of the monastery part of the cross on which Jesus was crucified has been built in.
Skopje is also the place of birth of Mother Teresa. Few people will know that the great reformer of the Turkish Republic from the beginning of the 20th century Mustafa Kemal Atatürk attended and finished high school in Macedonia, in Bitola.
Healthcare
Public healthcare in Macedonia is free, and there are plenty of private clinics with more than reasonable prices compared to the rest of Europe.
Groceries
Meat is between 7 to 9€, bread around 1$ or less, rice about 2€, vegetables from 20-30 cents to a couple of euros, fruits around a couple of euros, and exotic ones depending on the season can be 4-5€, you get the picture. If you are using specialized stores these prices can go 50% up.
You can also save additionally by buying on the city’s main green market, and not only that you will save there, you can actually find products that actually have the real taste, not supermarket carton taste, but the real taste of real small farmer product. There are not many places in Europe that can offer that, most of them will call it organic, here is just a simple domestic product from a small farm.
You might want to avoid smaller green markets, pricing and quality in most of the cases do not keep up, although sometimes you can find small farmers there as well. Here is the question how persistent you will be in your pursuit.
Education
Public schools are free, University fees are among the lowest in Europe. There are also several private schools and Universities.
Clothing
Like in any mall in Europe, you will see pretty much the same brands here as well. It looks to me that prices are a bit higher, and that the quality is a bit downsized, but that is my personal opinion.
Transportation
Public transport is supercheap and I am not sure you will need it, diesel fuel is about 1,3€ per liter. For example, a taxi ride from my apartment to the office, about a 3.5 km drive, is less than 3 euros. Be aware of taxi drivers, like in any other city some of them can be tricky sometimes. Be sure to always ask for the price before you get in. There are no Uber or Bolt or similar apps in Skopje at the moment.
Is Skopje Cheaper Than the Neighboring Capitals?
I have lived in Belgrade for many years, I am frequently visiting Athens, and I am no stranger to Sofia and Tirana – the most simple answer would be yes, by a landslide.
Skopje vs Tirana vs Sofia
Tirana might be just a little bit more expensive than Skopje, not a big difference for sure. Same goes for Sofia, Bulgaria as well. Albanianas are super welcoming people, just as much as Macedonians are, it just might take a while to get used to their food, when it comes to Bulgaria as for me personally after many visits I still didn’t manage to get used to their food. Keep in mind this is my personal opinion and it might be subjective.
Skopje vs Belgrade
In recent years the capital of Serbia became quite an expensive place for living, and Skopje is definitely significantly more affordable for living. You will probably need about twice less money to live in Skopje than in Belgrade.
Skopje vs Athens
Same goes for Athens, Athens is one of the biggest tourist centers in Europe and rent prices can go quite crazy. For an apartment that will cost you in Skopje around 600 euros, you will probably have to pay around 1500 euros in Athens. Pretty much similar situations like in Belgrade, maybe with some small difference.
How Safe is Skopje?
Skopje is one of the safest cities in Europe, you can walk around the city at any time. You should be more afraid of crossing streets than being robbed (People here kind of drive not so carefully, green, yellow and red light can be at any color as they please in some cases.). Keep your eye on the traffic and forget about everything else. Macedonians are very peaceful and nonviolent people. Although you may want to avoid the north part of the city because it might not be a perfectly safe place. Here is a US travel advisory article about Macedonia.
Skopje Apartments for Rent and Sale
As we came to the conclusion that Skopje is quite affordable for fiving and quite safe, the rental and sale prices are following this trend too.
In case you are looking to rent, prices will go anywhere from 500 to 1200 euros for an apartment, and from around 1500 euros to 3000 euros for a house. For more detailed information, please read our article Skopje Top Neighborhoods to Rent an Apartment where I am breaking down each popular neighborhood of Skopje and I write in details about pricing.
When it comes to apartments for sale in Skopje, we have an article Top Neighborhoods of Skopje to Buy an Apartment. Apartment is Skopje should cost anywhere from 1500 to 3000 euros per square meter.
In case you know what you want, please visit our pages of available Apartments for Rent in Skopje, and available Apartments for Sale in Skopje where you will find all the current listings that we have to offer at the moment.
So How Much Money do You Need to Live in Skopje?
When it comes to affordability, Skopje is the clear winner of affordability among European capitals. Partner that with a welcoming community, peaceful way of life, add to that, some of the most beautiful beaches of Greece are just 3 hours away from Skopje, and if we compare cost of living and what you will get for the amount paid, Skopje just might be the best solution for you to settle in the South East part of Europe.
See you in Skopje!
Ivan Radisavcevic
SQUARE – CEO
