Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Struga

For one person, living is cheaper in Struga: $867 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Struga
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Struga Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Struga

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$867

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $867 in Struga.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Struga $867

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $1,319 in Struga.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Struga $1,319

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $1,771 in Struga.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Struga $1,771

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 91% more expensive than in Struga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 23% above, Struga is 36% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$7.38 MKD 402

158.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$29.55 MKD 1,612

122.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$5.35 MKD 292

146.73%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$1.50 MKD 81.9

156.67%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$1.79 MKD 97.7

11.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$1.17 MKD 63.7

36.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$2.73 MKD 149

43.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$3.04 MKD 166

51.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$1.26 MKD 68.9

19.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$0.69 MKD 37.56

266.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$1.61 MKD 87.8

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$1.97 MKD 107

44.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$7.78 MKD 424

32.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$6.37 MKD 348

56.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$12.59 MKD 687

5.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$1.47 MKD 80.3

95.92%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$1.32 MKD 71.8

66.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$1.30 MKD 70.7

7.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$1.60 MKD 87.4

23.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$0.87 MKD 47.52

39.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$0.80 MKD 43.56

57.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$0.59 MKD 32.44

189.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$0.55 MKD 29.88

212.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$3.42 MKD 186

25.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$4.51 MKD 246

26.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$1.06 MKD 57.9

104.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$1.46 MKD 79.7

89.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$0.89 MKD 48.58

-15.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

$53.6 MKD 2,924

-49.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$1.12 MKD 61.0

40.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$0.62 MKD 33.69

66.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$4.87 MKD 266

62.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$1.49 MKD 81.3

-4.70%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$36.0K MKD 2.0M

-22.40%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$27.3K MKD 1.5M

28.19%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$99.8 MKD 5,445

95.55%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$10.97 MKD 599

129.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$18.76 MKD 1,024

68.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$19.98 MKD 1,090

154.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

$11.68 MKD 637

43.24%

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$7.21 MKD 393

43.41%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$116 MKD 6,348

298.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$1,579 MKD 86.1K

457.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$83.5 MKD 4,553

43.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$30.17 MKD 1,646

216.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$70.1 MKD 3,825

62.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$52.4 MKD 2,856

166.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$269 MKD 14.7K

180.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$225 MKD 12.3K

131.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$439 MKD 23.9K

262.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$355 MKD 19.4K

237.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

$1,504 MKD 82.0K

80.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

$1,328 MKD 72.4K

43.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

$867 MKD 47.3K

8.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

3.75

1426.67%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Struga: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Struga

$225 25.9% 56.8% $295

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Struga

$186 21.4% 34.5% $98

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Struga

$125 14.4% 55.8% $157

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Struga

$130 15% 48.6% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Struga

$106 12.3% 49.6% $105

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Struga

$34 4% 51.9% $37

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Struga

$61 7.1% 66% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Buenos Aires and $269 in Struga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 8% 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: $66.0 in Buenos Aires vs $30.00 in Struga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $186 per month, with Struga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇲🇰 Struga

🕒 Local time

21:32 9:32 PM

02:32 2:32 AM

5 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

33,000

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

100 MKD = 1.83 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MKD, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 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 ARS in detail →

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Buenos Aires Struga 11,660 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

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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

Buenos Aires vs Struga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Struga differ by about 91% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $867 including rent). Struga is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 8% higher in Buenos Aires, 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: $756 in Buenos Aires versus $269 in Struga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $116 in Struga. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 53% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $867 in Struga versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Struga but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. 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, Buenos Aires 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 91% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.