Fuel Prices in North Macedonia: What You Pay at the Pump
Drivers in North Macedonia currently pay about $1.551 per liter for gasoline, which works out to roughly $5.87 per US gallon. In local terms that is around 83.96 MKD per liter. Diesel is a touch cheaper at $1.486 per liter. Those figures put the country just above the global average of $1.484 per liter, ranking it 96th out of 170 countries surveyed — squarely in the middle of the pack, and noticeably below most of its EU neighbors.
Why Are Macedonian Fuel Prices Where They Are?
North Macedonia is not an oil producer. It imports essentially all of its crude and refined product, so the wholesale cost of fuel tracks international Brent and Mediterranean refining margins almost one-for-one. When global oil rises, Skopje feels it quickly.
The bigger story, though, is tax and regulation. A large share of every liter is excise duty plus 18% VAT. Crucially, North Macedonia operates a regulated price ceiling: the national Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) reviews and sets maximum retail fuel prices on a regular cycle, smoothing out the spikes that hit fully liberalized markets. That regulatory cushion is a big reason pump prices here stay closer to the world average than to the $1.80–$2.00+ levels common across the eurozone.
Currency matters too. The Macedonian denar (MKD) is pegged in practice to the euro, so the country effectively imports the euro's exchange rate against the US dollar. When the dollar strengthens against the euro, dollar-denominated crude becomes more expensive for Macedonian importers even if the barrel price hasn't moved — and that pressure feeds straight into the regulated ceiling.
The Ten-Year Trend
Looking at the history from July 2016 to June 2026 tells the real tale. The average price over that decade was $1.34 per liter. The cheapest fuel ever recorded was $0.887 per liter on 6 April 2020 — the depths of the COVID-19 demand collapse, when global crude briefly went negative. The peak was $2.06 per liter on 13 June 2022, during the energy shock that followed Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Today's $1.551 sits comfortably between those extremes and above the ten-year average, signaling that prices have settled into an elevated-but-stable band rather than returning to the cheap pre-2022 era. The roughly 2.3x gap between the all-time low and high also shows how exposed an import-dependent, price-regulated economy remains to outside shocks — the ceiling slows the climb but cannot prevent it.
How North Macedonia Compares
At rank 96 of 170, North Macedonia is cheaper than virtually all of Western Europe but pricier than many oil-exporting and heavily subsidized nations. For perspective, browse our world fuel prices hub, or compare against landlocked, import-reliant Mongolia. Island economies tell a different story: see how logistics inflate costs in Curacao and Dominica, or how an African importer like Tanzania stacks up.
FAQ
How much does gas cost in North Macedonia right now?
Gasoline costs about $1.551 per liter (roughly $5.87 per US gallon, or 83.96 MKD per liter). Diesel is slightly cheaper at $1.486 per liter. These are regulated retail pump prices and can change when the Energy Regulatory Commission updates its ceiling.
Why is fuel in North Macedonia cheaper than in the EU?
North Macedonia uses a government-regulated price ceiling and applies somewhat lower combined taxes than most eurozone members. It still imports all its fuel, but the regulated cap keeps retail prices near the global average of $1.484 per liter rather than the higher EU levels.
Has fuel ever been more expensive in North Macedonia?
Yes. The all-time high was $2.06 per liter on 13 June 2022, during the post-invasion energy crisis. The record low was $0.887 per liter on 6 April 2020 amid the pandemic demand crash. The decade-long average is $1.34 per liter.