Pros and Cons of Living in Macedonia

Whether you’re considering living in Macedonia or are just plain curious about what it’s like to live here, this comprehensive guide will provide you with valuable insights.

Located in Southeast Europe, Macedonia is a landlocked country bordered by Bulgaria to the east, Albania to the west, Greece to the south, and Serbia and Kosovo to the north. Its strategic location as well as its welcoming people, charming landscapes, and affordable cost of living, make Macedonia an attractive option to move to. Like any other destination though, it’s important to look at both pros and cons of living in Macedonia, and that’s what this article is going to do below.

Pros

1. Low Cost of Living

According to crowd-sourced data gathered by Numbeo, Macedonia’s cost of living index is 36.8 (lowest being 29.8, highest 133.2 – at the time of writing) – one of the lowest in Europe. Putting accuracy and methodology aside, that number gives us an idea of how cheap it is to live there compared to other countries in the region. 

Although many countries are affected by the recent cost-of-living crisis, goods and services are still relatively affordable in Macedonia. You can see the latest market, transport, and rent prices below:

1.1 Supermarket Prices in Macedonia

If you go to their local wet market called the pazar (пазар), the prices for fruits and vegetables would be cheaper, especially if they’re in season. The same goes for the prices of the poultry. 

Eating at family restaurants or what they call a kafana (кафана), and a full plate that includes potatoes, meat, and a few vegetables on the side would cost about MKD 300 ($4.88) on average.

1.2 Transport costs in Macedonia

The prices of tickets when taking a bus within Skopje city varies depending on the type of payment method you use. For example, if you use the transport city card called Skopska, one bus ride would cost MKD 35 ($0.61 or €0.57). If you pay using your mobile phone (video here), it will cost you an additional MKD 5, and if you pay via the paper ticket as you ride the bus, it will cost about MKD 50. You can find more information in their official price list here (Macedonian only). Taxi meters usually start at MKD 60 ($1.05). It charges MKD 35 ($0.61) per kilometer. 

1.3 Rent in Macedonia

Monthly rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Skopje costs about MKD 15,000+ (equivalent to $268 or €250), and a two-bedroom apartment for about MKD 21,500+ (equivalent to $376 or €350). Naturally, these prices would all depend on the location, the size, and the newness of the apartment.

To put that in perspective, renting a one-bedroom apartment in Granada, Spain can cost €550, and starts at €660 in Frankfurt, Germany. I randomly selected these cities and I listed down the cheapest ones I found on this site.

2. Low Personal Income Tax in Macedonia

Unknown to many, Macedonia is one of the countries with the lowest personal income tax rates in Europe. Foreign-sourced income taxes are capped at only 10% no matter how much you earn. It’s important to note that these favorable tax conditions apply specifically to residents of Macedonia who work for companies not registered within the country. If you want to learn more about the topic, check out our guide on how to pay your personal income tax in Macedonia. 

Low personal income tax rates plus the affordable cost of living in Macedonia, make it a favorable environment among digital nomads, freelancers, and contractors.

3. Great Food

One thing I thoroughly enjoy in Macedonia is eating. And what makes their food stand out from other European countries is that it has rich gastronomic influences from the Balkans, Mediterranean, and the Middle East.

Macedonian restaurants today typically serve grilled meat, burgers, pastas, and pizza, and it’s hard to find ones that serve traditional Macedonian food. If you’re looking for a restaurant that serves traditional Macedonian food, you can go to Makedonska Kuka. But usually, you’ll be able to find traditional dishes cooked within households, some of them include:

Macedonian breakfasts typically consist of a combination of some type of savory phyllo pastries like Zelnik (cabbage pie) or Burek (meat pie), accompanied by yogurt. For homemade lunch and dinner, it is customary to enjoy a salad alongside Mandza (a flavorful stew).

4. Amazing Landscapes

Unknown to many, Macedonia is actually one of the most mountainous countries in the world. The country is blessed with vast areas of pristine landscapes, largely untouched by heavy human development. From majestic peaks to crystal-clear lakes, the country provides ample opportunities for both locals and tourists to do outdoor activities such as hiking, skiing, kayaking, or swimming.

