Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bitola and Veles

For one person, living is cheaper in Veles: $766 a month against $859 in Bitola, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Veles
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Veles Living Index

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Bitola

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$859

/mo nomad

Veles

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$766

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bitola and in Veles

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Bitola versus $766 in Veles.

Bitola $859
Veles $766

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,289 in Bitola versus $1,137 in Veles.

Bitola $1,289
Veles $1,137

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,718 in Bitola versus $1,507 in Veles.

Bitola $1,718
Veles $1,507

Living in Bitola is roughly 12% more expensive than in Veles, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bitola 37% lower, Veles 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.23 MKD 288

$8.78 MKD 483

-40.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.77 MKD 1,473

$18.09 MKD 995

47.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.04 MKD 278

$5.43 MKD 299

-7.18%

Cappuccino

$1.96 MKD 108

$1.56 MKD 85.7

25.64%

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

$1.71 MKD 94.0

$1.33 MKD 73.3

28.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 MKD 80.3

$0.82 MKD 45.00

78.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 MKD 119

$1.47 MKD 81.1

46.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 MKD 144

$3.11 MKD 171

-15.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 MKD 75.8

$1.03 MKD 56.6

33.98%

White Bread (500g)

$0.66 MKD 36.58

$0.53 MKD 29.29

24.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 MKD 94.8

$1.51 MKD 83.3

13.91%

Eggs

$1.98 MKD 109

$2.48 MKD 136

-20.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.93 MKD 546

$2.97 MKD 163

234.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.81 MKD 375

$3.93 MKD 216

73.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.08 MKD 720

$15.02 MKD 826

-12.92%

Apples (1kg)

$1.01 MKD 55.4

$1.44 MKD 79.1

-29.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 MKD 76.6

$1.46 MKD 80.4

-4.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.24 MKD 68.1

$1.34 MKD 73.7

-7.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 MKD 87.4

$1.89 MKD 104

-15.87%

Potato (1kg)

$0.91 MKD 49.84

$0.90 MKD 49.68

1.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 MKD 73.6

$0.83 MKD 45.91

61.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.53 MKD 28.92

$0.59 MKD 32.73

-10.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 MKD 27.31

$0.60 MKD 32.90

-16.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.30 MKD 181

$3.23 MKD 178

2.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 MKD 333

$6.22 MKD 342

-2.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 MKD 49.93

$1.02 MKD 56.2

-10.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 MKD 101

$1.44 MKD 79.3

27.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 MKD 29.50

$0.80 MKD 43.93

-32.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.24 MKD 894

$23.73 MKD 1,306

-31.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.08 MKD 59.3

$1.10 MKD 60.7

-1.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 MKD 31.36

$0.58 MKD 31.70

-1.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.32 MKD 348

$7.67 MKD 422

-17.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 MKD 82.4

$1.40 MKD 76.8

7.14%

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

$30.9K MKD 1.7M

$26.5K MKD 1.5M

16.49%

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

$32.4K MKD 1.8M

$24.8K MKD 1.4M

30.55%

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

$148 MKD 8,116

$108 MKD 5,963

36.08%

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

$14.08 MKD 775

$16.80 MKD 924

-16.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.62 MKD 694

$12.21 MKD 672

3.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.16 MKD 1,219

$25.03 MKD 1,377

-11.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.43 MKD 354

$17.81 MKD 980

-63.90%

Cinema Ticket

$4.57 MKD 252

$3.37 MKD 185

35.61%

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

$211 MKD 11.6K

$214 MKD 11.8K

-1.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,167 MKD 64.2K

$5,661 MKD 311.5K

-79.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.3 MKD 4,199

$21.40 MKD 1,177

256.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.27 MKD 2,546

$18.01 MKD 991

156.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.3 MKD 4,031

$73.6 MKD 4,047

-0.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 MKD 6,090

$109 MKD 5,977

1.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$260 MKD 14.3K

$223 MKD 12.2K

16.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$185 MKD 10.2K

$169 MKD 9,289

9.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$396 MKD 21.8K

$290 MKD 15.9K

36.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$293 MKD 16.1K

$232 MKD 12.8K

26.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,709 MKD 94.0K

$1,181 MKD 65.0K

44.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,142 MKD 62.8K

$940 MKD 51.7K

21.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$750 MKD 41.3K

$586 MKD 32.2K

28.05%

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 Veles: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bitola

$198 23.1%

Veles

$170 22.2% 14.1% $28

Accommodation & Living

Bitola

$185 21.6%

Veles

$169 22% 8.9% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bitola

$174 20.3%

Veles

$137 17.9% 21.1% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Bitola

$138 16.1%

Veles

$100 13% 27.7% $38

Eating Out

Bitola

$109 12.7%

Veles

$127 16.6% 16.7% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Bitola

$31 3.7%

Veles

$32 4.1% 1.5% $0.5

Getting Around

Bitola

$22 2.6%

Veles

$31 4% 38.5% $8.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $260 in Bitola and $223 in Veles. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bitola pays 28% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $27 in Bitola vs $18 in Veles for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $198 vs $170 per month, with Veles cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇰 Bitola

🇲🇰 Veles

🕒 Local time

05:25 5:25 AM

Same time as Bitola

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,550

43,716

💱 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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Bitola Veles 85 km

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Bitola
Veles

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 Veles: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $859 in Bitola and $766 in Veles, so Veles is about 11% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 28% 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 $223 in Veles. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Bitola. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Veles – a meal for two runs $18 versus $27 in Bitola. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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

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