Moving to Saudi Arabia from Macedonia
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Macedonia to Saudi Arabia — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Macedonia to Saudi Arabia, you would find that Saudi Arabia is 67.6% more expensive than Macedonia overall. A MKD4,040,579 salary in Macedonia would need to be roughly SAR356,117 in Saudi Arabia to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Arabic. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Riyadh averages 92°F vs 65°F in Skopje, making it significantly warmer.
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How your spending power changes when you relocate from Macedonia to Saudi Arabia.
What does your salary buy?
MKD4,040,579 → SAR356,117
To maintain the same standard of living in Saudi Arabia
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 18.8% less
Groceries
pay 31.7% more
Transportation
pay 44.2% more
Housing
pay 2.2 times more
Childcare
pay 2.5 times more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 2.4 times more
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
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Key Indicator Comparison
How Macedonia and Saudi Arabia stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Macedonia generally does better on safety, though Saudi Arabia leads in homicide rate.
How's the healthcare?
annual government + private spending per person
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
share of adults with obesity
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
Macedonia generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Saudi Arabia leads in doctors per 10,000 people.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Macedonia performs better than Saudi Arabia across all environment metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
annual consumption — reflects grid capacity
share of households with internet
Saudi Arabia generally does better on infrastructure, though Macedonia leads in water stress level.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
the highest marginal rate on personal income
Saudi Arabia performs significantly better than Macedonia across all employment & economy metrics.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
percentage of adults who can read and write
Macedonia performs better than Saudi Arabia across all family life metrics.
Data: Public Revenue Office, The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators, World Bank
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Skopje | Riyadh |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 47°/30°F (9°/-1°C) | 75°/50°F (24°/10°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 74°/49°F (23°/9°C) | 101°/72°F (38°/22°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 84°/57°F (29°/14°C) | 109°/77°F (43°/25°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 54°/35°F (12°/2°C) | 84°/56°F (29°/13°C) |
View all months
| Month | Skopje | Riyadh |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39°/26°F (4.0°/-3.6°C) | 68°/44°F (20.1°/6.9°C) |
| Feb | 47°/30°F (8.4°/-1.3°C) | 74°/49°F (23.3°/9.3°C) |
| Mar | 56°/35°F (13.6°/1.9°C) | 82°/56°F (27.7°/13.2°C) |
| Apr | 65°/42°F (18.6°/5.4°C) | 92°/65°F (33.3°/18.4°C) |
| May | 75°/50°F (23.9°/10.0°C) | 103°/74°F (39.4°/23.4°C) |
| Jun | 81°/55°F (27.4°/13.0°C) | 109°/78°F (42.6°/25.3°C) |
| Jul | 86°/59°F (29.8°/14.8°C) | 111°/80°F (43.7°/26.4°C) |
| Aug | 86°/58°F (30.0°/14.6°C) | 111°/79°F (43.7°/26.3°C) |
| Sep | 79°/53°F (26.1°/11.4°C) | 105°/73°F (40.6°/22.9°C) |
| Oct | 67°/43°F (19.5°/6.3°C) | 96°/65°F (35.5°/18.2°C) |
| Nov | 52°/35°F (11.2°/1.4°C) | 83°/56°F (28.1°/13.3°C) |
| Dec | 42°/28°F (5.3°/-2.2°C) | 72°/47°F (22.1°/8.4°C) |
Data:
HydroMeteorological Service of Republic of North Macedonia,
National Center for Meteorology
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Macedonia and Saudi Arabia. To live, work, or study long-term in Saudi Arabia, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Saudi Arabia's immigration authority.
Macedonia passport holder visiting Saudi Arabia
Visa Required
Saudi Arabia passport holder visiting Macedonia
Visa RequiredData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Saudi Arabia than Macedonia?
Day-to-day costs in Saudi Arabia run about 26% higher than Macedonia on average; specific cities can swing further.
How much money do I need to move to Saudi Arabia?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a MKD4,040,579 comparable salary, that's around SAR89,029 in Saudi Arabia for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Saudi Arabia?
With 37.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Saudi Arabia can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Macedonia and Saudi Arabia.
Is Saudi Arabia safe for expats?
Macedonia generally does better on safety, though Saudi Arabia leads in homicide rate. The homicide rate in Saudi Arabia is 0.8 per 100,000 people, compared to 0.9 in Macedonia.
How is healthcare in Saudi Arabia compared to Macedonia?
Macedonia generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Saudi Arabia leads in doctors per 10,000 people. There are 30.8 doctors per 10,000 people in Saudi Arabia, compared to 29.6 in Macedonia. Saudi Arabia scores 74 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Macedonia: 74).
What's the weather like in Saudi Arabia compared to Macedonia?
The average high temperature in Riyadh is 92°F, compared to 65°F in Skopje. Riyadh receives around 4.4 in of rainfall per year, while Skopje gets 19.8 in.
What language do they speak in Saudi Arabia?
The official language in Saudi Arabia is Arabic. In Macedonia, the official language is Macedonian.
