Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stip and Colombo

For one person, living costs are similar in Stip and in Colombo: $809 and $804 a month, rent and utilities included.

39

Cost of Living Index in Stip
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Stip Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Colombo
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Colombo Living Index

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Stip

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$809

/mo nomad

Colombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$804

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Stip and in Colombo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $809 in Stip versus $804 in Colombo.

Stip $809
Colombo $804

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,210 in Stip versus $1,240 in Colombo.

Stip $1,210
Colombo $1,240

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,611 in Stip versus $1,675 in Colombo.

Stip $1,611
Colombo $1,675

Monthly costs are close between Stip and Colombo; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.45 MKD 410

$3.74 LKR 1,243

99.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.08 MKD 1,270

$24.72 LKR 8,219

-6.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.30 MKD 346

$7.60 LKR 2,529

-17.11%

Cappuccino

$1.81 MKD 99.3

$2.45 LKR 814

-26.12%

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

$1.43 MKD 78.6

$0.68 LKR 227

110.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.07 MKD 58.8

$0.27 LKR 89.9

296.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.84 MKD 101

$2.22 LKR 739

-17.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MKD 151

$3.07 LKR 1,020

-10.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 MKD 70.1

$1.57 LKR 521

-19.11%

White Bread (500g)

$0.74 MKD 40.86

$0.54 LKR 178

37.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.11 MKD 61.0

$0.80 LKR 266

38.75%

Eggs

$2.52 MKD 139

$1.71 LKR 568

47.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.96 MKD 438

$13.92 LKR 4,628

-42.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.26 MKD 399

$4.78 LKR 1,591

51.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.21 MKD 397

$7.46 LKR 2,481

-3.35%

Apples (1kg)

$0.90 MKD 49.29

$6.40 LKR 2,127

-85.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 MKD 79.6

$0.85 LKR 284

70.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.32 MKD 72.7

$4.26 LKR 1,416

-69.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.60 MKD 87.8

$1.33 LKR 443

20.30%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 MKD 48.66

$1.00 LKR 334

-12.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 MKD 43.95

$0.81 LKR 270

-1.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 MKD 30.97

$0.93 LKR 308

-39.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 MKD 23.10

$0.45 LKR 151

-6.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.25 MKD 179

$10.33 LKR 3,436

-68.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 MKD 408

$12.87 LKR 4,280

-42.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 MKD 56.8

$1.93 LKR 642

-46.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 MKD 81.8

$3.00 LKR 999

-50.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.67 MKD 36.86

$0.18 LKR 59.4

272.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.98 MKD 1,319

$5.96 LKR 1,983

302.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.08 MKD 59.3

$0.40 LKR 134

170.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.58 MKD 31.73

$0.35 LKR 116

65.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.54 MKD 304

$0.94 LKR 312

489.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MKD 84.2

$1.32 LKR 438

15.91%

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

$33.1K MKD 1.8M

$43.4K LKR 14.4M

-23.68%

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

$26.0K MKD 1.4M

$39.7K LKR 13.2M

-34.56%

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

$158 MKD 8,677

$58.9 LKR 19.6K

168.09%

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

$8.95 MKD 492

$4.20 LKR 1,397

113.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.29 MKD 896

$20.61 LKR 6,855

-20.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.01 MKD 1,485

$19.88 LKR 6,613

35.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.36 MKD 955

$5.81 LKR 1,933

198.80%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 MKD 358

$4.42 LKR 1,469

47.06%

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

$357 MKD 19.6K

$38.13 LKR 12.7K

835.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,645 MKD 310.5K

$1,214 LKR 403.6K

365.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.74 MKD 1,966

$17.77 LKR 5,909

101.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.66 MKD 1,686

$16.62 LKR 5,527

84.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 MKD 5,554

$77.8 LKR 25.9K

29.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MKD 6,200

$42.22 LKR 14.0K

167.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$201 MKD 11.1K

$586 LKR 194.8K

-65.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$127 MKD 6,986

$275 LKR 91.5K

-53.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$331 MKD 18.2K

$1,677 LKR 557.7K

-80.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$201 MKD 11.0K

$490 LKR 163.0K

-59.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,210 MKD 66.5K

$3,636 LKR 1.2M

-66.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$976 MKD 53.7K

$1,158 LKR 385.1K

-15.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$463 MKD 25.5K

$259 LKR 86.0K

79.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.23

12.69

-66.67%

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

Last update for Stip: October 25, 2026

Last update for Colombo: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stip

$183 22.6%

Colombo

$84 10.4% 54.3% $99

Groceries & Markets

Stip

$177 21.9%

Colombo

$235 29.2% 32.5% $58

Accommodation & Living

Stip

$127 15.7%

Colombo

$275 34.2% 117% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Stip

$126 15.6%

Colombo

$69 8.6% 44.9% $57

Eating Out

Stip

$125 15.4%

Colombo

$103 12.8% 17.4% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Stip

$40 5%

Colombo

$29 3.6% 28.2% $11

Getting Around

Stip

$31 3.8%

Colombo

$8.8 1.1% 71.2% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $201 in Stip and $586 in Colombo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stip pays 79% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $23 in Stip vs $25 in Colombo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $177 vs $235 per month, with Stip cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇰 Stip

🇱🇰 Colombo

🕒 Local time

06:51 6:51 AM

11:21 11:21 AM

4 h 30 min ahead of Stip

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

65,000

753,000

💱 Currency

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

100 MKD = 1.82 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇰 North Macedonian Denar (ден)

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 55 MKD (100 MKD = 1.82 USD). 1 EUR = 61.41 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 371 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

USD to MKD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Stip Colombo 6,840 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Stip
Colombo

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 Colombo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay runs 79% higher in Stip, 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: $201 in Stip versus $586 in Colombo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $357 in Stip versus $38 in Colombo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Stip – a meal for two runs $23 versus $25 in Colombo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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

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.

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