Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bitola and Stip

For one person, living is cheaper in Stip: $809 a month against $859 in Bitola, rent and utilities included – about $600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Bitola
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Bitola Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Stip
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Stip Living Index

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Bitola

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$859

/mo nomad

Stip

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$809

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bitola and in Stip

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Bitola versus $809 in Stip.

Bitola $859
Stip $809

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,289 in Bitola versus $1,210 in Stip.

Bitola $1,289
Stip $1,210

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,718 in Bitola versus $1,611 in Stip.

Bitola $1,718
Stip $1,611

Living in Bitola is roughly 6% more expensive than in Stip, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bitola 37% lower, Stip 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.23 MKD 288

$7.45 MKD 410

-29.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.77 MKD 1,473

$23.08 MKD 1,270

15.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.04 MKD 278

$6.30 MKD 347

-20.00%

Cappuccino

$1.96 MKD 108

$1.81 MKD 99.3

8.29%

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

$1.71 MKD 94.0

$1.43 MKD 78.7

19.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 MKD 80.3

$1.07 MKD 58.8

36.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 MKD 119

$1.84 MKD 101

17.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 MKD 144

$2.75 MKD 151

-4.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 MKD 75.8

$1.27 MKD 70.1

8.66%

White Bread (500g)

$0.66 MKD 36.58

$0.74 MKD 40.87

-10.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 MKD 94.8

$1.11 MKD 61.1

54.95%

Eggs

$1.98 MKD 109

$2.52 MKD 139

-21.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.93 MKD 546

$7.96 MKD 438

24.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.81 MKD 375

$7.26 MKD 399

-6.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.08 MKD 720

$7.21 MKD 397

81.41%

Apples (1kg)

$1.01 MKD 55.4

$0.90 MKD 49.31

12.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 MKD 76.6

$1.45 MKD 79.6

-4.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.24 MKD 68.1

$1.32 MKD 72.7

-6.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 MKD 87.4

$1.60 MKD 87.8

-0.63%

Potato (1kg)

$0.91 MKD 49.84

$0.88 MKD 48.68

3.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 MKD 73.6

$0.80 MKD 43.97

67.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.53 MKD 28.92

$0.56 MKD 30.98

-5.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 MKD 27.31

$0.42 MKD 23.11

19.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.30 MKD 181

$3.25 MKD 179

1.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 MKD 333

$7.42 MKD 409

-18.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 MKD 49.93

$1.03 MKD 56.8

-11.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 MKD 101

$1.49 MKD 81.9

22.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 MKD 29.50

$0.67 MKD 36.88

-19.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.24 MKD 894

$23.98 MKD 1,319

-32.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.08 MKD 59.3

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 MKD 31.36

$0.58 MKD 31.74

-1.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.32 MKD 348

$5.54 MKD 305

14.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 MKD 82.4

$1.53 MKD 84.2

-1.96%

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

$30.9K MKD 1.7M

$33.1K MKD 1.8M

-6.82%

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

$32.4K MKD 1.8M

$26.0K MKD 1.4M

24.62%

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

$148 MKD 8,116

$158 MKD 8,680

-6.51%

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

$14.08 MKD 775

$8.95 MKD 492

57.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.62 MKD 694

$16.29 MKD 896

-22.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.16 MKD 1,219

$27.01 MKD 1,486

-17.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.43 MKD 354

$17.36 MKD 955

-62.96%

Cinema Ticket

$4.57 MKD 252

$6.50 MKD 358

-29.69%

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

$211 MKD 11.6K

$357 MKD 19.6K

-40.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,167 MKD 64.2K

$5,645 MKD 310.6K

-79.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.3 MKD 4,199

$35.74 MKD 1,966

113.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.27 MKD 2,546

$30.66 MKD 1,687

50.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.3 MKD 4,031

$101 MKD 5,556

-27.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 MKD 6,090

$113 MKD 6,203

-1.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$260 MKD 14.3K

$201 MKD 11.1K

29.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$185 MKD 10.2K

$127 MKD 6,989

45.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$396 MKD 21.8K

$331 MKD 18.2K

19.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$293 MKD 16.1K

$201 MKD 11.0K

45.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,709 MKD 94.0K

$1,210 MKD 66.6K

41.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,142 MKD 62.8K

$976 MKD 53.7K

16.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$750 MKD 41.3K

$463 MKD 25.5K

61.86%

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 Stip: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bitola

$198 23.1%

Stip

$177 21.9% 10.5% $21

Accommodation & Living

Bitola

$185 21.6%

Stip

$127 15.7% 31.4% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bitola

$174 20.3%

Stip

$183 22.6% 5.1% $8.8

Clothing & Footwear

Bitola

$138 16.1%

Stip

$126 15.6% 8.6% $12

Eating Out

Bitola

$109 12.7%

Stip

$125 15.4% 14.3% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Bitola

$31 3.7%

Stip

$40 5% 27.8% $8.7

Getting Around

Bitola

$22 2.6%

Stip

$31 3.8% 37.2% $8.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $260 in Bitola and $201 in Stip. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bitola pays 62% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $27 in Bitola vs $23 in Stip for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $198 vs $177 per month, with Stip cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇰 Bitola

🇲🇰 Stip

🕒 Local time

02:54 2:54 AM

Same time as Bitola

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,550

65,000

💱 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

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Between locations

Bitola Stip 110 km

From you

Bitola
Stip

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 Stip: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $859 in Bitola and $809 in Stip, so Stip is about 6% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 62% 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 $201 in Stip. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Bitola. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Stip – a meal for two runs $23 versus $27 in Bitola. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Stip gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Safety-wise, Bitola and Stip are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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