Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bitola and Tbilisi

For one person, living is cheaper in Bitola: $859 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Bitola, North Macedonia
Tbilisi, Georgia
Bitola
🇲🇰 North Macedonia
$859
/mo nomad
Tbilisi
🇬🇪 Georgia
$1,269
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bitola and in Tbilisi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Bitola versus $1,269 in Tbilisi.

  • Bitola $859
  • Tbilisi $1,269

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,289 in Bitola versus $2,016 in Tbilisi.

  • Bitola $1,289
  • Tbilisi $2,016

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,718 in Bitola versus $2,763 in Tbilisi.

  • Bitola $1,718
  • Tbilisi $2,763

Living in Bitola costs roughly 32% less than in Tbilisi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bitola 37% lower, Tbilisi 7% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bitola
Tbilisi
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.23 MKD 287
$11.63 ₾30.07
-55.03%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$26.77 MKD 1,472
$37.83 ₾97.8
-29.24%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.04 MKD 277
$9.66 ₾24.98
-47.83%
Cappuccino
$1.96 MKD 108
$3.57 ₾9.24
-45.10%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.71 MKD 93.9
$1.08 ₾2.78
58.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.46 MKD 80.3
$0.56 ₾1.45
160.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.16 MKD 119
$2.62 ₾6.78
-17.56%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.62 MKD 144
$3.04 ₾7.85
-13.82%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bitola
Tbilisi
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.38 MKD 75.7
$2.17 ₾5.60
-36.41%
White Bread (500g)
$0.66 MKD 36.57
$0.80 ₾2.06
-17.50%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.72 MKD 94.7
$1.74 ₾4.51
-1.15%
Eggs
$1.98 MKD 109
$2.83 ₾7.31
-30.04%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.93 MKD 546
$9.31 ₾24.07
6.66%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.81 MKD 375
$6.52 ₾16.85
4.45%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.08 MKD 719
$12.95 ₾33.50
1.00%
Apples (1kg)
$1.01 MKD 55.4
$1.68 ₾4.33
-39.88%
Banana (1kg)
$1.39 MKD 76.6
$1.85 ₾4.79
-24.86%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.24 MKD 68.1
$1.97 ₾5.10
-37.06%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.59 MKD 87.4
$2.42 ₾6.25
-34.30%
Potato (1kg)
$0.91 MKD 49.82
$0.82 ₾2.11
10.98%
Onion (1kg)
$1.34 MKD 73.6
$0.74 ₾1.91
81.08%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.53 MKD 28.91
$1.34 ₾3.47
-60.45%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.50 MKD 27.30
$0.77 ₾2.00
-35.06%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.30 MKD 181
$3.57 ₾9.24
-7.56%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.06 MKD 333
$7.67 ₾19.83
-20.99%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.91 MKD 49.92
$1.70 ₾4.39
-46.47%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.83 MKD 101
$2.40 ₾6.21
-23.75%
🚌 Getting Around
Bitola
Tbilisi
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.54 MKD 29.49
$0.40 ₾1.05
35.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$16.24 MKD 893
$15.23 ₾39.38
6.63%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.08 MKD 59.3
$1.14 ₾2.95
-5.26%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.57 MKD 31.35
$0.78 ₾2.02
-26.92%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.32 MKD 348
$11.83 ₾30.58
-46.58%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.50 MKD 82.4
$1.45 ₾3.75
3.45%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.9K MKD 1.7M
$24.6K ₾63.6K
25.62%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.4K MKD 1.8M
$22.3K ₾57.8K
44.89%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bitola
Tbilisi
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$148 MKD 8,113
$88.8 ₾230
66.10%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.08 MKD 774
$13.12 ₾33.93
7.32%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$12.62 MKD 694
$19.67 ₾50.9
-35.84%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bitola
Tbilisi
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$22.16 MKD 1,219
$64.1 ₾166
-65.40%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.43 MKD 354
$19.04 ₾49.24
-66.23%
Cinema Ticket
$4.57 MKD 252
$7.12 ₾18.42
-35.81%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bitola
Tbilisi
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$211 MKD 11.6K
$375 ₾971
-43.68%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,167 MKD 64.2K
$10.5K ₾27.1K
-88.85%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bitola
Tbilisi
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$76.3 MKD 4,198
$104 ₾268
-26.36%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$46.27 MKD 2,545
$39.26 ₾102
17.86%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$73.3 MKD 4,029
$117 ₾303
-37.58%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$111 MKD 6,088
$122 ₾315
-9.08%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bitola
Tbilisi
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$260 MKD 14.3K
$695 ₾1,798
-62.66%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$185 MKD 10.2K
$451 ₾1,167
-58.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$396 MKD 21.8K
$1,355 ₾3,504
-70.79%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$293 MKD 16.1K
$906 ₾2,343
-67.67%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,709 MKD 94.0K
$2,295 ₾5,934
-25.52%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,142 MKD 62.8K
$1,345 ₾3,478
-15.06%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bitola
Tbilisi
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$750 MKD 41.3K
$664 ₾1,718
12.93%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.45
12.62
-48.89%

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

Last update for Bitola: October 26, 2026

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Bitola
$198
Tbilisi
$234 17.9% $36
Accommodation & Living
Bitola
$185
Tbilisi
$451 144% $266
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bitola
$174
Tbilisi
$122 30.2% $53
Clothing & Footwear
Bitola
$138
Tbilisi
$172 24.6% $34
Eating Out
Bitola
$109
Tbilisi
$191 74.5% $81
Sport & Entertainment
Bitola
$31
Tbilisi
$78 150% $47
Getting Around
Bitola
$22
Tbilisi
$22 1.8% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $260 in Bitola and $695 in Tbilisi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bitola pays 13% 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 $38 in Tbilisi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $198 vs $234 per month, with Bitola cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇰 Bitola
🇬🇪 Tbilisi
🕒 Local time
01:46 1:46 AM
04:46 4:46 AM
3 h ahead of Bitola
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
74,550
1,241,700 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GEL, USD, EUR to MKD – North Macedonian Denar Converter

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 55 MKD (100 MKD = 1.82 USD). 1 EUR = 61.41 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.89 GEL (1 GEL = 0.346 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Bitola Tbilisi 1,950 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Bitola
  • Tbilisi

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 Tbilisi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Bitola and in Tbilisi?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $859 in Bitola and $1,269 in Tbilisi, so Bitola is about 32% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Bitola or Tbilisi?
Average pay runs 13% higher in Bitola, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Bitola and in Tbilisi?
Rent for a central apartment: $260 in Bitola versus $695 in Tbilisi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Tbilisi. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Bitola – a meal for two runs $27 versus $38 in Tbilisi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
At $859 in Bitola versus $1,269 in Tbilisi, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Bitola but tight or insufficient in Tbilisi. The gap between the two cities makes Bitola the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Bitola and Tbilisi?
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.
Is Bitola or Tbilisi safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Bitola and Tbilisi are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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