Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bitola and Struga

For one person, living costs are similar in Bitola and in Struga: $859 and $867 a month, rent and utilities included.

42

Cost of Living Index in Bitola
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Bitola Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Struga
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Struga Living Index

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Bitola

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$859

/mo nomad

Struga

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$867

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bitola and in Struga

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Bitola versus $867 in Struga.

Bitola $859
Struga $867

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,287 in Bitola versus $1,319 in Struga.

Bitola $1,287
Struga $1,319

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,714 in Bitola versus $1,771 in Struga.

Bitola $1,714
Struga $1,771

Living in Bitola costs roughly 1% less than in Struga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.25 MKD 286

$7.38 MKD 402

-28.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.59 MKD 1,505

$29.55 MKD 1,612

-6.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 MKD 288

$5.35 MKD 292

-1.31%

Cappuccino

$1.89 MKD 103

$1.50 MKD 81.9

26.00%

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

$1.78 MKD 97.0

$1.79 MKD 97.7

-0.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 MKD 75.4

$1.17 MKD 63.7

17.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 MKD 122

$2.73 MKD 149

-18.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 MKD 139

$3.04 MKD 166

-16.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 MKD 72.1

$1.26 MKD 68.9

4.76%

White Bread (500g)

$0.65 MKD 35.45

$0.69 MKD 37.56

-5.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 MKD 90.8

$1.61 MKD 87.8

3.11%

Eggs

$2.01 MKD 110

$1.97 MKD 107

2.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.70 MKD 529

$7.78 MKD 424

24.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.16 MKD 391

$6.37 MKD 348

12.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 MKD 706

$12.59 MKD 687

2.86%

Apples (1kg)

$1.00 MKD 54.6

$1.47 MKD 80.3

-31.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 MKD 75.8

$1.32 MKD 71.8

5.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.20 MKD 65.7

$1.30 MKD 70.7

-7.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 MKD 86.7

$1.60 MKD 87.4

-0.63%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 MKD 49.03

$0.87 MKD 47.52

3.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 MKD 70.0

$0.80 MKD 43.56

60.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.55 MKD 30.20

$0.59 MKD 32.44

-6.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 MKD 28.98

$0.55 MKD 29.88

-3.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.20 MKD 175

$3.42 MKD 186

-6.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.08 MKD 331

$4.51 MKD 246

34.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 MKD 51.9

$1.06 MKD 57.9

-10.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 MKD 100

$1.46 MKD 79.7

26.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.56 MKD 30.79

$0.89 MKD 48.58

-37.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.02 MKD 874

$53.6 MKD 2,924

-70.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.08 MKD 58.9

$1.12 MKD 61.0

-3.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 MKD 33.65

$0.62 MKD 33.69

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.29 MKD 343

$4.87 MKD 266

29.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 MKD 81.3

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

$30.9K MKD 1.7M

$36.0K MKD 2.0M

-14.20%

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

$32.3K MKD 1.8M

$27.3K MKD 1.5M

18.45%

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

$146 MKD 7,982

$99.8 MKD 5,445

46.58%

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

$14.27 MKD 778

$10.97 MKD 599

30.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.60 MKD 687

$18.76 MKD 1,024

-32.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.67 MKD 1,182

$19.98 MKD 1,090

8.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.20 MKD 338

$11.68 MKD 637

-46.92%

Cinema Ticket

$4.49 MKD 245

$7.21 MKD 393

-37.73%

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

$212 MKD 11.6K

$116 MKD 6,348

82.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,142 MKD 62.3K

$1,579 MKD 86.1K

-27.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.1 MKD 4,095

$83.5 MKD 4,553

-10.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.48 MKD 2,590

$30.17 MKD 1,646

57.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.3 MKD 3,943

$70.1 MKD 3,825

3.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 MKD 5,909

$52.4 MKD 2,856

106.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$258 MKD 14.0K

$269 MKD 14.7K

-4.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 MKD 10.3K

$225 MKD 12.3K

-16.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$397 MKD 21.7K

$439 MKD 23.9K

-9.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$290 MKD 15.8K

$355 MKD 19.4K

-18.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,665 MKD 90.8K

$1,504 MKD 82.0K

10.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,163 MKD 63.4K

$1,328 MKD 72.4K

-12.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$748 MKD 40.8K

$867 MKD 47.3K

-13.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

3.75

72.00%

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

Last update for Bitola: October 12, 2026

Last update for Struga: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bitola

$199 23.1%

Struga

$186 21.4% 6.6% $13

Accommodation & Living

Bitola

$188 21.9%

Struga

$225 25.9% 19.4% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bitola

$173 20.2%

Struga

$130 15% 25.2% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Bitola

$136 15.9%

Struga

$106 12.3% 22.1% $30

Eating Out

Bitola

$109 12.7%

Struga

$125 14.4% 13.9% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Bitola

$31 3.6%

Struga

$34 4% 12.2% $3.7

Getting Around

Bitola

$22 2.6%

Struga

$61 7.1% 174% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $258 in Bitola and $269 in Struga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Struga pays 16% 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 $30.00 in Struga. Groceries flip the comparison at $199 vs $186, with Struga cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇰 Bitola

🇲🇰 Struga

🕒 Local time

19:18 7:18 PM

Same time as Bitola

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,550

33,000

💱 Currency

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

100 MKD = 1.83 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

100 MKD = 1.83 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bitola Struga 57 km

From you

Bitola
Struga

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 Struga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bitola and Struga differ by about 1% in total monthly costs ($859 vs $867 including rent). Bitola is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 16% lower in Struga. 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 $269 in Struga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Struga pay roughly 7% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Bitola – a meal for two runs $28.00 versus $30.00 in Struga. 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 Struga 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 1% less than in Struga. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.