Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Struga

For one person, living is cheaper in Struga: $867 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Struga
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Struga Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Struga

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$867

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $867 in Struga.

Bucharest $1,340
Struga $867

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $1,319 in Struga.

Bucharest $2,037
Struga $1,319

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $1,771 in Struga.

Bucharest $2,734
Struga $1,771

Living in Bucharest is roughly 55% more expensive than in Struga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Struga 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$7.38 MKD 402

96.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$29.55 MKD 1,612

96.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$5.35 MKD 292

39.81%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$1.50 MKD 81.9

129.33%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$1.79 MKD 97.7

32.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$1.17 MKD 63.7

96.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$2.73 MKD 149

35.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$3.04 MKD 166

36.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$1.26 MKD 68.9

32.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$0.69 MKD 37.56

98.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$1.61 MKD 87.8

6.83%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$1.97 MKD 107

84.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$7.78 MKD 424

16.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$6.37 MKD 348

7.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$12.59 MKD 687

-4.69%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$1.47 MKD 80.3

-16.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$1.32 MKD 71.8

23.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.30 MKD 70.7

20.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$1.60 MKD 87.4

58.75%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$0.87 MKD 47.52

-9.20%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$0.80 MKD 43.56

-3.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$0.59 MKD 32.44

47.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$0.55 MKD 29.88

80.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$3.42 MKD 186

84.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$4.51 MKD 246

37.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$1.06 MKD 57.9

12.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$1.46 MKD 79.7

7.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$0.89 MKD 48.58

-3.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

$53.6 MKD 2,924

-60.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$1.12 MKD 61.0

-42.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$0.62 MKD 33.69

-3.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$4.87 MKD 266

32.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$1.49 MKD 81.3

31.54%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$36.0K MKD 2.0M

-19.49%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$27.3K MKD 1.5M

-2.36%

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

$196 RON 927

$99.8 MKD 5,445

96.24%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$10.97 MKD 599

-26.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$18.76 MKD 1,024

-50.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$19.98 MKD 1,090

151.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

$11.68 MKD 637

116.87%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$7.21 MKD 393

13.04%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$116 MKD 6,348

439.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$1,579 MKD 86.1K

792.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$83.5 MKD 4,553

7.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$30.17 MKD 1,646

27.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$70.1 MKD 3,825

13.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$52.4 MKD 2,856

72.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$269 MKD 14.7K

151.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$225 MKD 12.3K

99.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$439 MKD 23.9K

146.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$355 MKD 19.4K

104.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

$1,504 MKD 82.0K

149.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

$1,328 MKD 72.4K

65.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

$867 MKD 47.3K

53.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

3.75

80.00%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Struga: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Struga

$225 25.9% 49.9% $224

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Struga

$125 14.4% 44.7% $101

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Struga

$186 21.4% 17.5% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Struga

$130 15% 39.3% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Struga

$106 12.3% 20.6% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Struga

$34 4% 48.3% $32

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Struga

$61 7.1% 118% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $269 in Struga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 53% 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: $58.0 in Bucharest vs $30.00 in Struga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $186 per month, with Struga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇲🇰 Struga

🕒 Local time

06:20 6:20 AM

05:20 5:20 AM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

33,000

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

100 MKD = 1.83 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MKD, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

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 RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Struga 570 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
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

Bucharest vs Struga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Struga differ by about 55% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $867 including rent). Struga is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 53% higher in Bucharest, 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: $678 in Bucharest versus $269 in Struga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,340 per month in Bucharest versus $867 in Struga – a 55% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Struga runs roughly 154% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $867 in Struga versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Struga but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Struga the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Bucharest 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 55% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.