Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bitola and Kumanovo

For one person, living is cheaper in Kumanovo: $789 a month against $859 in Bitola, rent and utilities included – about $840 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Bitola
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Bitola Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Kumanovo
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Kumanovo Living Index

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Bitola

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$859

/mo nomad

Kumanovo

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$789

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bitola and in Kumanovo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Bitola versus $789 in Kumanovo.

Bitola $859
Kumanovo $789

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,289 in Bitola versus $1,158 in Kumanovo.

Bitola $1,289
Kumanovo $1,158

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,718 in Bitola versus $1,527 in Kumanovo.

Bitola $1,718
Kumanovo $1,527

Living in Bitola is roughly 9% more expensive than in Kumanovo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bitola 37% lower, Kumanovo 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.23 MKD 288

$6.28 MKD 345

-16.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.77 MKD 1,473

$27.55 MKD 1,516

-2.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.04 MKD 278

$6.58 MKD 362

-23.40%

Cappuccino

$1.96 MKD 108

$1.40 MKD 77.0

40.00%

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

$1.71 MKD 94.0

$1.33 MKD 73.1

28.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 MKD 80.3

$1.08 MKD 59.4

35.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 MKD 119

$1.53 MKD 84.4

41.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 MKD 144

$1.69 MKD 93.0

55.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 MKD 75.8

$1.22 MKD 67.2

13.11%

White Bread (500g)

$0.66 MKD 36.58

$0.69 MKD 37.72

-4.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 MKD 94.8

$1.76 MKD 96.8

-2.27%

Eggs

$1.98 MKD 109

$2.44 MKD 134

-18.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.93 MKD 546

$7.82 MKD 430

26.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.81 MKD 375

$7.42 MKD 408

-8.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.08 MKD 720

$11.15 MKD 614

17.31%

Apples (1kg)

$1.01 MKD 55.4

$0.95 MKD 52.1

6.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 MKD 76.6

$1.39 MKD 76.7

Oranges (1kg)

$1.24 MKD 68.1

$1.32 MKD 72.5

-6.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 MKD 87.4

$1.79 MKD 98.4

-11.17%

Potato (1kg)

$0.91 MKD 49.84

$0.87 MKD 48.06

4.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 MKD 73.6

$0.83 MKD 45.84

61.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.53 MKD 28.92

$0.52 MKD 28.80

1.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 MKD 27.31

$0.59 MKD 32.50

-15.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.30 MKD 181

$3.02 MKD 166

9.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 MKD 333

$7.18 MKD 395

-15.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 MKD 49.93

$1.06 MKD 58.2

-14.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 MKD 101

$1.01 MKD 55.6

81.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 MKD 29.50

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.24 MKD 894

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.08 MKD 59.3

$1.11 MKD 61.1

-2.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 MKD 31.36

$0.61 MKD 33.66

-6.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.32 MKD 348

$5.94 MKD 327

6.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 MKD 82.4

$1.39 MKD 76.7

7.91%

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

$30.9K MKD 1.7M

$34.2K MKD 1.9M

-9.77%

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

$32.4K MKD 1.8M

$26.9K MKD 1.5M

20.42%

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

$148 MKD 8,116

$128 MKD 7,050

15.11%

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

$14.08 MKD 775

$17.00 MKD 935

-17.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.62 MKD 694

$19.24 MKD 1,059

-34.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.16 MKD 1,219

$27.92 MKD 1,536

-20.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.43 MKD 354

$18.05 MKD 993

-64.38%

Cinema Ticket

$4.57 MKD 252

$5.41 MKD 298

-15.53%

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

$211 MKD 11.6K

$363 MKD 20.0K

-41.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,167 MKD 64.2K

$5,672 MKD 312.1K

-79.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.3 MKD 4,199

$41.89 MKD 2,305

82.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.27 MKD 2,546

$19.91 MKD 1,096

132.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.3 MKD 4,031

$82.6 MKD 4,543

-11.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 MKD 6,090

$48.33 MKD 2,659

129.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$260 MKD 14.3K

$241 MKD 13.3K

7.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$185 MKD 10.2K

$195 MKD 10.7K

-4.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$396 MKD 21.8K

$410 MKD 22.6K

-3.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$293 MKD 16.1K

$249 MKD 13.7K

17.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,709 MKD 94.0K

$1,614 MKD 88.8K

5.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,142 MKD 62.8K

$1,453 MKD 79.9K

-21.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$750 MKD 41.3K

$556 MKD 30.6K

34.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

61.25%

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

Last update for Bitola: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kumanovo: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bitola

$198 23.1%

Kumanovo

$192 24.4% 3.1% $6.1

Accommodation & Living

Bitola

$185 21.6%

Kumanovo

$195 24.7% 5.2% $9.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bitola

$174 20.3%

Kumanovo

$164 20.8% 5.6% $9.8

Clothing & Footwear

Bitola

$138 16.1%

Kumanovo

$87 11% 37.1% $51

Eating Out

Bitola

$109 12.7%

Kumanovo

$107 13.6% 1.7% $1.8

Sport & Entertainment

Bitola

$31 3.7%

Kumanovo

$39 4.9% 23.8% $7.5

Getting Around

Bitola

$22 2.6%

Kumanovo

$4.2 * 0.5% 81.3% $18

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $260 in Bitola and $241 in Kumanovo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bitola pays 35% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $27 in Bitola vs $28 in Kumanovo. Groceries flip the comparison at $198 vs $192, with Kumanovo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇰 Bitola

🇲🇰 Kumanovo

🕒 Local time

07:28 7:28 AM

Same time as Bitola

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,550

75,051

💱 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

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Between locations

Bitola Kumanovo 130 km

From you

Bitola
Kumanovo

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 Kumanovo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $859 in Bitola and $789 in Kumanovo, so Kumanovo is about 8% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 35% higher in Bitola, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $260 in Bitola versus $241 in Kumanovo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Bitola. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $859 per month in Bitola versus $789 in Kumanovo – Kumanovo is about 8% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Kumanovo 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 Kumanovo are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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