Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Strumica

For one person, living is cheaper in Strumica: $855 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Strumica
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Strumica Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Strumica

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$855

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Strumica

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 Strumica actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $855 in Strumica.

Athens $1,775
Strumica $855

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,214 in Strumica.

Athens $2,721
Strumica $1,214

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $1,573 in Strumica.

Athens $3,666
Strumica $1,573

Living in Athens is roughly 108% more expensive than in Strumica, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 31% above, Strumica is 37% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$3.65 MKD 199

357.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$22.76 MKD 1,242

197.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$3.67 MKD 200

203.54%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$1.56 MKD 85.2

158.33%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$1.32 MKD 72.1

109.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$1.20 MKD 65.5

-54.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$1.84 MKD 101

211.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$2.06 MKD 112

164.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.27 MKD 69.5

43.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$0.80 MKD 43.71

72.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$1.68 MKD 91.7

66.67%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$2.22 MKD 121

117.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$7.85 MKD 428

91.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$6.06 MKD 331

75.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$10.11 MKD 551

82.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$0.62 MKD 33.64

254.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.40 MKD 76.2

35.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.16 MKD 63.4

18.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.90 MKD 103

10.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.83 MKD 45.36

30.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$0.83 MKD 45.02

34.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$0.60 MKD 32.66

86.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.56 MKD 30.51

57.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$2.74 MKD 150

100.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$5.29 MKD 289

91.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$0.94 MKD 51.1

126.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.19 MKD 65.1

89.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$0.76 MKD 41.61

78.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$1.06 MKD 57.7

319.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$0.62 MKD 33.62

64.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$7.69 MKD 420

120.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.62 MKD 88.2

38.89%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$35.0K MKD 1.9M

-19.92%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$27.0K MKD 1.5M

4.53%

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

$205 €182

$150 MKD 8,164

36.70%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$12.60 MKD 687

111.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$18.22 MKD 994

66.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$20.21 MKD 1,102

169.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$7.38 MKD 403

41.19%

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

$569 €506

$361 MKD 19.7K

57.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$5,568 MKD 303.7K

126.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$84.2 MKD 4,590

5.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$37.11 MKD 2,025

9.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$99.8 MKD 5,444

5.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$89.6 MKD 4,889

35.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$307 MKD 16.7K

141.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$233 MKD 12.7K

180.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$495 MKD 27.0K

162.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$294 MKD 16.1K

289.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$1,478 MKD 80.6K

171.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$969 MKD 52.9K

257.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$641 MKD 35.0K

93.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

12.00%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Strumica: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Strumica

$233 27.3% 64.4% $421

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Strumica

$177 20.7% 43% $133

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Strumica

$82 9.6% 69.3% $186

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Strumica

$180 21.1% 31% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Strumica

$140 16.4% 12.6% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Strumica

$35 4.1% 53.6% $40

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Strumica

$7.2 * 0.8% 84% $38

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 $741 in Athens and $307 in Strumica. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 94% 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 $23.00 in Strumica for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $177 per month, with Strumica cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇲🇰 Strumica

🕒 Local time

07:09 7:09 AM

06:09 6:09 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

36,000

💱 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 Strumica 400 km

From you

Athens
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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

Athens vs Strumica: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Strumica wins on cost – living expenses run 108% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Strumica the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 94% 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 $307 in Strumica. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $569 in Athens versus $361 in Strumica. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Strumica – a meal for two runs $23.00 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $855 in Strumica versus $1,775 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Strumica but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Strumica the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Strumica delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $855 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Strumica hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Strumica 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 Strumica gentler on the wallet – expenses run 108% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.