Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bitola and Strumica

For one person, living costs are similar in Bitola and in Strumica: $861 and $859 a month, rent and utilities included.

41

Cost of Living Index in Bitola
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Bitola Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Strumica
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Strumica Living Index

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Bitola

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$861

/mo nomad

Strumica

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bitola and in Strumica

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $861 in Bitola versus $859 in Strumica.

Bitola $861
Strumica $859

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,290 in Bitola versus $1,216 in Strumica.

Bitola $1,290
Strumica $1,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,719 in Bitola versus $1,574 in Strumica.

Bitola $1,719
Strumica $1,574

Monthly costs are close between Bitola and Strumica; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.37 MKD 292

$3.70 MKD 202

45.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.75 MKD 1,457

$22.47 MKD 1,224

19.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.17 MKD 282

$3.65 MKD 199

41.64%

Cappuccino

$1.95 MKD 106

$1.51 MKD 82.5

29.14%

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

$1.79 MKD 97.3

$1.33 MKD 72.3

34.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 MKD 76.2

$1.16 MKD 63.2

20.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 MKD 118

$1.87 MKD 102

16.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 MKD 143

$1.96 MKD 107

33.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 MKD 71.0

$1.23 MKD 67.2

5.69%

White Bread (500g)

$0.66 MKD 36.00

$0.79 MKD 42.93

-16.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 MKD 90.3

$1.71 MKD 93.4

-2.92%

Eggs

$1.98 MKD 108

$2.22 MKD 121

-10.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.71 MKD 529

$8.04 MKD 438

20.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.93 MKD 378

$6.11 MKD 333

13.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.98 MKD 707

$9.81 MKD 534

32.31%

Apples (1kg)

$1.04 MKD 56.5

$0.61 MKD 33.21

70.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 MKD 73.1

$1.41 MKD 76.9

-4.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.23 MKD 67.1

$1.20 MKD 65.3

2.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 MKD 85.1

$1.97 MKD 107

-20.81%

Potato (1kg)

$0.95 MKD 52.0

$0.84 MKD 46.02

13.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 MKD 73.2

$0.77 MKD 41.93

74.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.53 MKD 28.93

$0.64 MKD 34.80

-17.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 MKD 28.33

$0.59 MKD 31.89

-11.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.31 MKD 180

$2.74 MKD 149

20.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.89 MKD 321

$5.52 MKD 301

6.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 MKD 53.3

$0.87 MKD 47.29

12.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 MKD 96.0

$1.20 MKD 65.6

46.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.58 MKD 31.34

$0.72 MKD 39.10

-19.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.63 MKD 906

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.11 MKD 60.3

$1.11 MKD 60.4

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.58 MKD 31.57

$0.62 MKD 33.94

-6.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.46 MKD 352

$7.86 MKD 428

-17.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MKD 78.8

$1.64 MKD 89.2

-11.59%

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

$31.9K MKD 1.7M

$34.2K MKD 1.9M

-6.70%

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

$32.2K MKD 1.8M

$26.6K MKD 1.4M

21.24%

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

$148 MKD 8,070

$148 MKD 8,073

-0.04%

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

$13.82 MKD 753

$12.86 MKD 700

7.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.64 MKD 689

$17.24 MKD 939

-26.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.55 MKD 1,174

$19.86 MKD 1,082

8.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.32 MKD 344

Cinema Ticket

$4.52 MKD 246

$7.41 MKD 404

-39.00%

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

$214 MKD 11.6K

$375 MKD 20.4K

-42.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,141 MKD 62.1K

$8,846 MKD 481.8K

-87.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.9 MKD 4,026

$83.4 MKD 4,544

-11.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.99 MKD 2,559

$36.65 MKD 1,996

28.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.2 MKD 3,933

$99.9 MKD 5,443

-27.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MKD 6,092

$90.5 MKD 4,930

23.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$261 MKD 14.2K

$316 MKD 17.2K

-17.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 MKD 10.2K

$239 MKD 13.0K

-21.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$396 MKD 21.5K

$505 MKD 27.5K

-21.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$296 MKD 16.1K

$300 MKD 16.3K

-1.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,656 MKD 90.2K

$1,457 MKD 79.3K

13.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,148 MKD 62.5K

$983 MKD 53.6K

16.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$750 MKD 40.9K

$628 MKD 34.2K

19.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

61.25%

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

Last update for Bitola: November 1, 2026

Last update for Strumica: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bitola

$197 22.9%

Strumica

$178 20.7% 9.8% $19

Accommodation & Living

Bitola

$188 21.8%

Strumica

$239 27.9% 27.6% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bitola

$175 20.3%

Strumica

$178 20.8% 2.1% $3.7

Clothing & Footwear

Bitola

$137 15.9%

Strumica

$140 16.3% 1.8% $2.5

Eating Out

Bitola

$111 12.9%

Strumica

$82 9.5% 26% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Bitola

$31 3.6%

Strumica

$35 4% 13.4% $4.1

Getting Around

Bitola

$23 2.7%

Strumica

$7.1 * 0.8% 69% $16

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $261 in Bitola and $316 in Strumica. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bitola pays 19% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $27 in Bitola vs $22 in Strumica for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $197 vs $178 per month, with Strumica cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇰 Bitola

🇲🇰 Strumica

🕒 Local time

21:44 9:44 PM

Same time as Bitola

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,550

36,000

💱 Currency

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

100 MKD = 1.84 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

100 MKD = 1.84 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Bitola Strumica 120 km

From you

Bitola
Strumica

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 Strumica: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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 $316 in Strumica. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $214 in Bitola versus $375 in Strumica. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Bitola. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Strumica is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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

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