Rents rise: 50 m² in Centar €450, total monthly rents €2.38 million in H1 2026

Agencies are offering a 50 m² apartment in Centar for €450 per month and a similar unit in Aerodrom for €350; a house suitable for residence appears with a €2,000 monthly rent, while a garage in the city centre is listed at 4,000 denars. Finding a rental apartment in Skopje, especially in the most sought-after municipalities, has become noticeably harder.

The total value of monthly rents registered nationwide reached €2.38 million in the first half of 2026 — an increase of 29.4% compared with the same period last year and 52.6% against H1 2024.

Growth driven by commercial space and apartments

Growth in rental income outpaced the rise in lease counts. In the first six months of 2026, 4,731 leases were registered, 56 more than in the same period of 2025 (an increase of 1.2%). Business premises and apartments contributed most to the higher total.

Monthly rents for business premises rose from €855,200 in 2024 to €1.05 million in 2025 and reached €1.54 million in the first half of 2026. Apartments showed a steady increase as well: total monthly apartment rents climbed from €299,300 in 2024 to €326,100 in 2025 and to €397,700 in 2026.

On the residential market the highest average monthly rent per square metre was recorded in Centar (396 denars/m²), followed by Aerodrom (378 denars/m²) and Karpoš (367 denars/m²). Centar also led in the number of apartment leases with 314, ahead of Aerodrom (242) and Karpoš (163), and registered the largest total monthly apartment rent amount — 8.33 million denars — and the greatest rented residential area, 21,847 m².

The fastest increases in the number of apartment leases were in Kumanovo (+75%), Aerodrom (+55%) and Shtip (+43%). For average rent per square metre the largest rises were in Prilep (+55%), Ohrid (+33%) and Kisela Voda (+14%). By contrast, average rents fell in Tetovo, Kumanovo and Gazi Baba.

Of the 4,731 leases in H1 2026, 1,954 concerned business premises (up 13.7% versus 2025) and 1,359 were apartments (up 6.3% year-on-year). Agricultural land and forests followed a different trend: after 902 leases in 2025, there were 604 in the first half of 2026, a drop of 33% though 25.6% higher than in 2024. House leases were almost unchanged (538 in 2025 to 544 in 2026), while garage leases rose sharply from 26 to 47 (an 80.8% increase).

Market turnover also expanded: the value of property sales reached €625.7 million in H1 2026, up 21.3% from the same period a year earlier (2025: €516 million; 2024: €446.9 million). Of 11,395 sales recorded in the first half, 3,746 were apartment sales and 3,703 were sales of agricultural land and forests; houses accounted for 1,424 sales and building plots for 1,366. Apartments represented by far the largest total value — €289.1 million.

Commercial property transactions rose sharply in value as well, increasing by 80.7% from €54.4 million in 2025 to €98.3 million in 2026. Individual high prices were reported too: one square metre in Kisela Voda reached €2,888, while a 45 m² apartment fetched €130,000.

Photo: ''Sloboden pechat'' - Dragan Mitreski