Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Veles and Bitola

For one person, living is cheaper in Veles: $766 a month against $859 in Bitola, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Veles
Learn more

Veles Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Bitola
Learn more

Bitola Living Index

Jump to prices

Veles

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$766

/mo nomad

Bitola

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $766 in Veles versus $859 in Bitola.

Veles $766
Bitola $859

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,137 in Veles versus $1,289 in Bitola.

Veles $1,137
Bitola $1,289

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,507 in Veles versus $1,718 in Bitola.

Veles $1,507
Bitola $1,718

Living in Veles costs roughly 11% less than in Bitola, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Veles 44% lower, Bitola 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.78 MKD 484

$5.23 MKD 288

67.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.09 MKD 997

$26.77 MKD 1,475

-32.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.43 MKD 299

$5.04 MKD 278

7.74%

Cappuccino

$1.56 MKD 85.9

$1.96 MKD 108

-20.41%

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

$1.33 MKD 73.5

$1.71 MKD 94.1

-22.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MKD 45.09

$1.46 MKD 80.5

-43.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 MKD 81.3

$2.16 MKD 119

-31.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 MKD 171

$2.62 MKD 145

18.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 MKD 56.7

$1.38 MKD 75.9

-25.36%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 MKD 29.34

$0.66 MKD 36.65

-19.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 MKD 83.4

$1.72 MKD 94.9

-12.21%

Eggs

$2.48 MKD 137

$1.98 MKD 109

25.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.97 MKD 164

$9.93 MKD 547

-70.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.93 MKD 217

$6.81 MKD 376

-42.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 MKD 828

$13.08 MKD 721

14.83%

Apples (1kg)

$1.44 MKD 79.2

$1.01 MKD 55.5

42.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 MKD 80.6

$1.39 MKD 76.8

5.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.34 MKD 73.8

$1.24 MKD 68.2

8.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.89 MKD 104

$1.59 MKD 87.6

18.87%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 MKD 49.77

$0.91 MKD 49.93

-1.10%

Onion (1kg)

$0.83 MKD 45.99

$1.34 MKD 73.7

-38.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 MKD 32.79

$0.53 MKD 28.97

11.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 MKD 32.96

$0.50 MKD 27.36

20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.23 MKD 178

$3.30 MKD 182

-2.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 MKD 343

$6.06 MKD 334

2.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 MKD 56.3

$0.91 MKD 50.0

12.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 MKD 79.5

$1.83 MKD 101

-21.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MKD 44.01

$0.54 MKD 29.55

48.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.73 MKD 1,308

$16.24 MKD 895

46.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 MKD 60.8

$1.08 MKD 59.4

1.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.58 MKD 31.76

$0.57 MKD 31.42

1.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.67 MKD 423

$6.32 MKD 348

21.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 MKD 77.0

$1.50 MKD 82.6

-6.67%

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

$26.5K MKD 1.5M

$30.9K MKD 1.7M

-14.16%

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

$24.8K MKD 1.4M

$32.4K MKD 1.8M

-23.40%

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

$108 MKD 5,974

$148 MKD 8,130

-26.52%

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

$16.80 MKD 926

$14.08 MKD 776

19.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.21 MKD 673

$12.62 MKD 696

-3.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.03 MKD 1,379

$22.16 MKD 1,221

12.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.81 MKD 981

$6.43 MKD 354

176.98%

Cinema Ticket

$3.37 MKD 186

$4.57 MKD 252

-26.26%

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

$214 MKD 11.8K

$211 MKD 11.7K

1.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,661 MKD 312.0K

$1,167 MKD 64.3K

384.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$21.40 MKD 1,180

$76.3 MKD 4,207

-71.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.01 MKD 993

$46.27 MKD 2,550

-61.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.6 MKD 4,055

$73.3 MKD 4,038

0.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 MKD 5,988

$111 MKD 6,101

-1.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$223 MKD 12.3K

$260 MKD 14.3K

-14.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$169 MKD 9,306

$185 MKD 10.2K

-8.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$290 MKD 16.0K

$396 MKD 21.8K

-26.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$232 MKD 12.8K

$293 MKD 16.1K

-20.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,181 MKD 65.1K

$1,709 MKD 94.2K

-30.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$940 MKD 51.8K

$1,142 MKD 63.0K

-17.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$586 MKD 32.3K

$750 MKD 41.3K

-21.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.23

6.45

-34.42%

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

Last update for Veles: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bitola: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Veles

$170 22.2%

Bitola

$198 23.1% 16.5% $28

Accommodation & Living

Veles

$169 22%

Bitola

$185 21.6% 9.7% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Veles

$137 17.9%

Bitola

$174 20.3% 26.8% $37

Eating Out

Veles

$127 16.6%

Bitola

$109 12.7% 14.3% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Veles

$100 13%

Bitola

$138 16.1% 38.3% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Veles

$32 4.1%

Bitola

$31 3.7% 1.4% $0.5

Getting Around

Veles

$31 4%

Bitola

$22 2.6% 27.8% $8.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $223 in Veles and $260 in Bitola. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bitola pays 28% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $18 in Veles vs $27 in Bitola for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $170 vs $198 per month, with Veles cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇰 Veles

🇲🇰 Bitola

🕒 Local time

02:21 2:21 AM

Same time as Veles

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

43,716

74,550

💱 Currency

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

100 MKD = 1.81 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

100 MKD = 1.81 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Veles Bitola 85 km

From you

Veles
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

Veles vs Bitola: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $766 in Veles and $859 in Bitola, so Veles is about 11% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 22% lower in Veles. 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: $223 in Veles versus $260 in Bitola. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Bitola. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Veles – a meal for two runs $18 versus $27 in Bitola. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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

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