Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bitola and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Bitola: $859 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $16,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Bitola
Learn more

Bitola Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

Jump to prices

Bitola

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$859

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bitola and in Lisbon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Bitola versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Bitola $859
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,287 in Bitola versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Bitola $1,287
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,714 in Bitola versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Bitola $1,714
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Bitola costs roughly 61% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bitola is 36% below, Lisbon is 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.25 MKD 286

$16.50 €14.67

-68.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.59 MKD 1,505

$61.3 €54.5

-54.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 MKD 288

$11.27 €10.03

-53.15%

Cappuccino

$1.89 MKD 103

$3.06 €2.72

-38.24%

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

$1.78 MKD 97.0

$2.26 €2.01

-21.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 MKD 75.4

$1.73 €1.54

-20.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 MKD 122

$3.39 €3.02

-34.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 MKD 139

$3.40 €3.02

-25.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 MKD 72.1

$1.12 €1.00

17.86%

White Bread (500g)

$0.65 MKD 35.45

$1.86 €1.65

-65.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 MKD 90.8

$1.53 €1.36

8.50%

Eggs

$2.01 MKD 110

$3.96 €3.53

-49.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.70 MKD 529

$12.76 €11.35

-23.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.16 MKD 391

$7.90 €7.02

-9.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 MKD 706

$16.97 €15.09

-23.69%

Apples (1kg)

$1.00 MKD 54.6

$2.27 €2.02

-55.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 MKD 75.8

$1.75 €1.55

-20.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.20 MKD 65.7

$1.85 €1.64

-35.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 MKD 86.7

$2.57 €2.28

-38.13%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 MKD 49.03

$1.86 €1.65

-51.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 MKD 70.0

$2.02 €1.80

-36.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.55 MKD 30.20

$1.44 €1.28

-61.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 MKD 28.98

$0.82 €0.73

-35.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.20 MKD 175

$6.56 €5.83

-51.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.08 MKD 331

$5.62 €5.00

8.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 MKD 51.9

$1.28 €1.14

-25.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 MKD 100

$2.07 €1.84

-11.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.56 MKD 30.79

$2.35 €2.09

-76.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.02 MKD 874

$44.18 €39.30

-63.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.08 MKD 58.9

$3.99 €3.55

-72.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 MKD 33.65

$1.09 €0.97

-43.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.29 MKD 343

$16.64 €14.81

-62.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 MKD 81.3

$2.28 €2.03

-34.65%

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

$30.9K MKD 1.7M

$33.7K €30.0K

-8.23%

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

$32.3K MKD 1.8M

$39.3K €35.0K

-17.76%

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

$146 MKD 7,982

$167 €149

-12.64%

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

$14.27 MKD 778

$18.80 €16.72

-24.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.60 MKD 687

$33.09 €29.43

-61.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.67 MKD 1,182

$46.01 €40.93

-52.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.20 MKD 338

$19.19 €17.07

-67.69%

Cinema Ticket

$4.49 MKD 245

$9.84 €8.75

-54.37%

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

$212 MKD 11.6K

$677 €602

-68.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,142 MKD 62.3K

$16.9K €15.1K

-93.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.1 MKD 4,095

$101 €90.1

-25.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.48 MKD 2,590

$45.76 €40.70

3.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.3 MKD 3,943

$100.0 €88.9

-27.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 MKD 5,909

$123 €109

-11.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$258 MKD 14.0K

$1,614 €1,436

-84.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 MKD 10.3K

$1,197 €1,065

-84.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$397 MKD 21.7K

$2,862 €2,545

-86.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$290 MKD 15.8K

$1,990 €1,770

-85.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,665 MKD 90.8K

$7,577 €6,740

-78.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,163 MKD 63.4K

$4,307 €3,831

-73.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$748 MKD 40.8K

$1,588 €1,412

-52.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

3.85

67.53%

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

Last update for Bitola: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bitola

$199 23.1%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 35.6% $71

Accommodation & Living

Bitola

$188 21.9%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 536% $1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bitola

$173 20.2%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 26.7% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Bitola

$136 15.9%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 22% $30

Eating Out

Bitola

$109 12.7%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 121% $133

Sport & Entertainment

Bitola

$31 3.6%

Lisbon

$66 3% 114% $35

Getting Around

Bitola

$22 2.6%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 181% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $258 in Bitola and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 112% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $28.00 in Bitola vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $199 vs $269 per month, with Bitola cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇰 Bitola

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

19:54 7:54 PM

18:54 6:54 PM

1 h behind Bitola

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,550

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MKD = 1.83 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MKD – North Macedonian Denar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇰 North Macedonian Denar (ден)

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 54.55 MKD (100 MKD = 1.83 USD). 1 EUR = 61.33 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MKD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bitola Lisbon 2,600 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Bitola
Lisbon

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 Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bitola and Lisbon differ by about 159% in total monthly costs ($859 vs $2,223 including rent). Bitola is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 112% lower in Lisbon. 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: $258 in Bitola versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Lisbon. 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 $28.00 versus $61.0 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $859 in Bitola versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bitola but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Bitola the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Lisbon are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Bitola gentler on the wallet – expenses run 159% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.