Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Struga

For one person, living is cheaper in Struga: $867 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Struga
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Struga Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Struga

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$867

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Struga

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $867 in Struga.

Athens $1,775
Struga $867

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,319 in Struga.

Athens $2,721
Struga $1,319

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $1,771 in Struga.

Athens $3,666
Struga $1,771

Living in Athens is roughly 105% more expensive than in Struga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 31% above, Struga is 36% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$7.38 MKD 402

126.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$29.55 MKD 1,612

129.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$5.35 MKD 292

108.22%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$1.50 MKD 81.9

168.67%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$1.79 MKD 97.7

54.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$1.17 MKD 63.7

-52.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$2.73 MKD 149

110.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$3.04 MKD 166

79.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.26 MKD 68.9

44.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$0.69 MKD 37.56

100.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$1.61 MKD 87.8

73.91%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$1.97 MKD 107

145.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$7.78 MKD 424

93.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$6.37 MKD 348

66.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$12.59 MKD 687

46.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.47 MKD 80.3

49.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.32 MKD 71.8

43.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.30 MKD 70.7

5.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.60 MKD 87.4

31.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.87 MKD 47.52

24.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$0.80 MKD 43.56

40.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$0.59 MKD 32.44

89.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.55 MKD 29.88

60.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$3.42 MKD 186

60.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$4.51 MKD 246

124.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.06 MKD 57.9

100.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.46 MKD 79.7

54.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$0.89 MKD 48.58

52.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$53.6 MKD 2,924

-44.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$1.12 MKD 61.0

297.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$0.62 MKD 33.69

64.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$4.87 MKD 266

247.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.49 MKD 81.3

51.01%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$36.0K MKD 2.0M

-22.17%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$27.3K MKD 1.5M

3.48%

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

$205 €182

$99.8 MKD 5,445

104.97%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$10.97 MKD 599

142.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$18.76 MKD 1,024

61.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$19.98 MKD 1,090

172.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$11.68 MKD 637

121.58%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$7.21 MKD 393

44.52%

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

$569 €506

$116 MKD 6,348

389.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$1,579 MKD 86.1K

697.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$83.5 MKD 4,553

6.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$30.17 MKD 1,646

34.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$70.1 MKD 3,825

49.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$52.4 MKD 2,856

131.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$269 MKD 14.7K

175.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$225 MKD 12.3K

191.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$439 MKD 23.9K

196.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$355 MKD 19.4K

223.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$1,504 MKD 82.0K

166.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$1,328 MKD 72.4K

160.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$867 MKD 47.3K

43.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.75

19.47%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Struga: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Struga

$225 25.9% 65.7% $430

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Struga

$186 21.4% 40.2% $125

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Struga

$125 14.4% 53.5% $143

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Struga

$130 15% 50.5% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Struga

$106 12.3% 33.6% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Struga

$34 4% 54.3% $41

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Struga

$61 7.1% 36.7% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $269 in Struga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 43% 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: $68.0 in Athens vs $30.00 in Struga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $186 per month, with Struga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇲🇰 Struga

🕒 Local time

10:20 10:20 AM

09:20 9:20 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

33,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MKD = 1.83 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MKD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 54.55 MKD (100 MKD = 1.83 USD). 1 EUR = 61.33 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Athens Struga 440 km

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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

Athens vs Struga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Struga wins on cost – living expenses run 105% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Struga the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 43% higher in Athens, 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: $741 in Athens versus $269 in Struga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Struga – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,775 per month in Athens versus $867 in Struga – a 105% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $867 in Struga versus $1,775 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Struga but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Struga the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Struga delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $867 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Struga hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Struga 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 Struga gentler on the wallet – expenses run 105% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.