Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gostivar and Bitola

For one person, living is cheaper in Gostivar: $837 a month against $859 in Bitola, rent and utilities included – about $260 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Gostivar
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Gostivar Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Bitola
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Bitola Living Index

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Gostivar

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$837

/mo nomad

Bitola

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $837 in Gostivar versus $859 in Bitola.

Gostivar $837
Bitola $859

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,265 in Gostivar versus $1,289 in Bitola.

Gostivar $1,265
Bitola $1,289

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,693 in Gostivar versus $1,718 in Bitola.

Gostivar $1,693
Bitola $1,718

Living in Gostivar costs roughly 3% less than in Bitola, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Gostivar 38% lower, Bitola 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.56 MKD 361

$5.23 MKD 287

25.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.78 MKD 1,528

$26.77 MKD 1,472

3.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.85 MKD 322

$5.04 MKD 277

16.07%

Cappuccino

$1.38 MKD 76.0

$1.96 MKD 108

-29.59%

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

$1.32 MKD 72.7

$1.71 MKD 93.9

-22.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 MKD 58.6

$1.46 MKD 80.3

-27.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.31 MKD 72.3

$2.16 MKD 119

-39.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 MKD 102

$2.62 MKD 144

-29.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 MKD 68.1

$1.38 MKD 75.7

-10.14%

White Bread (500g)

$0.71 MKD 38.81

$0.66 MKD 36.57

7.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 MKD 78.4

$1.72 MKD 94.7

-16.86%

Eggs

$2.37 MKD 130

$1.98 MKD 109

19.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.29 MKD 346

$9.93 MKD 546

-36.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.55 MKD 305

$6.81 MKD 375

-18.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.30 MKD 786

$13.08 MKD 719

9.33%

Apples (1kg)

$1.41 MKD 77.5

$1.01 MKD 55.4

39.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 MKD 77.4

$1.39 MKD 76.6

1.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.32 MKD 72.8

$1.24 MKD 68.1

6.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.86 MKD 102

$1.59 MKD 87.4

16.98%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 MKD 45.51

$0.91 MKD 49.82

-8.79%

Onion (1kg)

$0.75 MKD 41.35

$1.34 MKD 73.6

-44.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 MKD 34.49

$0.53 MKD 28.91

18.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 MKD 29.49

$0.50 MKD 27.30

8.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.79 MKD 154

$3.30 MKD 181

-15.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.44 MKD 244

$6.06 MKD 333

-26.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 MKD 51.7

$0.91 MKD 49.92

3.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 MKD 79.0

$1.83 MKD 101

-21.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.71 MKD 39.02

$0.54 MKD 29.49

31.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.74 MKD 1,416

$16.24 MKD 893

58.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 MKD 41.47

$1.08 MKD 59.3

-30.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 MKD 17.00

$0.57 MKD 31.35

-45.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.77 MKD 427

$6.32 MKD 348

22.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 MKD 78.2

$1.50 MKD 82.4

-5.33%

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

$32.4K MKD 1.8M

$30.9K MKD 1.7M

5.07%

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

$26.6K MKD 1.5M

$32.4K MKD 1.8M

-17.83%

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

$129 MKD 7,092

$148 MKD 8,113

-12.58%

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

$10.81 MKD 595

$14.08 MKD 774

-23.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.72 MKD 1,029

$12.62 MKD 694

48.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.69 MKD 1,193

$22.16 MKD 1,219

-2.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.18 MKD 890

$6.43 MKD 354

151.63%

Cinema Ticket

$7.09 MKD 390

$4.57 MKD 252

55.14%

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

$368 MKD 20.2K

$211 MKD 11.6K

73.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,800 MKD 319.0K

$1,167 MKD 64.2K

396.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.82 MKD 2,025

$76.3 MKD 4,198

-51.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.07 MKD 2,039

$46.27 MKD 2,545

-19.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 MKD 5,550

$73.3 MKD 4,029

37.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MKD 6,181

$111 MKD 6,088

1.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$271 MKD 14.9K

$260 MKD 14.3K

4.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$193 MKD 10.6K

$185 MKD 10.2K

3.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$497 MKD 27.3K

$396 MKD 21.8K

25.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$296 MKD 16.3K

$293 MKD 16.1K

0.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,515 MKD 83.3K

$1,709 MKD 94.0K

-11.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,165 MKD 64.1K

$1,142 MKD 62.8K

2.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$880 MKD 48.4K

$750 MKD 41.3K

17.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.23

6.45

-34.42%

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

Last update for Gostivar: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bitola: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gostivar

$193 23%

Bitola

$185 21.6% 3.8% $7.3

Groceries & Markets

Gostivar

$184 21.9%

Bitola

$198 23.1% 8.1% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gostivar

$158 18.9%

Bitola

$174 20.3% 9.9% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Gostivar

$129 15.4%

Bitola

$138 16.1% 6.7% $8.7

Eating Out

Gostivar

$106 12.7%

Bitola

$109 12.7% 2.6% $2.8

Sport & Entertainment

Gostivar

$36 4.3%

Bitola

$31 3.7% 12.7% $4.6

Getting Around

Gostivar

$31 3.7%

Bitola

$22 2.6% 27.8% $8.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $271 in Gostivar and $260 in Bitola. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gostivar pays 17% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $28 in Gostivar vs $27 in Bitola. Groceries flip the comparison at $184 vs $198, with Gostivar cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇰 Gostivar

🇲🇰 Bitola

🕒 Local time

16:00 4:00 PM

Same time as Gostivar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,000

74,550

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Gostivar Bitola 92 km

From you

Gostivar
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

Gostivar vs Bitola: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $837 in Gostivar and $859 in Bitola, so Gostivar is about 3% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 17% higher in Gostivar, 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: $271 in Gostivar versus $260 in Bitola. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Bitola. 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 versus $28 in Gostivar. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Gostivar is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.