Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Bitola

For one person, living is cheaper in Bitola: $856 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Bitola
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Bitola Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Bitola

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$856

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Buenos Aires and in Bitola

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Buenos Aires and in Bitola actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $856 in Bitola.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Bitola $856

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $1,271 in Bitola.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Bitola $1,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $1,686 in Bitola.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Bitola $1,686

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 97% more expensive than in Bitola, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 26% above, Bitola is 36% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$5.13 MKD 281

265.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

$27.02 MKD 1,480

138.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$5.27 MKD 289

144.40%

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,029

$1.89 MKD 103

110.58%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,103

$1.79 MKD 98.3

14.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,349

$1.40 MKD 76.9

10.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,830

$2.14 MKD 118

79.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,970

$2.49 MKD 136

84.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,181

$1.38 MKD 75.4

4.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,738

$0.70 MKD 38.37

251.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,467

$1.66 MKD 91.1

-1.81%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,385

$2.00 MKD 109

44.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$9.75 MKD 534

9.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$7.18 MKD 393

39.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$13.03 MKD 714

5.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,166

$1.00 MKD 54.7

175.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,300

$1.38 MKD 75.9

57.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,205

$1.23 MKD 67.6

17.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,013

$1.53 MKD 83.7

30.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,885

$0.89 MKD 48.86

39.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,921

$1.30 MKD 71.4

-2.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,575

$0.53 MKD 29.01

220.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,617

$0.52 MKD 28.51

232.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,337

$3.25 MKD 178

28.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,790

$5.92 MKD 324

-2.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,163

$0.98 MKD 54.0

113.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,198

$1.77 MKD 96.9

56.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,132

$0.52 MKD 28.75

44.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

$16.10 MKD 882

68.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,451

$1.10 MKD 60.3

47.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,481

$0.61 MKD 33.25

60.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

$6.21 MKD 340

24.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,058

$1.51 MKD 82.9

-9.93%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

$30.8K MKD 1.7M

-9.12%

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

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

$32.4K MKD 1.8M

6.54%

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

$216 ARS 326.9K

$145 MKD 7,950

48.60%

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$13.90 MKD 762

84.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

$13.01 MKD 713

141.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

$21.40 MKD 1,173

132.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

$6.28 MKD 344

171.66%

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

$4.49 MKD 246

132.29%

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

$466 ARS 706.7K

$211 MKD 11.5K

121.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

$1,146 MKD 62.8K

690.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.2K

$75.3 MKD 4,128

62.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

$46.55 MKD 2,551

109.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.4K

$72.0 MKD 3,943

62.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.9K

$112 MKD 6,111

25.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

$264 MKD 14.5K

188.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 766.1K

$185 MKD 10.2K

172.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$397 MKD 21.8K

302.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$295 MKD 16.2K

301.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

$1,707 MKD 93.5K

56.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

$1,180 MKD 64.6K

57.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

$755 MKD 41.4K

26.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

6.45

787.60%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Bitola: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Bitola

$185 21.7% 63.3% $320

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Bitola

$199 23.3% 29.8% $85

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Bitola

$108 12.6% 61.3% $171

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Bitola

$172 20.1% 36.9% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Bitola

$137 16.1% 35.9% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Bitola

$30 3.6% 57% $40

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Bitola

$22 2.6% 39% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $763 in Buenos Aires and $264 in Bitola. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 26% 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: $64.0 in Buenos Aires vs $27.00 in Bitola for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $199 per month, with Bitola cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇲🇰 Bitola

🕒 Local time

02:05 2:05 AM

07:05 7:05 AM

5 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

74,550

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

100 MKD = 1.82 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MKD, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,701 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 54.8 MKD (100 MKD = 1.82 USD). 1 EUR = 61.46 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Bitola 11,700 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Bitola

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

Buenos Aires vs Bitola: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Bitola differ by about 97% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $856 including rent). Bitola is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 26% higher in Buenos Aires, 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: $763 in Buenos Aires versus $264 in Bitola. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 42% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Bitola – a meal for two runs $27.00 versus $64.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $856 in Bitola versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bitola but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Bitola 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, Buenos Aires and Bitola 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 97% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.