Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Gostivar

For one person, living is cheaper in Gostivar: $837 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Gostivar
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Gostivar Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Gostivar

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Gostivar

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Tbilisi and in Gostivar actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi versus $837 in Gostivar.

Tbilisi $1,269
Gostivar $837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,016 in Tbilisi versus $1,265 in Gostivar.

Tbilisi $2,016
Gostivar $1,265

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,763 in Tbilisi versus $1,693 in Gostivar.

Tbilisi $2,763
Gostivar $1,693

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 52% more expensive than in Gostivar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 7% lower, Gostivar 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.07

$6.56 MKD 361

77.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.8

$27.78 MKD 1,528

36.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾24.98

$5.85 MKD 322

65.13%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.24

$1.38 MKD 76.0

158.70%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$1.32 MKD 72.7

-18.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$1.06 MKD 58.6

-47.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.78

$1.31 MKD 72.3

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.85

$1.85 MKD 102

64.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.60

$1.24 MKD 68.1

75.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$0.71 MKD 38.81

12.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$1.43 MKD 78.4

21.68%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.31

$2.37 MKD 130

19.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.07

$6.29 MKD 346

48.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.85

$5.55 MKD 305

17.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.50

$14.30 MKD 786

-9.44%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.33

$1.41 MKD 77.5

19.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$1.41 MKD 77.4

31.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.10

$1.32 MKD 72.8

49.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.25

$1.86 MKD 102

30.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.11

$0.83 MKD 45.51

-1.20%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$0.75 MKD 41.35

-1.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$0.63 MKD 34.49

112.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.00

$0.54 MKD 29.49

42.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.24

$2.79 MKD 154

27.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.83

$4.44 MKD 244

72.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$0.94 MKD 51.7

80.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$1.44 MKD 79.0

66.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$0.71 MKD 39.02

-43.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

$25.74 MKD 1,416

-40.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$0.75 MKD 41.47

52.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$0.31 MKD 17.00

151.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.58

$7.77 MKD 427

52.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$1.42 MKD 78.2

2.11%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$32.4K MKD 1.8M

-24.23%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$26.6K MKD 1.5M

-16.01%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$129 MKD 7,092

-31.14%

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

$13.12 ₾33.93

$10.81 MKD 595

21.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$18.72 MKD 1,029

5.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

$21.69 MKD 1,193

195.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.24

$16.18 MKD 890

17.68%

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.42

$7.09 MKD 390

0.42%

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

$375 ₾971

$368 MKD 20.2K

2.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$5,800 MKD 319.0K

80.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$36.82 MKD 2,025

181.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$37.07 MKD 2,039

5.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾303

$101 MKD 5,550

16.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$112 MKD 6,181

8.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,798

$271 MKD 14.9K

157.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,167

$193 MKD 10.6K

134.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,504

$497 MKD 27.3K

172.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,343

$296 MKD 16.3K

206.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,934

$1,515 MKD 83.3K

51.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,478

$1,165 MKD 64.1K

15.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,718

$880 MKD 48.4K

-24.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

4.23

198.35%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Gostivar: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Gostivar

$193 23% 57.3% $259

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Gostivar

$184 21.9% 21.5% $50

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Gostivar

$106 12.7% 44.2% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Gostivar

$129 15.4% 24.8% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Gostivar

$158 18.9% 30.3% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Gostivar

$36 4.3% 54.2% $42

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Gostivar

$31 3.7% 41% $9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $695 in Tbilisi and $271 in Gostivar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gostivar pays 32% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $38 in Tbilisi vs $28 in Gostivar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $184 per month, with Gostivar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇲🇰 Gostivar

🕒 Local time

11:03 11:03 AM

08:03 8:03 AM

3 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

36,000

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.346 EUR

100 MKD = 1.82 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MKD, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.89 GEL (1 GEL = 0.346 EUR).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 55 MKD (100 MKD = 1.82 USD). 1 EUR = 61.41 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Gostivar 1,980 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Gostivar

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

Tbilisi vs Gostivar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gostivar wins on cost – living expenses run 34% lower than in Tbilisi. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Gostivar the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 25% lower in Tbilisi. 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: $695 in Tbilisi versus $271 in Gostivar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,269 per month in Tbilisi versus $837 in Gostivar – Gostivar is about 34% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Tbilisi runs roughly 41% less than in Gostivar. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Gostivar 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.