Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Colombo and Strumica

For one person, living is cheaper in Colombo: $804 a month against $866 in Strumica, rent and utilities included – about $740 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Colombo
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Colombo Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Strumica
Learn more

Strumica Living Index

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Colombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$804

/mo nomad

Strumica

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$866

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $804 in Colombo versus $866 in Strumica.

Colombo $804
Strumica $866

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,240 in Colombo versus $1,222 in Strumica.

Colombo $1,240
Strumica $1,222

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,675 in Colombo versus $1,579 in Strumica.

Colombo $1,675
Strumica $1,579

Living in Colombo costs roughly 7% less than in Strumica, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Colombo 41% lower, Strumica 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.74 LKR 1,243

$3.57 MKD 197

4.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.72 LKR 8,217

$22.29 MKD 1,226

10.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.60 LKR 2,528

$3.73 MKD 205

103.75%

Cappuccino

$2.45 LKR 814

$1.53 MKD 84.0

60.13%

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

$0.68 LKR 226

$1.40 MKD 77.0

-51.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 89.8

$1.15 MKD 63.0

-76.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.22 LKR 739

$1.85 MKD 102

20.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 LKR 1,020

$1.98 MKD 109

55.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 LKR 520

$1.29 MKD 70.9

21.71%

White Bread (500g)

$0.54 LKR 178

$0.74 MKD 40.45

-27.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.80 LKR 266

$1.70 MKD 93.8

-52.94%

Eggs

$1.71 LKR 568

$2.12 MKD 117

-19.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.92 LKR 4,626

$7.99 MKD 440

74.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.78 LKR 1,590

$6.19 MKD 341

-22.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.46 LKR 2,480

$9.90 MKD 544

-24.65%

Apples (1kg)

$6.40 LKR 2,126

$0.61 MKD 33.70

949.18%

Banana (1kg)

$0.85 LKR 283

$1.38 MKD 76.0

-38.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.26 LKR 1,416

$1.20 MKD 66.3

255.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.33 LKR 443

$1.97 MKD 108

-32.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 LKR 334

$0.83 MKD 45.55

20.48%

Onion (1kg)

$0.81 LKR 270

$0.77 MKD 42.48

5.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 LKR 308

$0.64 MKD 35.22

45.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 LKR 151

$0.59 MKD 32.28

-23.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.33 LKR 3,435

$2.72 MKD 149

279.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.87 LKR 4,279

$5.37 MKD 296

139.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 LKR 642

$0.95 MKD 52.4

103.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 LKR 999

$1.20 MKD 65.9

150.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.18 LKR 59.3

$0.70 MKD 38.57

-74.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.96 LKR 1,982

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 LKR 134

$1.07 MKD 59.1

-62.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 LKR 116

$0.62 MKD 33.86

-43.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.94 LKR 312

$7.73 MKD 425

-87.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 LKR 438

$1.57 MKD 86.6

-15.92%

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

$43.4K LKR 14.4M

$33.6K MKD 1.9M

29.04%

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

$39.7K LKR 13.2M

$26.4K MKD 1.5M

50.49%

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

$58.9 LKR 19.6K

$150 MKD 8,243

-60.72%

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

$4.20 LKR 1,397

$12.85 MKD 707

-67.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.61 LKR 6,853

$18.35 MKD 1,010

12.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.88 LKR 6,611

$20.22 MKD 1,113

-1.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.81 LKR 1,932

Cinema Ticket

$4.42 LKR 1,469

$7.10 MKD 391

-37.75%

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

$38.13 LKR 12.7K

$365 MKD 20.1K

-89.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,214 LKR 403.5K

$5,764 MKD 317.1K

-78.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.77 LKR 5,907

$85.7 MKD 4,717

-79.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.62 LKR 5,525

$36.58 MKD 2,012

-54.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.8 LKR 25.9K

$104 MKD 5,709

-25.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.22 LKR 14.0K

$91.8 MKD 5,049

-53.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$586 LKR 194.7K

$308 MKD 17.0K

90.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$275 LKR 91.4K

$241 MKD 13.3K

14.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,677 LKR 557.5K

$493 MKD 27.1K

240.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$490 LKR 163.0K

$298 MKD 16.4K

64.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,636 LKR 1.2M

$1,484 MKD 81.7K

144.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,158 LKR 385.0K

$979 MKD 53.9K

18.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$259 LKR 86.0K

$640 MKD 35.2K

-59.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.69

217.25%

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

Last update for Colombo: October 25, 2026

Last update for Strumica: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Colombo

$275 34.2%

Strumica

$241 27.8% 12.4% $34

Groceries & Markets

Colombo

$235 29.2%

Strumica

$178 20.5% 24.4% $57

Eating Out

Colombo

$103 12.8%

Strumica

$81 9.4% 21% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Colombo

$84 10.4%

Strumica

$181 20.9% 116% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Colombo

$69 8.6%

Strumica

$143 16.5% 106% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Colombo

$29 3.6%

Strumica

$34 4% 19.8% $5.7

Getting Around

Colombo

$8.8 1.1%

Strumica

$7 * 0.8% 21.2% $1.9

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 $586 in Colombo and $308 in Strumica. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Strumica pays about 2.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $25 in Colombo vs $22 in Strumica for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $178 per month, with Strumica cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Colombo

🇲🇰 Strumica

🕒 Local time

11:43 11:43 AM

07:13 7:13 AM

4 h 30 min behind Colombo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

753,000

36,000

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

100 MKD = 1.82 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MKD, USD, EUR to LKR – Sri Lankan Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 332 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 370 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 55.02 MKD (100 MKD = 1.82 USD). 1 EUR = 61.25 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Colombo Strumica 6,800 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Colombo
Strumica

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

Colombo vs Strumica: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Colombo wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Strumica. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Colombo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 60% lower in Colombo. 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: $586 in Colombo versus $308 in Strumica. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $38 in Colombo versus $365 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 $22 versus $25 in Colombo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Colombo is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Colombo wins on affordability, Strumica on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.