Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bitola and George Town, Malaysia

For one person, living is cheaper in Bitola: $859 a month against $952 in George Town, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Bitola
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Bitola Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in George Town
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George Town Living Index

Jump to prices

Bitola

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$859

/mo nomad

George Town

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$952

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bitola and in George Town

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Bitola and in George Town actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Bitola versus $952 in George Town.

Bitola $859
George Town $952

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,289 in Bitola versus $1,558 in George Town.

Bitola $1,289
George Town $1,558

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,718 in Bitola versus $2,164 in George Town.

Bitola $1,718
George Town $2,164

Living in Bitola costs roughly 10% less than in George Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bitola 37% lower, George Town 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.23 MKD 287

$3.46 MYR 14.02

51.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.77 MKD 1,472

$15.45 MYR 62.7

73.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.04 MKD 277

$4.68 MYR 18.98

7.69%

Cappuccino

$1.96 MKD 108

$2.75 MYR 11.16

-28.73%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 MKD 93.9

$0.70 MYR 2.85

144.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 MKD 80.3

$0.35 MYR 1.42

317.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 MKD 119

$2.47 MYR 10.04

-12.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 MKD 144

$4.42 MYR 17.95

-40.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 MKD 75.7

$1.87 MYR 7.59

-26.20%

White Bread (500g)

$0.66 MKD 36.57

$1.05 MYR 4.26

-37.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 MKD 94.7

$1.73 MYR 7.02

-0.58%

Eggs

$1.98 MKD 109

$2.22 MYR 9.00

-10.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.93 MKD 546

$13.65 MYR 55.4

-27.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.81 MKD 375

$4.48 MYR 18.16

52.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.08 MKD 719

$8.70 MYR 35.28

50.34%

Apples (1kg)

$1.01 MKD 55.4

$2.34 MYR 9.48

-56.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 MKD 76.6

$1.46 MYR 5.91

-4.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.24 MKD 68.1

$2.22 MYR 9.01

-44.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 MKD 87.4

$1.20 MYR 4.87

32.50%

Potato (1kg)

$0.91 MKD 49.82

$0.92 MYR 3.72

-1.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 MKD 73.6

$0.85 MYR 3.46

57.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.53 MKD 28.91

$0.74 MYR 3.02

-28.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 MKD 27.30

$0.59 MYR 2.38

-15.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.30 MKD 181

$4.58 MYR 18.56

-27.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 MKD 333

$18.84 MYR 76.4

-67.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 MKD 49.92

$2.41 MYR 9.78

-62.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 MKD 101

$3.56 MYR 14.46

-48.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 MKD 29.49

$0.47 MYR 1.93

14.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.24 MKD 893

$12.01 MYR 48.74

35.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.08 MKD 59.3

$1.23 MYR 5.00

-12.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 MKD 31.35

$0.51 MYR 2.05

11.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.32 MKD 348

$6.53 MYR 26.51

-3.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 MKD 82.4

$0.82 MYR 3.34

82.93%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$30.9K MKD 1.7M

$45.5K MYR 184.8K

-32.21%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$32.4K MKD 1.8M

$34.6K MYR 140.5K

-6.54%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$148 MKD 8,113

$36.85 MYR 149

300.27%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$14.08 MKD 774

$8.05 MYR 32.65

74.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.62 MKD 694

$28.38 MYR 115

-55.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.16 MKD 1,219

$40.35 MYR 164

-45.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.43 MKD 354

$5.03 MYR 20.40

27.83%

Cinema Ticket

$4.57 MKD 252

$4.52 MYR 18.32

1.11%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$211 MKD 11.6K

$168 MYR 684

25.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,167 MKD 64.2K

$4,958 MYR 20.1K

-76.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.3 MKD 4,198

$53.2 MYR 216

43.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.27 MKD 2,545

$34.86 MYR 141

32.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.3 MKD 4,029

$73.5 MYR 298

-0.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 MKD 6,088

$70.8 MYR 287

56.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$260 MKD 14.3K

$709 MYR 2,876

-63.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$185 MKD 10.2K

$366 MYR 1,486

-49.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$396 MKD 21.8K

$1,104 MYR 4,478

-64.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$293 MKD 16.1K

$904 MYR 3,669

-67.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,709 MKD 94.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,142 MKD 62.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$750 MKD 41.3K

$1,057 MYR 4,288

-29.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

4.04

59.65%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Bitola: October 26, 2026

Last update for George Town: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Bitola

$198 23.1%

George Town

$241 25.3% 21.5% $43

Accommodation & Living

Bitola

$185 21.6%

George Town

$366 38.5% 97.7% $181

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bitola

$174 20.3%

George Town

$73 7.7% 57.9% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Bitola

$138 16.1%

George Town

$105 11% 24.2% $33

Eating Out

Bitola

$109 12.7%

George Town

$100 10.5% 8.3% $9.1

Sport & Entertainment

Bitola

$31 3.7%

George Town

$49 5.2% 57.8% $18

Getting Around

Bitola

$22 2.6%

George Town

$18 1.9% 20.8% $4.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $260 in Bitola and $709 in George Town. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

George Town pays 41% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $27 in Bitola vs $15 in George Town. Groceries flip the comparison at $198 vs $241, with Bitola cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇰 Bitola

🇲🇾 George Town

🕒 Local time

22:36 10:36 PM

05:36 5:36 AM

7 h ahead of Bitola

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,550

794,313

💱 Currency

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 MKD = 1.82 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to MKD – North Macedonian Denar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇰 North Macedonian Denar (ден)

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 55 MKD (100 MKD = 1.82 USD). 1 EUR = 61.41 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 4.06 MYR (1 MYR = 0.246 USD). 1 EUR = 4.53 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

USD to MKD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bitola George Town 8,690 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Bitola
George Town

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Bitola vs George Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $859 in Bitola and $952 in George Town, so Bitola is about 10% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 29% lower in Bitola. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $260 in Bitola versus $709 in George Town. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in George Town. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in George Town – a meal for two runs $15 versus $27 in Bitola. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Bitola gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Bitola and George Town are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Bitola wins on affordability, George Town on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.