Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bishkek and Struga

For one person, living is cheaper in Struga: $861 a month against $977 in Bishkek, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bishkek outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

47

Cost of Living Index in Bishkek
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Bishkek Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Struga
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Struga Living Index

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Bishkek

🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan

$977

/mo nomad

Struga

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$861

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $977 in Bishkek versus $861 in Struga.

Bishkek $977
Struga $861

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,505 in Bishkek versus $1,317 in Struga.

Bishkek $1,505
Struga $1,317

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,032 in Bishkek versus $1,772 in Struga.

Bishkek $2,032
Struga $1,772

Living in Bishkek is roughly 13% more expensive than in Struga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bishkek 28% lower, Struga 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.80 KGS 595

$7.12 MKD 391

-4.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.12 KGS 2,547

$29.20 MKD 1,606

-0.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.70 KGS 499

$5.43 MKD 299

4.97%

Cappuccino

$2.45 KGS 215

$1.56 MKD 85.9

57.05%

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

$0.75 KGS 65.8

$1.82 MKD 100

-58.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 KGS 35.69

$1.20 MKD 65.8

-65.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.39 KGS 121

$2.68 MKD 148

-48.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 KGS 168

$3.03 MKD 166

-36.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 KGS 89.9

$1.23 MKD 67.5

-16.26%

White Bread (500g)

$0.41 KGS 36.15

$0.73 MKD 40.01

-43.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 KGS 151

$1.62 MKD 88.8

6.79%

Eggs

$1.76 KGS 154

$1.96 MKD 108

-10.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.73 KGS 676

$7.41 MKD 408

4.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.62 KGS 404

$6.24 MKD 343

-25.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.74 KGS 764

$12.68 MKD 697

-31.07%

Apples (1kg)

$1.42 KGS 124

$1.47 MKD 81.1

-3.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 KGS 160

$1.35 MKD 74.4

35.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.01 KGS 176

$1.25 MKD 68.7

60.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 KGS 137

$1.54 MKD 84.7

1.30%

Potato (1kg)

$0.61 KGS 53.4

$0.89 MKD 49.03

-31.46%

Onion (1kg)

$0.51 KGS 44.33

$0.85 MKD 46.50

-40.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 KGS 62.3

$0.59 MKD 32.64

20.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 KGS 49.86

$0.55 MKD 30.24

3.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.07 KGS 181

$3.50 MKD 193

-40.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.05 KGS 792

$4.65 MKD 256

94.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 KGS 120

$1.06 MKD 58.5

29.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 KGS 169

$1.42 MKD 78.0

35.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 KGS 21.01

$0.88 MKD 48.66

-72.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.55 KGS 1,010

$55.3 MKD 3,044

-79.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.89 KGS 78.2

$1.07 MKD 58.7

-16.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.44 KGS 38.34

$0.61 MKD 33.28

-27.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.56 KGS 486

$5.01 MKD 276

10.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 KGS 85.6

$1.43 MKD 78.6

-31.47%

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

$29.8K KGS 2.6M

$33.1K MKD 1.8M

-9.95%

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

$33.2K KGS 2.9M

$25.9K MKD 1.4M

28.02%

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

$49.36 KGS 4,317

$100 MKD 5,507

-50.70%

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

$5.75 KGS 503

$10.81 MKD 595

-46.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.91 KGS 1,042

$18.92 MKD 1,040

-37.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.9 KGS 4,712

$20.03 MKD 1,102

169.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.66 KGS 1,282

$11.44 MKD 629

28.15%

Cinema Ticket

$5.59 KGS 489

$7.46 MKD 410

-25.07%

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

$217 KGS 19.0K

$118 MKD 6,501

83.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,810 KGS 683.1K

$1,583 MKD 87.1K

393.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.3 KGS 4,923

$85.7 MKD 4,713

-34.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.87 KGS 3,837

$31.08 MKD 1,709

41.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.8 KGS 8,026

$71.0 MKD 3,905

29.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.9 KGS 7,861

$52.5 MKD 2,888

71.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$599 KGS 52.4K

$278 MKD 15.3K

115.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$410 KGS 35.9K

$217 MKD 12.0K

88.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 KGS 90.0K

$441 MKD 24.3K

133.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$718 KGS 62.8K

$356 MKD 19.6K

101.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,811 KGS 158.4K

$1,544 MKD 84.9K

17.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,209 KGS 105.8K

$1,364 MKD 75.0K

-11.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$498 KGS 43.5K

$852 MKD 46.9K

-41.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.1

3.75

436.00%

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

Last update for Bishkek: October 27, 2026

Last update for Struga: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bishkek

$410 42%

Struga

$217 25.2% 47% $193

Groceries & Markets

Bishkek

$176 18%

Struga

$184 21.4% 4.6% $8.2

Clothing & Footwear

Bishkek

$127 13%

Struga

$108 12.6% 14.7% $19

Eating Out

Bishkek

$116 11.9%

Struga

$124 14.4% 6.1% $7.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bishkek

$67 6.9%

Struga

$130 15.1% 93.8% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Bishkek

$65 6.7%

Struga

$35 4.1% 46.3% $30

Getting Around

Bishkek

$16 1.6%

Struga

$63 7.3% 304% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $599 in Bishkek and $278 in Struga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Struga pays 71% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $29 in Bishkek vs $29 in Struga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $176 vs $184 per month, with Bishkek cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇬 Bishkek

🇲🇰 Struga

🕒 Local time

10:08 10:08 AM

05:08 5:08 AM

5 h behind Bishkek

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,012,500 Capital

33,000

💱 Currency

Kyrgyzstani Som KGS сом

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

100 KGS = 1.14 USD

100 KGS = 1.02 EUR

100 MKD = 1.82 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MKD, USD, EUR to KGS – Kyrgyzstani Som Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstani Som (сом)

Kyrgyzstani Som exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 87.46 KGS (100 KGS = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 97.66 KGS (100 KGS = 1.02 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 KGS in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bishkek Struga 4,380 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Bishkek
Struga

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

Bishkek vs Struga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Struga is about 12% cheaper overall, especially in leisure and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 42% lower in Bishkek. 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: $599 in Bishkek versus $278 in Struga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $217 in Bishkek versus $118 in Struga. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Bishkek runs roughly 79% less than in Struga. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Struga gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Struga is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Bishkek, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

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