Living in Skopje, North Macedonia
Skopje is a mid-sized city in North Macedonia (250,000 to 1 million people in the city proper). It has a mild climate, averaging 14°C over the year with about 503 mm of rain. We estimate a couple needs about €2,377 a month to live centrally, and North Macedonia sits in our low to medium tax tier. For foreigners, long-term residency in North Macedonia is comparatively open.
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- Est. cost
- €2,377
- a month for a couple
- Tax tier
- Low to medium
- personal income tax
- Climate
- 14°C
- 503 mm rain a year
- Size
- Mid-sized
- 250,000 to 1 million people
- Safety
- 68/100
- country-level
- Internet
- ~40 Mbps
- median fixed broadband
- Residency
- Comparatively open
- for most foreigners
Limited data for North Macedonia. Figures for safety, healthcare and cost of living in North Macedonia are country-level estimates from World Bank indicators, each named with its year. We have no social openness figures for North Macedonia, so the quiz scores that factor conservatively and this page leaves it out.
Internet and remote work
Median fixed broadband in North Macedonia runs at about 40 Mbps, faster than 10% of the cities we compare.
Source: Ookla Speedtest Global Index, median fixed broadband download speed, country-level.
Climate
Skopje averages 14°C across the year with about 503 mm of rain, which makes it mild and dry. It is warmer than 26% of the 1225 cities we track, and it sits near the coast.
Source: Temperature from the Open-Meteo historical weather archive, daily means for 2019 to 2023; rainfall from TerraClimate (University of Idaho) 1991 to 2020 normals. Annual averages; monthly breakdowns are not in our dataset yet.
Cost of living
We estimate a couple needs about €2,377 a month to live centrally in Skopje, 13% below the €2,729 median across the 900 cities we compare. That makes it more affordable than 74% of them.
Source: OurNextCity model from the price level of GDP relative to the United States, from GDP per person in US dollars and at purchasing power parity (NY.GDP.PCAP.CD/NY.GDP.PCAP.PP.CD, 2025), calibrated to our country-level cost index (New York = 100) and scaled up for larger cities. An estimate for comparing cities, not a budget. Source: The World Bank (World Development Indicators, Worldwide Governance Indicators), CC BY 4.0.
Residency and visas
Comparatively open. Residency is readily obtained by forming or co-owning a company (or via employment or self-employment) with no labor-market test, and EU/OECD nationals also qualify via property purchase, but there is no fixed published income or capital gate for the open company/self-employment route.
For short visits, 80 of 198 passports can enter visa-free and 118 need a visa in advance.
Source: OurNextCity residency dataset, hand-reviewed approximations researched against published immigration rules. Not legal advice: check the official source before you apply. Short-stay entry from the passport-index dataset (ilyankou, MIT).
Healthcare
North Macedonia scores 62 out of 100 for healthcare, stronger than 31% of the cities we compare.
Source: Country-level estimate, the same for every city in North Macedonia: life expectancy at birth (SP.DYN.LE00.IN, 2024) and current health spending per person in US dollars (SH.XPD.CHEX.PC.CD, 2023), calibrated to the 0 to 100 scale of our reference tables. Source: The World Bank (World Development Indicators, Worldwide Governance Indicators), CC BY 4.0.
Language and culture
Main languages: Macedonian, Albanian. English proficiency: some.
Source: EF English Proficiency Index (country-level).
Safety and stability
North Macedonia scores 68 out of 100 on safety, safer than 61% of the cities we compare. Its EIU Democracy Index score is 6.0 out of 10.
Source: Country-level estimate, the same for every city in North Macedonia: country-level homicide rate per 100,000 people (VC.IHR.PSRC.P5, 2023) and Worldwide Governance Indicators Political Stability and Absence of Violence estimate (GOV_WGI_PV.EST, 2025), calibrated to the 0 to 100 scale of our reference tables (higher is safer). Stability: EIU Democracy Index. Source: The World Bank (World Development Indicators, Worldwide Governance Indicators), CC BY 4.0.
Taxes
North Macedonia sits in our low to medium tax tier: moderate personal income tax. We use three tiers (zero or very low, low to medium, high) and apply them to every city in the country.
Taxes are a dealbreaker filter in OurNextCity: a couple who caps tax at zero or very low will not see Skopje in their results.
Source: OurNextCity tax tiers, assigned by hand from each country's top marginal personal income tax rate and overall tax reputation, with no fixed rate cut-offs. Country-level and coarse by design; not tax advice.
Questions couples ask about Skopje
Is Skopje a good place to live for couples?
It depends on what the two of you weigh most. Compared with the other cities we track, Skopje scores well on affordability and English. It is weaker on internet speed. Our figures for North Macedonia are partial: no social openness data, and country-level World Bank estimates for safety, healthcare and cost of living. Expect a mild, dry climate (14°C average). OurNextCity has each partner answer 12 questions privately, then ranks Skopje and 914 other cities for both of you at once.
How much does it cost a couple to live in Skopje?
We estimate about €2,377 a month for a couple living centrally, 13% below the €2,729 median across the cities we compare. It is a model estimate from the World Bank price level of GDP for North Macedonia, calibrated to our country-level cost index adjusted for city size, so use it to compare cities rather than to set a budget.
What are taxes like in Skopje?
North Macedonia is in our low to medium tax tier (moderate personal income tax). Tiers are country-level and deliberately coarse: zero or very low, low to medium, and high. Couples who make zero or very low tax a must-have will not see Skopje in their results.
Can foreigners live in North Macedonia long term?
Our assessment: comparatively open. Residency is readily obtained by forming or co-owning a company (or via employment or self-employment) with no labor-market test, and EU/OECD nationals also qualify via property purchase, but there is no fixed published income or capital gate for the open company/self-employment route.
What is the weather like in Skopje?
Skopje averages 14°C across the year with about 503 mm of rain, which makes it mild and dry. It is warmer than 26% of the cities we track.
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