Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Struga

For one person, living is cheaper in Struga: $855 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Struga
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Struga Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Struga

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$855

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $855 in Struga, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Struga $855

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $1,312 in Struga, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Struga $1,312

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $1,770 in Struga, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Struga $1,770

Cape Town costs about 79% more than Struga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cape Town sits 13% above the global median, while Struga is 37% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$7.09 MKD 386

69.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 707

$29.65 MKD 1,616

44.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$5.43 MKD 296

13.26%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.04

$1.57 MKD 85.4

50.96%

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

$1.27 R 20.96

$1.80 MKD 98.1

-29.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.46

$1.17 MKD 63.6

-19.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

$2.78 MKD 151

6.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

$2.71 MKD 148

36.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.73

$1.23 MKD 66.8

7.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.87

$0.68 MKD 36.78

77.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.26

$1.63 MKD 88.5

34.97%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.1

$1.97 MKD 107

57.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$7.49 MKD 408

16.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$6.53 MKD 356

5.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$12.80 MKD 698

-27.66%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$1.46 MKD 79.7

25.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.12

$1.32 MKD 71.9

47.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$1.25 MKD 67.9

32.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.19

$1.54 MKD 84.1

38.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$0.83 MKD 45.04

90.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.29

$0.80 MKD 43.36

83.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$0.58 MKD 31.71

132.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

$0.55 MKD 29.93

107.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$3.38 MKD 184

5.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.7

$4.51 MKD 246

34.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

$1.04 MKD 56.6

33.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.90

$1.49 MKD 81.3

46.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

$0.93 MKD 50.5

50.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$55.0 MKD 2,995

10.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

$1.12 MKD 61.0

-16.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

$0.62 MKD 33.98

45.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

$5.08 MKD 277

-2.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.37

$1.48 MKD 80.7

4.05%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

$34.3K MKD 1.9M

2.95%

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

$25.9K MKD 1.4M

29.09%

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

$117 R 1,929

$97.4 MKD 5,304

20.23%

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

$25.71 R 424

$10.71 MKD 583

140.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 649

$17.00 MKD 926

131.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

$19.62 MKD 1,069

163.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

$11.41 MKD 622

-0.53%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$7.16 MKD 390

24.16%

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

$308 R 5,069

$117 MKD 6,388

162.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

$1,595 MKD 86.9K

410.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 946

$83.8 MKD 4,564

-31.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

$30.35 MKD 1,654

4.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

$72.7 MKD 3,959

59.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

$52.0 MKD 2,831

93.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$277 MKD 15.1K

278.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$217 MKD 11.8K

207.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$434 MKD 23.6K

328.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$359 MKD 19.5K

292.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

$1,544 MKD 84.1K

56.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$1,341 MKD 73.1K

17.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$855 MKD 46.6K

90.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

3.75

190.40%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Struga: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Struga

$217 25.4% 67.5% $452

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Struga

$185 21.7% 17.1% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Struga

$125 14.6% 31.4% $57

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Struga

$123 14.4% 29.3% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Struga

$107 12.6% 21.9% $30

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Struga

$63 7.4% 12.3% $8.8

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Struga

$34 4% 51.1% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $277 in Struga. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 91% higher in Cape Town. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $30 in Struga. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $185 – making Struga the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇲🇰 Struga

🕒 Local time

04:57 4:57 AM

03:57 3:57 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

33,000

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

100 MKD = 1.84 USD

100 MKD = 1.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MKD, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 54.48 MKD (100 MKD = 1.84 USD). 1 EUR = 61.16 MKD (100 MKD = 1.64 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Struga 8,350 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
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

Cape Town vs Struga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 79% more than Struga, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,291 per month in Cape Town and $1,282 in Struga. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Struga, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $277 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $855 in Struga. That makes Struga about 44% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 10% less in Struga. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Struga, where all-in costs run around $855, than in Cape Town at $1,527. In Struga it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Struga – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Struga. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cape Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.