Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Bitola

For one person, living is cheaper in Bitola: $856 a month against $934 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $940 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cebu outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Bitola
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Bitola Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Bitola

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$856

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $934 in Cebu versus $856 in Bitola.

Cebu $934
Bitola $856

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,415 in Cebu versus $1,271 in Bitola.

Cebu $1,415
Bitola $1,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,896 in Cebu versus $1,686 in Bitola.

Cebu $1,896
Bitola $1,686

Living in Cebu is roughly 9% more expensive than in Bitola, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 30% lower, Bitola 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 ₱190

$5.13 MKD 281

-40.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.48 ₱1,473

$27.02 MKD 1,480

-13.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.09 ₱256

$5.27 MKD 289

-22.39%

Cappuccino

$2.52 ₱158

$1.89 MKD 103

33.33%

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

$1.54 ₱96.9

$1.79 MKD 98.3

-13.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱30.98

$1.40 MKD 76.9

-65.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.79 ₱112

$2.14 MKD 118

-16.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ₱142

$2.49 MKD 136

-9.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ₱122

$1.38 MKD 75.4

41.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ₱89.7

$0.70 MKD 38.37

104.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ₱63.8

$1.66 MKD 91.1

-38.55%

Eggs

$2.06 ₱129

$2.00 MKD 109

3.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.81 ₱615

$9.75 MKD 534

0.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.61 ₱289

$7.18 MKD 393

-35.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.70 ₱483

$13.03 MKD 714

-40.91%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱207

$1.00 MKD 54.7

231.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 ₱90.9

$1.38 MKD 75.9

5.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$1.23 MKD 67.6

91.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ₱96.4

$1.53 MKD 83.7

0.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$0.89 MKD 48.86

165.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 ₱125

$1.30 MKD 71.4

53.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ₱72.1

$0.53 MKD 29.01

116.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ₱42.15

$0.52 MKD 28.51

28.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱188

$3.25 MKD 178

-7.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.35 ₱398

$5.92 MKD 324

7.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₱81.9

$0.98 MKD 54.0

33.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱108

$1.77 MKD 96.9

-2.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.78

$0.52 MKD 28.75

-51.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.65 ₱793

$16.10 MKD 882

-21.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱46.32

$1.10 MKD 60.3

-32.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.11

$0.61 MKD 33.25

-65.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.33 ₱271

$6.21 MKD 340

-30.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ₱83.5

$1.51 MKD 82.9

-11.92%

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

$21.8K ₱1.4M

$30.8K MKD 1.7M

-29.39%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$32.4K MKD 1.8M

-40.15%

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

$121 ₱7,563

$145 MKD 7,950

-16.88%

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

$14.45 ₱907

$13.90 MKD 762

3.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.29 ₱1,774

$13.01 MKD 713

117.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.68 ₱2,050

$21.40 MKD 1,173

52.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.39 ₱401

$6.28 MKD 344

1.75%

Cinema Ticket

$5.46 ₱342

$4.49 MKD 246

21.60%

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

$273 ₱17.1K

$211 MKD 11.5K

29.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,156 ₱511.5K

$1,146 MKD 62.8K

611.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.57 ₱3,109

$75.3 MKD 4,128

-34.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.87 ₱1,560

$46.55 MKD 2,551

-46.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,804

$72.0 MKD 3,943

6.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.3 ₱3,717

$112 MKD 6,111

-46.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$506 ₱31.7K

$264 MKD 14.5K

91.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$185 MKD 10.2K

66.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,052 ₱66.0K

$397 MKD 21.8K

164.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$619 ₱38.8K

$295 MKD 16.2K

109.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,915 ₱182.9K

$1,707 MKD 93.5K

70.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,867 ₱117.1K

$1,180 MKD 64.6K

58.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$341 ₱21.4K

$755 MKD 41.4K

-54.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

6.45

11.63%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Last update for Bitola: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.5%

Bitola

$185 21.7% 40.1% $124

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.7%

Bitola

$199 23.3% 5.2% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$163 17.7%

Bitola

$172 20.1% 5.3% $8.7

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$95 10.2%

Bitola

$137 16.1% 45.2% $43

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Bitola

$108 12.6% 22.2% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.7%

Bitola

$30 3.6% 30.3% $13

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Bitola

$22 2.6% 44.6% $6.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $506 in Cebu and $264 in Bitola. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bitola pays 121% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $23.00 in Cebu vs $27.00 in Bitola. Groceries flip the comparison at $210 vs $199, with Bitola cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇲🇰 Bitola

🕒 Local time

15:28 3:28 PM

09:28 9:28 AM

6 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

74,550

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

100 MKD = 1.82 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MKD, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.35 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 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 PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Bitola 10,290 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
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

Cebu vs Bitola: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu and Bitola differ by about 9% in total monthly costs ($934 vs $856 including rent). Bitola is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 121% lower in Bitola. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $506 in Cebu versus $264 in Bitola. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Cebu. 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 $23.00 in Cebu. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Bitola gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Cebu 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 9% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.