Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Stip

For one person, living is cheaper in Stip: $806 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Stip
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Stip Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Stip

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest 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 Bucharest and in Stip actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $806 in Stip.

Bucharest $1,340
Stip $806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $1,205 in Stip.

Bucharest $2,037
Stip $1,205

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $1,605 in Stip.

Bucharest $2,734
Stip $1,605

Living in Bucharest is roughly 66% more expensive than in Stip, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Stip 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$7.33 MKD 400

97.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$23.62 MKD 1,288

145.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$6.30 MKD 344

18.73%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$1.80 MKD 98.1

91.11%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$1.48 MKD 80.6

60.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$1.07 MKD 58.2

114.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$1.77 MKD 96.8

109.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$2.79 MKD 152

49.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$1.23 MKD 67.2

35.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$0.75 MKD 40.86

82.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$1.07 MKD 58.1

60.75%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$2.42 MKD 132

50.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$8.12 MKD 443

11.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$7.25 MKD 395

-5.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$7.46 MKD 407

60.86%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$0.87 MKD 47.22

41.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$1.44 MKD 78.7

13.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.32 MKD 72.0

18.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$1.66 MKD 90.8

53.01%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$0.87 MKD 47.63

-9.20%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$0.78 MKD 42.51

-1.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$0.53 MKD 29.07

64.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$0.40 MKD 21.66

147.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$3.26 MKD 178

93.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$7.26 MKD 396

-14.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$1.07 MKD 58.4

11.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.42 MKD 77.4

10.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$0.63 MKD 34.29

36.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

$23.20 MKD 1,266

-9.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$1.12 MKD 60.9

-42.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$0.62 MKD 33.63

-3.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$5.60 MKD 306

14.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$1.52 MKD 82.7

28.95%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$36.0K MKD 2.0M

-19.37%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$27.9K MKD 1.5M

-4.52%

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

$196 RON 927

$157 MKD 8,562

24.80%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$9.01 MKD 492

-10.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$16.56 MKD 903

-43.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$27.61 MKD 1,506

81.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

$17.17 MKD 937

47.52%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$6.19 MKD 338

31.66%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$350 MKD 19.1K

79.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$5,765 MKD 314.5K

144.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$35.68 MKD 1,946

151.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$30.62 MKD 1,670

25.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$101 MKD 5,487

-21.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$114 MKD 6,196

-20.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$201 MKD 11.0K

237.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$126 MKD 6,876

255.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$327 MKD 17.9K

230.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$197 MKD 10.7K

268.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

$1,214 MKD 66.2K

208.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

$958 MKD 52.3K

129.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

$462 MKD 25.2K

187.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

4.23

59.57%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Stip: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Stip

$126 15.7% 71.9% $322

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Stip

$124 15.4% 45% $101

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Stip

$177 22% 21.3% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Stip

$183 22.7% 14.4% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Stip

$126 15.7% 5.8% $7.7

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Stip

$40 5% 39.9% $27

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Stip

$30 3.7% 6% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $201 in Stip. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 187% 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: $58.0 in Bucharest vs $24.00 in Stip for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $177 per month, with Stip cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇲🇰 Stip

🕒 Local time

03:46 3:46 AM

02:46 2:46 AM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

65,000

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

100 MKD = 1.83 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MKD, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 54.55 MKD (100 MKD = 1.83 USD). 1 EUR = 61.33 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Bucharest Stip 440 km

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Bucharest
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

Bucharest vs Stip: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Stip differ by about 66% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $806 including rent). Stip is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 187% higher in Bucharest, 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: $678 in Bucharest versus $201 in Stip. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,340 per month in Bucharest versus $806 in Stip – a 66% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Stip runs roughly 10% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $806 in Stip versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Stip but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Stip the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Bucharest and Stip 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 Stip gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.