Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stip and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Stip: $806 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 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
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Stip

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$806

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Stip and in Bucharest

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 Bucharest actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $806 in Stip versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Stip $806
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,205 in Stip versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Stip $1,205
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,605 in Stip versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Stip $1,605
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Stip costs roughly 40% less than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Stip 40% lower, Bucharest 1% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.33 MKD 400

$14.49 RON 68.6

-49.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.62 MKD 1,288

$58.1 RON 275

-59.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.30 MKD 344

$7.48 RON 35.40

-15.78%

Cappuccino

$1.80 MKD 98.1

$3.44 RON 16.29

-47.67%

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

$1.48 MKD 80.6

$2.37 RON 11.22

-37.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.07 MKD 58.2

$2.30 RON 10.88

-53.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.77 MKD 96.8

$3.70 RON 17.51

-52.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 MKD 152

$4.16 RON 19.69

-32.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 MKD 67.2

$1.67 RON 7.90

-26.35%

White Bread (500g)

$0.75 MKD 40.86

$1.37 RON 6.50

-45.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.07 MKD 58.1

$1.72 RON 8.14

-37.79%

Eggs

$2.42 MKD 132

$3.64 RON 17.22

-33.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.12 MKD 443

$9.08 RON 42.98

-10.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.25 MKD 395

$6.84 RON 32.35

5.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.46 MKD 407

$12.00 RON 56.8

-37.83%

Apples (1kg)

$0.87 MKD 47.22

$1.23 RON 5.80

-29.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MKD 78.7

$1.63 RON 7.73

-11.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.32 MKD 72.0

$1.57 RON 7.45

-15.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 MKD 90.8

$2.54 RON 12.01

-34.65%

Potato (1kg)

$0.87 MKD 47.63

$0.79 RON 3.75

10.13%

Onion (1kg)

$0.78 MKD 42.51

$0.77 RON 3.66

1.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.53 MKD 29.07

$0.87 RON 4.13

-39.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.40 MKD 21.66

$0.99 RON 4.70

-59.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.26 MKD 178

$6.31 RON 29.86

-48.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.26 MKD 396

$6.20 RON 29.34

17.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 MKD 58.4

$1.19 RON 5.63

-10.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 MKD 77.4

$1.57 RON 7.45

-9.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 MKD 34.29

$0.86 RON 4.08

-26.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.20 MKD 1,266

$21.10 RON 99.8

9.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.12 MKD 60.9

$0.64 RON 3.05

75.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 MKD 33.63

$0.60 RON 2.86

3.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.60 MKD 306

$6.43 RON 30.43

-12.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MKD 82.7

$1.96 RON 9.25

-22.45%

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

$36.0K MKD 2.0M

$29.0K RON 137.2K

24.02%

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

$27.9K MKD 1.5M

$26.6K RON 126.0K

4.73%

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

$157 MKD 8,562

$196 RON 927

-19.87%

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

$9.01 MKD 492

$8.04 RON 38.04

12.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.56 MKD 903

$9.35 RON 44.21

77.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.61 MKD 1,506

$50.2 RON 238

-45.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.17 MKD 937

$25.33 RON 120

-32.21%

Cinema Ticket

$6.19 MKD 338

$8.15 RON 38.55

-24.05%

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

$350 MKD 19.1K

$628 RON 2,971

-44.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,765 MKD 314.5K

$14.1K RON 66.6K

-59.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.68 MKD 1,946

$89.6 RON 424

-60.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.62 MKD 1,670

$38.32 RON 181

-20.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 MKD 5,487

$79.3 RON 375

26.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 MKD 6,196

$90.4 RON 428

25.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$201 MKD 11.0K

$678 RON 3,209

-70.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$126 MKD 6,876

$448 RON 2,121

-71.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$327 MKD 17.9K

$1,083 RON 5,125

-69.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$197 MKD 10.7K

$725 RON 3,430

-72.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,214 MKD 66.2K

$3,751 RON 17.7K

-67.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$958 MKD 52.3K

$2,195 RON 10.4K

-56.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$462 MKD 25.2K

$1,329 RON 6,290

-65.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.23

6.75

-37.33%

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

Last update for Stip: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stip

$183 22.7%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 16.8% $31

Groceries & Markets

Stip

$177 22%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 27.1% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Stip

$126 15.7%

Bucharest

$134 10% 6.1% $7.7

Accommodation & Living

Stip

$126 15.7%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 256% $322

Eating Out

Stip

$124 15.4%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 82% $101

Sport & Entertainment

Stip

$40 5%

Bucharest

$67 5% 66.3% $27

Getting Around

Stip

$30 3.7%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 5.7% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $201 in Stip and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 187% 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: $24.00 in Stip vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $177 vs $225 per month, with Stip cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇰 Stip

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

01:59 1:59 AM

02:59 2:59 AM

1 h ahead of Stip

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

65,000

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 MKD = 1.83 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to MKD – North Macedonian Denar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇰 North Macedonian Denar (ден)

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 54.55 MKD (100 MKD = 1.83 USD). 1 EUR = 61.33 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to MKD in detail →

On the map

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Stip Bucharest 440 km

From you

Stip
Bucharest

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 Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Stip and Bucharest differ by about 66% in total monthly costs ($806 vs $1,340 including rent). Stip is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 187% lower in Bucharest. 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 $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $806 per month in Stip versus $1,340 in Bucharest – a 66% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Stip runs roughly 10% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $806 in Stip versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Stip but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Stip 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, Stip and Bucharest 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 Stip gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.