Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Strumica and Bitola

For one person, living costs are similar in Strumica and in Bitola: $859 and $861 a month, rent and utilities included.

41

Cost of Living Index in Strumica
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Strumica Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Bitola
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Bitola Living Index

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Strumica

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$859

/mo nomad

Bitola

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$861

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Strumica versus $861 in Bitola.

Strumica $859
Bitola $861

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,216 in Strumica versus $1,290 in Bitola.

Strumica $1,216
Bitola $1,290

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,574 in Strumica versus $1,719 in Bitola.

Strumica $1,574
Bitola $1,719

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.70 MKD 202

$5.37 MKD 292

-31.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.47 MKD 1,224

$26.75 MKD 1,457

-16.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.65 MKD 199

$5.17 MKD 282

-29.40%

Cappuccino

$1.51 MKD 82.5

$1.95 MKD 106

-22.56%

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

$1.33 MKD 72.3

$1.79 MKD 97.3

-25.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.16 MKD 63.2

$1.40 MKD 76.2

-17.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.87 MKD 102

$2.17 MKD 118

-13.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 MKD 107

$2.62 MKD 143

-25.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 MKD 67.2

$1.30 MKD 71.0

-5.38%

White Bread (500g)

$0.79 MKD 42.93

$0.66 MKD 36.00

19.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.71 MKD 93.4

$1.66 MKD 90.3

3.01%

Eggs

$2.22 MKD 121

$1.98 MKD 108

12.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.04 MKD 438

$9.71 MKD 529

-17.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.11 MKD 333

$6.93 MKD 378

-11.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.81 MKD 534

$12.98 MKD 707

-24.42%

Apples (1kg)

$0.61 MKD 33.21

$1.04 MKD 56.5

-41.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 MKD 76.9

$1.34 MKD 73.1

5.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.20 MKD 65.3

$1.23 MKD 67.1

-2.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 MKD 107

$1.56 MKD 85.1

26.28%

Potato (1kg)

$0.84 MKD 46.02

$0.95 MKD 52.0

-11.58%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 MKD 41.93

$1.34 MKD 73.2

-42.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 MKD 34.80

$0.53 MKD 28.93

20.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 MKD 31.89

$0.52 MKD 28.33

13.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.74 MKD 149

$3.31 MKD 180

-17.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.52 MKD 301

$5.89 MKD 321

-6.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 MKD 47.29

$0.98 MKD 53.3

-11.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.20 MKD 65.6

$1.76 MKD 96.0

-31.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 MKD 39.10

$0.58 MKD 31.34

24.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.63 MKD 906

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.11 MKD 60.4

$1.11 MKD 60.3

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 MKD 33.94

$0.58 MKD 31.57

6.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.86 MKD 428

$6.46 MKD 352

21.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.64 MKD 89.2

$1.45 MKD 78.8

13.10%

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

$34.2K MKD 1.9M

$31.9K MKD 1.7M

7.18%

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

$26.6K MKD 1.4M

$32.2K MKD 1.8M

-17.52%

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

$148 MKD 8,073

$148 MKD 8,070

0.04%

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

$12.86 MKD 700

$13.82 MKD 753

-6.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.24 MKD 939

$12.64 MKD 689

36.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.86 MKD 1,082

$21.55 MKD 1,174

-7.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.32 MKD 344

Cinema Ticket

$7.41 MKD 404

$4.52 MKD 246

63.94%

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

$375 MKD 20.4K

$214 MKD 11.6K

75.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,846 MKD 481.8K

$1,141 MKD 62.1K

675.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.4 MKD 4,544

$73.9 MKD 4,026

12.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.65 MKD 1,996

$46.99 MKD 2,559

-22.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.9 MKD 5,443

$72.2 MKD 3,933

38.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.5 MKD 4,930

$112 MKD 6,092

-19.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$316 MKD 17.2K

$261 MKD 14.2K

21.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$239 MKD 13.0K

$188 MKD 10.2K

27.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$505 MKD 27.5K

$396 MKD 21.5K

27.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$300 MKD 16.3K

$296 MKD 16.1K

1.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,457 MKD 79.3K

$1,656 MKD 90.2K

-12.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$983 MKD 53.6K

$1,148 MKD 62.5K

-14.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$628 MKD 34.2K

$750 MKD 40.9K

-16.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

-37.98%

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

Last update for Strumica: November 2, 2026

Last update for Bitola: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Strumica

$239 27.9%

Bitola

$188 21.8% 21.6% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Strumica

$178 20.8%

Bitola

$175 20.3% 2.1% $3.7

Groceries & Markets

Strumica

$178 20.7%

Bitola

$197 22.9% 10.9% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Strumica

$140 16.3%

Bitola

$137 15.9% 1.8% $2.5

Eating Out

Strumica

$82 9.5%

Bitola

$111 12.9% 35.1% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Strumica

$35 4%

Bitola

$31 3.6% 11.8% $4.1

Getting Around

Strumica

$7.1 * 0.8%

Bitola

$23 2.7% 223% $16

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $316 in Strumica and $261 in Bitola. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bitola pays 19% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $22 in Strumica vs $27 in Bitola for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $178 vs $197 per month, with Strumica cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇰 Strumica

🇲🇰 Bitola

🕒 Local time

21:30 9:30 PM

Same time as Strumica

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,000

74,550

💱 Currency

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

100 MKD = 1.84 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

100 MKD = 1.84 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Strumica Bitola 120 km

From you

Strumica
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

Strumica vs Bitola: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 16% lower in Strumica. 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: $316 in Strumica versus $261 in Bitola. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $375 in Strumica versus $214 in Bitola. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Bitola. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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

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

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