Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Bitola

For one person, living is cheaper in Bitola: $859 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Bitola
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Bitola Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Bitola

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,567 in Mexico City versus $859 in Bitola.

Mexico City $1,567
Bitola $859

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,450 in Mexico City versus $1,287 in Bitola.

Mexico City $2,450
Bitola $1,287

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,333 in Mexico City versus $1,714 in Bitola.

Mexico City $3,333
Bitola $1,714

Living in Mexico City is roughly 82% more expensive than in Bitola, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 16% above, Bitola is 36% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.75 MX$199

$5.25 MKD 286

104.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 MX$929

$27.59 MKD 1,505

82.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 MX$205

$5.28 MKD 288

110.23%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$1.89 MKD 103

94.71%

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

$1.65 MX$30.42

$1.78 MKD 97.0

-7.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$24.08

$1.38 MKD 75.4

-5.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 MX$61.3

$2.23 MKD 122

48.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 MX$102

$2.55 MKD 139

117.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 MX$32.68

$1.32 MKD 72.1

34.09%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 MX$56.4

$0.65 MKD 35.45

369.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.20

$1.66 MKD 90.8

21.08%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.1

$2.01 MKD 110

37.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.91 MX$220

$9.70 MKD 529

22.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$172

$7.16 MKD 391

30.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 MX$278

$12.95 MKD 706

15.98%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 MX$56.8

$1.00 MKD 54.6

208.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.97

$1.39 MKD 75.8

40.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.54

$1.20 MKD 65.7

69.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 MX$40.92

$1.59 MKD 86.7

38.99%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.41

$0.90 MKD 49.03

124.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.67

$1.28 MKD 70.0

42.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$0.55 MKD 30.20

176.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.65

$0.53 MKD 28.98

141.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.27 MX$97.4

$3.20 MKD 175

64.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.12 MX$298

$6.08 MKD 331

165.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 MX$36.05

$0.95 MKD 51.9

105.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$78.6

$1.84 MKD 100

130.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.82

$0.56 MKD 30.79

-44.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$367

$16.02 MKD 874

23.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.93

$1.08 MKD 58.9

85.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.86

$0.62 MKD 33.65

-14.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 MX$104

$6.29 MKD 343

-10.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$1.49 MKD 81.3

2.01%

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

$21.0K MX$388.7K

$30.9K MKD 1.7M

-31.94%

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

$25.2K MX$465.3K

$32.3K MKD 1.8M

-22.08%

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

$62.5 MX$1,155

$146 MKD 7,982

-57.29%

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

$28.77 MX$532

$14.27 MKD 778

101.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.45 MX$637

$12.60 MKD 687

173.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,055

$21.67 MKD 1,182

163.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

$6.20 MKD 338

300.16%

Cinema Ticket

$6.67 MX$123

$4.49 MKD 245

48.55%

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

$431 MX$7,964

$212 MKD 11.6K

103.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K MX$216.9K

$1,142 MKD 62.3K

928.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MX$1,308

$75.1 MKD 4,095

-5.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 MX$958

$47.48 MKD 2,590

9.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$2,011

$72.3 MKD 3,943

50.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MX$2,076

$108 MKD 5,909

3.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 MX$19.4K

$258 MKD 14.0K

308.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 MX$12.3K

$188 MKD 10.3K

253.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,346 MX$43.3K

$397 MKD 21.7K

490.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 MX$22.7K

$290 MKD 15.8K

322.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.7K

$1,665 MKD 90.8K

113.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 MX$36.5K

$1,163 MKD 63.4K

70.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$975 MX$18.0K

$748 MKD 40.8K

30.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

6.45

75.19%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bitola: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$665 42.4%

Bitola

$188 21.9% 71.7% $477

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$323 20.6%

Bitola

$199 23.1% 38.4% $124

Eating Out

Mexico City

$203 13%

Bitola

$109 12.7% 46.1% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$155 9.9%

Bitola

$136 15.9% 11.8% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

Bitola

$173 20.2% 37.8% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Bitola

$31 3.6% 56.5% $40

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.6%

Bitola

$22 2.6% 13% $3.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,051 in Mexico City and $258 in Bitola. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 30% 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: $50.0 in Mexico City vs $28.00 in Bitola for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $323 vs $199 per month, with Bitola cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇲🇰 Bitola

🕒 Local time

12:28 12:28 PM

20:28 8:28 PM

8 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

74,550

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MKD = 1.83 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MKD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 54.55 MKD (100 MKD = 1.83 USD). 1 EUR = 61.33 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Bitola 10,920 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
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

Mexico City vs Bitola: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Bitola differ by about 82% in total monthly costs ($1,567 vs $859 including rent). Bitola is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 30% higher in Mexico City, 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: $1,051 in Mexico City versus $258 in Bitola. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 62% higher in Mexico City. 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 $28.00 versus $50.0 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $859 in Bitola versus $1,567 in Mexico City, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bitola but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. 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, Mexico City 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 82% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.