Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bitola and Prilep

For one person, living is cheaper in Prilep: $730 a month against $859 in Bitola, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Prilep
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Prilep Living Index

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Bitola

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$859

/mo nomad

Prilep

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$730

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bitola and in Prilep

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Bitola versus $730 in Prilep.

Bitola $859
Prilep $730

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,289 in Bitola versus $1,110 in Prilep.

Bitola $1,289
Prilep $1,110

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,718 in Bitola versus $1,489 in Prilep.

Bitola $1,718
Prilep $1,489

Living in Bitola is roughly 18% more expensive than in Prilep, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bitola 37% lower, Prilep 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.23 MKD 288

$3.90 MKD 215

34.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.77 MKD 1,475

$27.36 MKD 1,508

-2.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.04 MKD 278

$5.77 MKD 318

-12.65%

Cappuccino

$1.96 MKD 108

$1.43 MKD 78.8

37.06%

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

$1.71 MKD 94.1

$1.61 MKD 88.6

6.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 MKD 80.5

$1.18 MKD 64.9

23.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 MKD 119

$1.58 MKD 87.3

36.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 MKD 145

$1.96 MKD 108

33.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 MKD 75.9

$1.13 MKD 62.4

22.12%

White Bread (500g)

$0.66 MKD 36.65

$0.67 MKD 37.18

-1.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 MKD 94.9

$1.55 MKD 85.6

10.97%

Eggs

$1.98 MKD 109

$2.04 MKD 112

-2.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.93 MKD 547

$6.95 MKD 383

42.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.81 MKD 376

$5.88 MKD 324

15.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.08 MKD 721

$11.23 MKD 619

16.47%

Apples (1kg)

$1.01 MKD 55.5

$0.85 MKD 46.63

18.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 MKD 76.8

$1.34 MKD 73.9

3.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.24 MKD 68.2

$1.00 MKD 55.3

24.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 MKD 87.6

$1.24 MKD 68.4

28.23%

Potato (1kg)

$0.91 MKD 49.93

$0.75 MKD 41.52

21.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 MKD 73.7

$0.85 MKD 46.86

57.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.53 MKD 28.97

$0.58 MKD 32.10

-8.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 MKD 27.36

$0.44 MKD 24.43

13.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.30 MKD 182

$2.89 MKD 160

14.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 MKD 334

$5.09 MKD 280

19.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 MKD 50.0

$1.01 MKD 55.5

-9.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 MKD 101

$1.18 MKD 65.0

55.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 MKD 29.55

$0.35 MKD 19.11

54.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.24 MKD 895

$18.30 MKD 1,009

-11.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.08 MKD 59.4

$1.11 MKD 61.0

-2.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 MKD 31.42

$0.60 MKD 33.21

-5.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.32 MKD 348

$6.47 MKD 357

-2.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 MKD 82.6

$1.47 MKD 81.2

2.04%

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

$30.9K MKD 1.7M

$33.1K MKD 1.8M

-6.72%

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

$32.4K MKD 1.8M

$26.5K MKD 1.5M

21.94%

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

$148 MKD 8,130

$123 MKD 6,793

19.69%

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

$14.08 MKD 776

$17.30 MKD 954

-18.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.62 MKD 696

$13.82 MKD 762

-8.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.16 MKD 1,221

$20.03 MKD 1,104

10.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.43 MKD 354

$8.23 MKD 453

-21.87%

Cinema Ticket

$4.57 MKD 252

$5.12 MKD 282

-10.74%

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

$211 MKD 11.7K

$277 MKD 15.3K

-23.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,167 MKD 64.3K

$1,158 MKD 63.8K

0.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.3 MKD 4,207

$37.29 MKD 2,055

104.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.27 MKD 2,550

$36.81 MKD 2,029

25.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.3 MKD 4,038

$67.2 MKD 3,703

9.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 MKD 6,101

$80.1 MKD 4,415

38.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$260 MKD 14.3K

$229 MKD 12.6K

13.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$185 MKD 10.2K

$166 MKD 9,133

11.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$396 MKD 21.8K

$497 MKD 27.4K

-20.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$293 MKD 16.1K

$276 MKD 15.2K

6.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,709 MKD 94.2K

$1,029 MKD 56.7K

66.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,142 MKD 63.0K

$807 MKD 44.5K

41.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$750 MKD 41.3K

$603 MKD 33.2K

24.39%

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 Prilep: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bitola

$198 23.1%

Prilep

$168 23% 15.3% $30

Accommodation & Living

Bitola

$185 21.6%

Prilep

$166 22.7% 10.6% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bitola

$174 20.3%

Prilep

$154 21.1% 11.4% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Bitola

$138 16.1%

Prilep

$100 13.6% 27.8% $38

Eating Out

Bitola

$109 12.7%

Prilep

$89 12.1% 18.8% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Bitola

$31 3.7%

Prilep

$30 4.2% 3.3% $1

Getting Around

Bitola

$22 2.6%

Prilep

$24 3.3% 6.7% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $260 in Bitola and $229 in Prilep. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bitola pays 24% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $27 in Bitola vs $27 in Prilep. Groceries flip the comparison at $198 vs $168, with Prilep cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇰 Bitola

🇲🇰 Prilep

🕒 Local time

05:02 5:02 AM

Same time as Bitola

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,550

63,308

💱 Currency

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

100 MKD = 1.81 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

100 MKD = 1.81 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Bitola Prilep 39 km

From you

Bitola
Prilep

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 Prilep: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $859 in Bitola and $730 in Prilep, so Prilep is about 15% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 24% 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 $229 in Prilep. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% 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 $730 in Prilep – Prilep is about 15% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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 Prilep are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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