Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stip and Bitola

For one person, living is cheaper in Stip: $809 a month against $859 in Bitola, rent and utilities included – about $600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Stip
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Stip Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Bitola
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Bitola Living Index

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Stip

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$809

/mo nomad

Bitola

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $809 in Stip versus $859 in Bitola.

Stip $809
Bitola $859

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,210 in Stip versus $1,289 in Bitola.

Stip $1,210
Bitola $1,289

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,611 in Stip versus $1,718 in Bitola.

Stip $1,611
Bitola $1,718

Living in Stip costs roughly 6% less than in Bitola, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Stip 41% lower, Bitola 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.45 MKD 411

$5.23 MKD 288

42.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.08 MKD 1,272

$26.77 MKD 1,475

-13.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.30 MKD 347

$5.04 MKD 278

25.00%

Cappuccino

$1.81 MKD 99.5

$1.96 MKD 108

-7.65%

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

$1.43 MKD 78.8

$1.71 MKD 94.1

-16.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.07 MKD 58.9

$1.46 MKD 80.5

-26.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.84 MKD 102

$2.16 MKD 119

-14.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MKD 152

$2.62 MKD 145

4.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 MKD 70.3

$1.38 MKD 75.9

-7.97%

White Bread (500g)

$0.74 MKD 40.95

$0.66 MKD 36.65

12.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.11 MKD 61.2

$1.72 MKD 94.9

-35.47%

Eggs

$2.52 MKD 139

$1.98 MKD 109

27.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.96 MKD 439

$9.93 MKD 547

-19.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.26 MKD 400

$6.81 MKD 376

6.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.21 MKD 398

$13.08 MKD 721

-44.88%

Apples (1kg)

$0.90 MKD 49.40

$1.01 MKD 55.5

-10.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 MKD 79.8

$1.39 MKD 76.8

4.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.32 MKD 72.9

$1.24 MKD 68.2

6.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.60 MKD 88.0

$1.59 MKD 87.6

0.63%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 MKD 48.77

$0.91 MKD 49.93

-3.30%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 MKD 44.05

$1.34 MKD 73.7

-40.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 MKD 31.04

$0.53 MKD 28.97

5.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 MKD 23.15

$0.50 MKD 27.36

-16.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.25 MKD 179

$3.30 MKD 182

-1.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 MKD 409

$6.06 MKD 334

22.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 MKD 56.9

$0.91 MKD 50.0

13.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 MKD 82.0

$1.83 MKD 101

-18.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.67 MKD 36.94

$0.54 MKD 29.55

24.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.98 MKD 1,322

$16.24 MKD 895

47.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.08 MKD 59.4

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.58 MKD 31.80

$0.57 MKD 31.42

1.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.54 MKD 305

$6.32 MKD 348

-12.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MKD 84.4

$1.50 MKD 82.6

2.00%

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

$33.1K MKD 1.8M

$30.9K MKD 1.7M

7.32%

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

$26.0K MKD 1.4M

$32.4K MKD 1.8M

-19.75%

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

$158 MKD 8,696

$148 MKD 8,130

6.96%

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

$8.95 MKD 493

$14.08 MKD 776

-36.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.29 MKD 898

$12.62 MKD 696

29.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.01 MKD 1,489

$22.16 MKD 1,221

21.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.36 MKD 957

$6.43 MKD 354

169.98%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 MKD 358

$4.57 MKD 252

42.23%

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

$357 MKD 19.7K

$211 MKD 11.7K

68.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,645 MKD 311.2K

$1,167 MKD 64.3K

383.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.74 MKD 1,970

$76.3 MKD 4,207

-53.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.66 MKD 1,690

$46.27 MKD 2,550

-33.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 MKD 5,567

$73.3 MKD 4,038

37.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MKD 6,214

$111 MKD 6,101

1.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$201 MKD 11.1K

$260 MKD 14.3K

-22.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$127 MKD 7,001

$185 MKD 10.2K

-31.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$331 MKD 18.2K

$396 MKD 21.8K

-16.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$201 MKD 11.1K

$293 MKD 16.1K

-31.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,210 MKD 66.7K

$1,709 MKD 94.2K

-29.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$976 MKD 53.8K

$1,142 MKD 63.0K

-14.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$463 MKD 25.5K

$750 MKD 41.3K

-38.22%

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 Stip: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bitola: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stip

$183 22.6%

Bitola

$174 20.3% 4.8% $8.8

Groceries & Markets

Stip

$177 21.9%

Bitola

$198 23.1% 11.8% $21

Accommodation & Living

Stip

$127 15.7%

Bitola

$185 21.6% 45.9% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Stip

$126 15.6%

Bitola

$138 16.1% 9.4% $12

Eating Out

Stip

$125 15.4%

Bitola

$109 12.7% 12.5% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Stip

$40 5%

Bitola

$31 3.7% 21.8% $8.7

Getting Around

Stip

$31 3.8%

Bitola

$22 2.6% 27.1% $8.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $201 in Stip and $260 in Bitola. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bitola pays 62% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $23 in Stip vs $27 in Bitola for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $177 vs $198 per month, with Stip cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇰 Stip

🇲🇰 Bitola

🕒 Local time

23:50 11:50 PM

Same time as Stip

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

65,000

74,550

💱 Currency

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

100 MKD = 1.81 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

100 MKD = 1.81 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Stip Bitola 110 km

From you

Stip
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

Stip vs Bitola: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $809 in Stip and $859 in Bitola, so Stip is about 6% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 38% lower in Stip. 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: $201 in Stip versus $260 in Bitola. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Bitola. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Stip – a meal for two runs $23 versus $27 in Bitola. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Stip gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Safety-wise, Stip and Bitola are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Stip wins on affordability, Bitola on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.