Skopje has the lowest average rent among European capitals - around 470 euros for a two-room flat, according to a Eurostat study covering 40 European cities in the second half of 2025. Behind it is Pristina at 520 euros.

At the other end of the list is London at an astonishing 3,050 euros a month, followed by Dublin and Stockholm at 2,650 each, Oslo at 2,550, Paris at 2,500 and Berlin at 1,750 euros. The study covers unfurnished flats in good condition, excluding utilities.

At first glance, news to be proud of - the cheapest living on the continent. But the number lies unless you put another one next to it: the salary. A rent of 470 euros is „low“ only until you compare it to the Macedonian average wage, which is far below the Western European one.

A Londoner paying 3,050 euros earns incomparably more than a Skopje resident paying 470. The question isn't how much the flat costs, but how much of the salary goes to it. And by that measure - the ratio of rent to earnings - Skopje is no longer the cheapest city, just one more where a roof over your head swallows an ever larger share of the monthly income.