Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bitola and Gostivar

For one person, living is cheaper in Gostivar: $837 a month against $859 in Bitola, rent and utilities included – about $260 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Bitola
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Bitola Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Gostivar
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Gostivar Living Index

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Bitola

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$859

/mo nomad

Gostivar

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bitola and in Gostivar

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 Gostivar actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Bitola versus $837 in Gostivar.

Bitola $859
Gostivar $837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,289 in Bitola versus $1,265 in Gostivar.

Bitola $1,289
Gostivar $1,265

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,718 in Bitola versus $1,693 in Gostivar.

Bitola $1,718
Gostivar $1,693

Living in Bitola is roughly 3% more expensive than in Gostivar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bitola 37% lower, Gostivar 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.23 MKD 287

$6.56 MKD 361

-20.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.77 MKD 1,472

$27.78 MKD 1,528

-3.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.04 MKD 277

$5.85 MKD 322

-13.85%

Cappuccino

$1.96 MKD 108

$1.38 MKD 76.0

42.03%

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

$1.71 MKD 93.9

$1.32 MKD 72.7

29.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 MKD 80.3

$1.06 MKD 58.6

37.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 MKD 119

$1.31 MKD 72.3

64.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 MKD 144

$1.85 MKD 102

41.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 MKD 75.7

$1.24 MKD 68.1

11.29%

White Bread (500g)

$0.66 MKD 36.57

$0.71 MKD 38.81

-7.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 MKD 94.7

$1.43 MKD 78.4

20.28%

Eggs

$1.98 MKD 109

$2.37 MKD 130

-16.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.93 MKD 546

$6.29 MKD 346

57.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.81 MKD 375

$5.55 MKD 305

22.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.08 MKD 719

$14.30 MKD 786

-8.53%

Apples (1kg)

$1.01 MKD 55.4

$1.41 MKD 77.5

-28.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 MKD 76.6

$1.41 MKD 77.4

-1.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.24 MKD 68.1

$1.32 MKD 72.8

-6.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 MKD 87.4

$1.86 MKD 102

-14.52%

Potato (1kg)

$0.91 MKD 49.82

$0.83 MKD 45.51

9.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 MKD 73.6

$0.75 MKD 41.35

78.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.53 MKD 28.91

$0.63 MKD 34.49

-15.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 MKD 27.30

$0.54 MKD 29.49

-7.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.30 MKD 181

$2.79 MKD 154

18.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 MKD 333

$4.44 MKD 244

36.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 MKD 49.92

$0.94 MKD 51.7

-3.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 MKD 101

$1.44 MKD 79.0

27.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 MKD 29.49

$0.71 MKD 39.02

-23.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.24 MKD 893

$25.74 MKD 1,416

-36.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.08 MKD 59.3

$0.75 MKD 41.47

44.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 MKD 31.35

$0.31 MKD 17.00

83.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.32 MKD 348

$7.77 MKD 427

-18.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 MKD 82.4

$1.42 MKD 78.2

5.63%

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

$30.9K MKD 1.7M

$32.4K MKD 1.8M

-4.82%

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

$32.4K MKD 1.8M

$26.6K MKD 1.5M

21.69%

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

$148 MKD 8,113

$129 MKD 7,092

14.39%

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

$14.08 MKD 774

$10.81 MKD 595

30.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.62 MKD 694

$18.72 MKD 1,029

-32.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.16 MKD 1,219

$21.69 MKD 1,193

2.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.43 MKD 354

$16.18 MKD 890

-60.26%

Cinema Ticket

$4.57 MKD 252

$7.09 MKD 390

-35.54%

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

$211 MKD 11.6K

$368 MKD 20.2K

-42.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,167 MKD 64.2K

$5,800 MKD 319.0K

-79.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.3 MKD 4,198

$36.82 MKD 2,025

107.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.27 MKD 2,545

$37.07 MKD 2,039

24.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.3 MKD 4,029

$101 MKD 5,550

-27.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 MKD 6,088

$112 MKD 6,181

-1.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$260 MKD 14.3K

$271 MKD 14.9K

-4.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$185 MKD 10.2K

$193 MKD 10.6K

-3.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$396 MKD 21.8K

$497 MKD 27.3K

-20.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$293 MKD 16.1K

$296 MKD 16.3K

-0.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,709 MKD 94.0K

$1,515 MKD 83.3K

12.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,142 MKD 62.8K

$1,165 MKD 64.1K

-1.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$750 MKD 41.3K

$880 MKD 48.4K

-14.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

4.23

52.48%

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

Last update for Bitola: October 26, 2026

Last update for Gostivar: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bitola

$198 23.1%

Gostivar

$184 21.9% 7.5% $15

Accommodation & Living

Bitola

$185 21.6%

Gostivar

$193 23% 3.9% $7.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bitola

$174 20.3%

Gostivar

$158 18.9% 9% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Bitola

$138 16.1%

Gostivar

$129 15.4% 6.3% $8.7

Eating Out

Bitola

$109 12.7%

Gostivar

$106 12.7% 2.6% $2.8

Sport & Entertainment

Bitola

$31 3.7%

Gostivar

$36 4.3% 14.6% $4.6

Getting Around

Bitola

$22 2.6%

Gostivar

$31 3.7% 38.4% $8.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $260 in Bitola and $271 in Gostivar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gostivar pays 17% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $27 in Bitola vs $28 in Gostivar. Groceries flip the comparison at $198 vs $184, with Gostivar cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇰 Bitola

🇲🇰 Gostivar

🕒 Local time

12:47 12:47 PM

Same time as Bitola

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,550

36,000

💱 Currency

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

100 MKD = 1.82 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

100 MKD = 1.82 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bitola Gostivar 92 km

From you

Bitola
Gostivar

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 Gostivar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $859 in Bitola and $837 in Gostivar, so Gostivar is about 3% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 15% 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 $271 in Gostivar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Bitola. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Bitola – a meal for two runs $27 versus $28 in Gostivar. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Gostivar is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.