Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Struga and Bitola

For one person, living costs are similar in Struga and in Bitola: $867 and $859 a month, rent and utilities included.

42

Cost of Living Index in Struga
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Struga Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Bitola
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Bitola Living Index

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Struga

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$867

/mo nomad

Bitola

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $867 in Struga versus $859 in Bitola.

Struga $867
Bitola $859

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,319 in Struga versus $1,287 in Bitola.

Struga $1,319
Bitola $1,287

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,771 in Struga versus $1,714 in Bitola.

Struga $1,771
Bitola $1,714

Living in Struga is roughly 1% more expensive than in Bitola, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Struga 36% lower, Bitola 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.38 MKD 402

$5.25 MKD 286

40.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.55 MKD 1,612

$27.59 MKD 1,505

7.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.35 MKD 292

$5.28 MKD 288

1.33%

Cappuccino

$1.50 MKD 81.9

$1.89 MKD 103

-20.63%

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

$1.79 MKD 97.7

$1.78 MKD 97.0

0.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.17 MKD 63.7

$1.38 MKD 75.4

-15.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.73 MKD 149

$2.23 MKD 122

22.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 MKD 166

$2.55 MKD 139

19.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 MKD 68.9

$1.32 MKD 72.1

-4.55%

White Bread (500g)

$0.69 MKD 37.56

$0.65 MKD 35.45

6.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 MKD 87.8

$1.66 MKD 90.8

-3.01%

Eggs

$1.97 MKD 107

$2.01 MKD 110

-1.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.78 MKD 424

$9.70 MKD 529

-19.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.37 MKD 348

$7.16 MKD 391

-11.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.59 MKD 687

$12.95 MKD 706

-2.78%

Apples (1kg)

$1.47 MKD 80.3

$1.00 MKD 54.6

47.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 MKD 71.8

$1.39 MKD 75.8

-5.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.30 MKD 70.7

$1.20 MKD 65.7

8.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.60 MKD 87.4

$1.59 MKD 86.7

0.63%

Potato (1kg)

$0.87 MKD 47.52

$0.90 MKD 49.03

-3.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 MKD 43.56

$1.28 MKD 70.0

-37.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 MKD 32.44

$0.55 MKD 30.20

7.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 MKD 29.88

$0.53 MKD 28.98

3.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.42 MKD 186

$3.20 MKD 175

6.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.51 MKD 246

$6.08 MKD 331

-25.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 MKD 57.9

$0.95 MKD 51.9

11.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 MKD 79.7

$1.84 MKD 100

-20.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 MKD 48.58

$0.56 MKD 30.79

58.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.6 MKD 2,924

$16.02 MKD 874

234.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.12 MKD 61.0

$1.08 MKD 58.9

3.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 MKD 33.69

$0.62 MKD 33.65

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.87 MKD 266

$6.29 MKD 343

-22.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 MKD 81.3

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

$36.0K MKD 2.0M

$30.9K MKD 1.7M

16.55%

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

$27.3K MKD 1.5M

$32.3K MKD 1.8M

-15.57%

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

$99.8 MKD 5,445

$146 MKD 7,982

-31.78%

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

$10.97 MKD 599

$14.27 MKD 778

-23.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.76 MKD 1,024

$12.60 MKD 687

48.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.98 MKD 1,090

$21.67 MKD 1,182

-7.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.68 MKD 637

$6.20 MKD 338

88.39%

Cinema Ticket

$7.21 MKD 393

$4.49 MKD 245

60.58%

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

$116 MKD 6,348

$212 MKD 11.6K

-45.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,579 MKD 86.1K

$1,142 MKD 62.3K

38.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.5 MKD 4,553

$75.1 MKD 4,095

11.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.17 MKD 1,646

$47.48 MKD 2,590

-36.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 MKD 3,825

$72.3 MKD 3,943

-2.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.4 MKD 2,856

$108 MKD 5,909

-51.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$269 MKD 14.7K

$258 MKD 14.0K

4.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$225 MKD 12.3K

$188 MKD 10.3K

19.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$439 MKD 23.9K

$397 MKD 21.7K

10.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$355 MKD 19.4K

$290 MKD 15.8K

22.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,504 MKD 82.0K

$1,665 MKD 90.8K

-9.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,328 MKD 72.4K

$1,163 MKD 63.4K

14.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$867 MKD 47.3K

$748 MKD 40.8K

15.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.75

6.45

-41.86%

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

Last update for Struga: 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

Struga

$225 25.9%

Bitola

$188 21.9% 16.2% $36

Groceries & Markets

Struga

$186 21.4%

Bitola

$199 23.1% 7% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Struga

$130 15%

Bitola

$173 20.2% 33.7% $44

Eating Out

Struga

$125 14.4%

Bitola

$109 12.7% 12.2% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Struga

$106 12.3%

Bitola

$136 15.9% 28.4% $30

Getting Around

Struga

$61 7.1%

Bitola

$22 2.6% 63.4% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Struga

$34 4%

Bitola

$31 3.6% 10.9% $3.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $269 in Struga and $258 in Bitola. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Struga pays 16% 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: $30.00 in Struga vs $28.00 in Bitola. Groceries flip the comparison at $186 vs $199, with Struga cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇰 Struga

🇲🇰 Bitola

🕒 Local time

18:45 6:45 PM

Same time as Struga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

33,000

74,550

💱 Currency

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

100 MKD = 1.83 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

100 MKD = 1.83 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Struga Bitola 57 km

From you

Struga
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

Struga vs Bitola: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Struga and Bitola differ by about 1% in total monthly costs ($867 vs $859 including rent). Bitola is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 16% higher in Struga, 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: $269 in Struga versus $258 in Bitola. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Struga pay roughly 7% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Bitola – a meal for two runs $28.00 versus $30.00 in Struga. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Bitola gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Struga 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 1% less than in Struga. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.