Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bitola and Ohrid

For one person, living is cheaper in Bitola: $861 a month against $966 in Ohrid, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. The total is higher in Ohrid despite lower rent and utilities.

41

Cost of Living Index in Bitola
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Bitola Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Ohrid
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Ohrid Living Index

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Bitola

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$861

/mo nomad

Ohrid

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$966

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bitola and in Ohrid

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $861 in Bitola versus $966 in Ohrid.

Bitola $861
Ohrid $966

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,290 in Bitola versus $1,537 in Ohrid.

Bitola $1,290
Ohrid $1,537

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,719 in Bitola versus $2,107 in Ohrid.

Bitola $1,719
Ohrid $2,107

Living in Bitola costs roughly 11% less than in Ohrid, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bitola 36% lower, Ohrid 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.37 MKD 292

$7.17 MKD 391

-25.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.75 MKD 1,456

$36.14 MKD 1,968

-25.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.17 MKD 281

$7.46 MKD 406

-30.70%

Cappuccino

$1.95 MKD 106

$2.75 MKD 150

-29.09%

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

$1.79 MKD 97.3

$2.98 MKD 162

-39.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 MKD 76.2

$1.85 MKD 101

-24.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 MKD 118

$3.71 MKD 202

-41.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 MKD 143

$4.66 MKD 254

-43.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 MKD 70.9

$1.27 MKD 69.2

2.36%

White Bread (500g)

$0.66 MKD 35.98

$0.76 MKD 41.23

-13.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 MKD 90.2

$1.74 MKD 94.6

-4.60%

Eggs

$1.98 MKD 108

$2.17 MKD 118

-8.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.71 MKD 529

$8.06 MKD 439

20.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.93 MKD 377

$8.44 MKD 460

-17.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.98 MKD 706

$14.26 MKD 777

-8.98%

Apples (1kg)

$1.04 MKD 56.4

$1.05 MKD 57.3

-0.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 MKD 73.1

$1.32 MKD 71.7

1.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.23 MKD 67.0

$1.53 MKD 83.2

-19.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 MKD 85.0

$1.98 MKD 108

-21.21%

Potato (1kg)

$0.95 MKD 52.0

$1.06 MKD 57.7

-10.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 MKD 73.2

$1.37 MKD 74.6

-2.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.53 MKD 28.91

$1.04 MKD 56.5

-49.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 MKD 28.31

$0.78 MKD 42.29

-33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.31 MKD 180

$3.19 MKD 174

3.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.89 MKD 321

$5.42 MKD 295

8.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 MKD 53.2

$1.04 MKD 56.6

-5.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 MKD 95.9

$1.47 MKD 80.0

19.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.58 MKD 31.32

$1.06 MKD 57.8

-45.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.63 MKD 905

$23.28 MKD 1,267

-28.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.11 MKD 60.3

$1.07 MKD 58.3

3.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.58 MKD 31.55

$0.92 MKD 50.2

-36.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.46 MKD 352

$9.15 MKD 498

-29.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MKD 78.8

$1.50 MKD 81.9

-3.33%

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

$31.9K MKD 1.7M

$30.2K MKD 1.6M

5.60%

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

$32.2K MKD 1.8M

$30.5K MKD 1.7M

5.40%

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

$148 MKD 8,065

$129 MKD 7,044

14.50%

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

$13.82 MKD 752

$18.46 MKD 1,005

-25.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.64 MKD 688

$27.29 MKD 1,486

-53.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.55 MKD 1,173

$32.85 MKD 1,788

-34.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.32 MKD 344

$18.38 MKD 1,001

-65.61%

Cinema Ticket

$4.52 MKD 246

$6.40 MKD 349

-29.38%

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

$214 MKD 11.6K

$271 MKD 14.8K

-21.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,141 MKD 62.1K

$3,411 MKD 185.7K

-66.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.9 MKD 4,024

$94.9 MKD 5,166

-22.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.99 MKD 2,558

$53.4 MKD 2,905

-11.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.2 MKD 3,931

$101 MKD 5,519

-28.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MKD 6,089

$130 MKD 7,080

-13.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$261 MKD 14.2K

$286 MKD 15.6K

-8.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 MKD 10.2K

$168 MKD 9,171

11.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$396 MKD 21.5K

$546 MKD 29.7K

-27.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$296 MKD 16.1K

$363 MKD 19.8K

-18.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,656 MKD 90.1K

$2,065 MKD 112.4K

-19.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,148 MKD 62.5K

$1,329 MKD 72.3K

-13.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$750 MKD 40.8K

$631 MKD 34.4K

18.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

7.3

-11.64%

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

Last update for Bitola: November 1, 2026

Last update for Ohrid: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bitola

$197 22.9%

Ohrid

$213 22% 7.9% $16

Accommodation & Living

Bitola

$188 21.8%

Ohrid

$168 17.4% 10.2% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bitola

$175 20.3%

Ohrid

$175 18.1% 0.3% $0.5

Clothing & Footwear

Bitola

$137 15.9%

Ohrid

$171 17.7% 24.5% $34

Eating Out

Bitola

$111 12.9%

Ohrid

$160 16.6% 44.4% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Bitola

$31 3.6%

Ohrid

$46 4.7% 49.3% $15

Getting Around

Bitola

$23 2.7%

Ohrid

$33 3.4% 44.7% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $261 in Bitola and $286 in Ohrid. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bitola pays 19% 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 $36 in Ohrid for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $197 vs $213 per month, with Bitola cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇰 Bitola

🇲🇰 Ohrid

🕒 Local time

22:19 10:19 PM

Same time as Bitola

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,550

38,940

💱 Currency

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

100 MKD = 1.84 USD

100 MKD = 1.64 EUR

100 MKD = 1.84 USD

100 MKD = 1.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bitola Ohrid 45 km

From you

Bitola
Ohrid

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 Ohrid: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $861 in Bitola and $966 in Ohrid, so Bitola is about 11% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 19% 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: $261 in Bitola versus $286 in Ohrid. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Ohrid. 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 $36 in Ohrid. 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 Ohrid are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Bitola gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Ohrid. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.