5. People are Warm

It’s common to find Macedonians giving each other big hugs and warm, friendly, cheek-to-cheek kisses when a specific group of friends meet. They also love to communicate over meals and coffee. In fact, many people who have heard Macedonians converse mistakenly perceive their discussions as quarrels or disagreements. But their language is just actually spoken with passion and that permeates the way they interact with people.

Cons: 

While living in Macedonia presents numerous advantages, in this section, I will share some of the drawbacks I’ve encountered in the country.

1. Transport info are not easily available

Commuting by train in Macedonia is only possible if you’d want to go to bigger cities. Regional trains pass through three main routes:

• Skopje – Veles – Gevgelija
• Skopje – Veles – Prilep – Bitola
• Skopje – Kumanovo – Tabanovci

If you want to go from one place to another within a city, you’re left to choose among buses, taxis, bicycles, or your own vehicle. However, taking the buses for example, is complicated for foreigners because the information available online is very limited. 

Timetables, ticket fares, signs, and announcements are all written in Macedonian, and if there are any, documented information is usually incomplete or outdated.

The public transport app is also only available within Skopje, and is poorly rated in Google Play. If you live within the smaller cities, you need to ask the locals what the bus schedules are and which stops they go at.  

If you opt to take a taxi, there are no apps such as Uber or Grab in Macedonia, and transport apps used for the bigger cities might be unusable for smaller ones. For example, in Skopje Cammeo is the most popular taxi app, however, people in Bitola  use Taxi Tea Bitola and is only available to download via Google Play. 

2. Lack of Variety

Since I moved to Macedonia, there were a lot of things that I wished I could buy and eat whenever I want, but they were not easily available within the country. You need to know the language and to have a certain degree of research skills in Google and in Social Media in order to find some of the things you’re looking for.

2.1 Limited Culinary Diversity

In terms of cuisines, there is hardly any variety. As mentioned, the majority of the restaurants these days serve pizza, pasta, hamburgers, grilled meat, salads, and desserts. There are very few Chinese and Japanese restaurants in Skopje but no other Asian cuisines. To date, I haven’t found any Indian, Korean, Vietnamese, or Thai restaurants in Maceodnia.

Even though fish like carp and trout are available in some specialty shops in Macedonia, seafood is not a staple of the Macedonian core diet. Yes, you can find frozen things like shrimps, mussel meat, and squid in the supermarkets, but as far as I know, there aren’t any marine delicacies such as scallops, eel, crab, octopus, and the like, available.

2.2 Limited Product Selection

This limitation extends to various consumer goods, international cuisine ingredients, or even specific electronic devices. Foreigners accustomed to a wide range of choices might find themselves missing familiar brands or niche items. If you want English books for example, the selection in many of the bookstores in the country won’t have a lot. There’s also no Amazon or e-commerce store alternative that sells (a lot of) English books online.

Akademska Kniga, a bookstore in Skopje, is probably the biggest one that sells a variety of English books. But then again their website is not optimized for online shopping, and they don’t have branches is other cities like Bitola or Ohrid.

I guess Macedonia not being in the EU makes it difficult for businesses to open here since they operate using a different set of regulations.

3. Poor Air Quality in Winter

Last December 2022, IQAir, an air quality technology company based in Switzerland, ranked Skopje as the third most polluted city in the world. While the city doesn’t top the charts yearly, you can find the country year in, year out in the media belonging to the list of countries most affected by pollution. Living in Macedonia, regardless of which city, can be frustrating during winter because of the lack of good quality residents who use low-quality wood and coal to heat their homes

4. Language Barrier

One more reason that makes living in Macedonia tough is that a lot of the infrastructure and public services are poorly documented, and if there is some information, they’re only written in Macedonian. 

Simple procedures such as how to renew your residence permit, how to renew your driver’s license are things that I should be doing on my own. However, since there is a lack of information on how to do this by myself online, I need someone who speaks, reads, and writes the language at a native level, to help me with the procedures.

Other Considerations:

Of course, it’s not just the cost of living in Macedonia that you should consider when you’re thinking of relocating. If you’re starting a family, most especially, you need to consider the Healthcare, Safety, and the Education system of the country as well. Those two factors will be discussed in a future post, but for now I hope this post has given you an idea about the pros and cons of living Macedonia. 

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