From May 1, the kindergartens in Skopje's Centar municipality become the most expensive in the city. The price jumps 47.6 percent - from 1,490 to 2,200 denars a month. That's a 710-denar difference. About 12 euros. For someone on an average salary, not catastrophic. For someone on minimum wage, it's a day without food.

Centar's municipal council voted the increase through at a recent session. The justification? Standard: "service costs", "rising expenses", "inflation". Nowhere - "consultation with parents". Nowhere - "analysis of the impact on low-income families".

Why Centar? Why does this particular municipality decide to be the "most expensive" in Skopje? Because Centar is home to higher layers of the middle class, who pay the difference without making noise. That's the logic. And it's a dishonest logic - because the kindergartens in Centar are also attended by children of parents who live in the area in less comfortable economic circumstances.

The Skopje kindergarten story isn't new. Over the last 10 years prices have been rising across every municipality. Karpoš, Aerodrom, Kisela Voda - all have had increases. But 47 percent in one move is a different order of magnitude. That isn't "adjusting for inflation". That's a political decision dressed up in financial rhetoric.

Alternatives exist, but few. Private kindergartens cost even more. Grandmothers and grandfathers aren't always available - many Macedonian parents live in nuclear families without close support. There's room for a real debate here: should the state subsidize local kindergartens, especially in lower-income zones?

In the end, the problem is one thing. When the price for one child in a kindergarten makes the difference between "we make it to the end of the month" and "we don't", that's not a financial question. It's a family one. And for that, there isn't a single economic expert who will explain to you the exact math in the budget of a young parent with two children.