Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Struga

For one person, living is cheaper in Struga: $867 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Struga
Learn more

Struga Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Struga

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$867

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $867 in Struga, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Struga $867

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $1,319 in Struga, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Struga $1,319

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $1,771 in Struga, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Struga $1,771

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

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Struga is 36% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$7.38 MKD 402

66.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$29.55 MKD 1,612

85.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$5.35 MKD 292

72.34%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.50 MKD 81.9

193.33%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$1.79 MKD 97.7

-6.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.17 MKD 63.7

-49.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$2.73 MKD 149

72.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$3.04 MKD 166

94.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.26 MKD 68.9

-3.97%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$0.69 MKD 37.56

28.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.61 MKD 87.8

36.02%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$1.97 MKD 107

19.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$7.78 MKD 424

33.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$6.37 MKD 348

-11.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$12.59 MKD 687

66.32%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$1.47 MKD 80.3

29.25%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.32 MKD 71.8

75.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.30 MKD 70.7

-1.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$1.60 MKD 87.4

12.50%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$0.87 MKD 47.52

-25.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$0.80 MKD 43.56

-20.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$0.59 MKD 32.44

111.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.55 MKD 29.88

1.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$3.42 MKD 186

-30.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$4.51 MKD 246

197.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.06 MKD 57.9

126.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.46 MKD 79.7

138.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$0.89 MKD 48.58

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$53.6 MKD 2,924

25.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$1.12 MKD 61.0

15.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.62 MKD 33.69

48.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$4.87 MKD 266

125.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.49 MKD 81.3

-1.34%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$36.0K MKD 2.0M

41.01%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$27.3K MKD 1.5M

63.23%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$99.8 MKD 5,445

-11.23%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$10.97 MKD 599

5.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$18.76 MKD 1,024

-15.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$19.98 MKD 1,090

286.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$11.68 MKD 637

94.69%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$7.21 MKD 393

12.90%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$116 MKD 6,348

766.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$1,579 MKD 86.1K

1519.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$83.5 MKD 4,553

-35.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$30.17 MKD 1,646

35.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$70.1 MKD 3,825

41.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$52.4 MKD 2,856

84.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$269 MKD 14.7K

265.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$225 MKD 12.3K

189.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$439 MKD 23.9K

351.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$355 MKD 19.4K

232.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$1,504 MKD 82.0K

108.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$1,328 MKD 72.4K

34.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$867 MKD 47.3K

38.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

3.75

991.20%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Struga: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Struga

$225 25.9% 65.4% $425

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Struga

$186 21.4% 28.5% $74

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Struga

$125 14.4% 44.2% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Struga

$106 12.3% 18.6% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Struga

$130 15% 11.7% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Struga

$34 4% 63.2% $59

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Struga

$61 7.1% 20.2% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $269 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 39% higher in Istanbul, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul versus $30.00 in Struga. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $186 – making Struga the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇲🇰 Struga

🕒 Local time

09:03 9:03 AM

08:03 8:03 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

33,000

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

100 MKD = 1.83 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MKD, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 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 TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Struga 700 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
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

Istanbul vs Struga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 79%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $1,300 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $1,008 per month in Istanbul and $116 in Struga. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 40% more in Istanbul, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Struga, where all-in costs run around $867, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Struga it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul 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.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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