Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Struga

For one person, living is cheaper in Struga: $861 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $16,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Struga
Learn more

Struga Living Index

Jump to prices

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Struga

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$861

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $861 in Struga.

Lisbon $2,210
Struga $861

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,317 in Struga.

Lisbon $3,275
Struga $1,317

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $1,772 in Struga.

Lisbon $4,341
Struga $1,772

Living in Lisbon is roughly 157% more expensive than in Struga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Struga is 37% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.91

$7.12 MKD 391

133.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$29.20 MKD 1,606

111.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.17

$5.43 MKD 299

109.21%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$1.56 MKD 85.9

90.38%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$1.82 MKD 100

25.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.20 MKD 65.8

45.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$2.68 MKD 148

26.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$3.03 MKD 166

9.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.23 MKD 67.5

-5.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$0.73 MKD 40.01

161.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.62 MKD 88.8

-6.79%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$1.96 MKD 108

105.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$7.41 MKD 408

74.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.96

$6.24 MKD 343

24.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.91

$12.68 MKD 697

40.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$1.47 MKD 81.1

56.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.35 MKD 74.4

28.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.25 MKD 68.7

48.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$1.54 MKD 84.7

68.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$0.89 MKD 49.03

104.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$0.85 MKD 46.50

131.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.59 MKD 32.64

149.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.55 MKD 30.24

30.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$3.50 MKD 193

88.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$4.65 MKD 256

20.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.06 MKD 58.5

28.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.42 MKD 78.0

50.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$0.88 MKD 48.66

164.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

$55.3 MKD 3,044

-19.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$1.07 MKD 58.7

259.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.61 MKD 33.28

75.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.74

$5.01 MKD 276

228.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.43 MKD 78.6

53.85%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$33.1K MKD 1.8M

3.28%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$25.9K MKD 1.4M

49.43%

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

$161 €144

$100 MKD 5,507

61.03%

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

$18.41 €16.49

$10.81 MKD 595

70.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.32

$18.92 MKD 1,040

73.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.90

$20.03 MKD 1,102

122.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

$11.44 MKD 629

66.96%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$7.46 MKD 410

28.69%

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

$668 €598

$118 MKD 6,501

464.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$1,583 MKD 87.1K

1012.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$85.7 MKD 4,713

19.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.82

$31.08 MKD 1,709

43.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.2

$71.0 MKD 3,905

38.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$52.5 MKD 2,888

135.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,440

$278 MKD 15.3K

478.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$217 MKD 12.0K

447.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,519

$441 MKD 24.3K

537.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,803

$356 MKD 19.6K

465.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,021

$1,544 MKD 84.9K

407.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,098

$1,364 MKD 75.0K

235.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$852 MKD 46.9K

84.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.75

2.67%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Struga: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Struga

$217 25.2% 81.7% $973

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Struga

$184 21.4% 32.3% $88

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Struga

$124 14.4% 49.1% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Struga

$130 15.1% 38.9% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Struga

$108 12.6% 34.8% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Struga

$35 4.1% 45.2% $29

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Struga

$63 7.3% 0.4% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $278 in Struga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 85% 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: $62 in Lisbon vs $29 in Struga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $184 per month, with Struga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇰 Struga

🕒 Local time

01:07 1:07 AM

02:07 2:07 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

33,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MKD = 1.82 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MKD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 55 MKD (100 MKD = 1.82 USD). 1 EUR = 61.41 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Struga 2,540 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
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

Lisbon vs Struga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $861 in Struga, so Struga is about 61% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 85% higher in Lisbon, 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $278 in Struga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $118 in Struga. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 48% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $861 in Struga versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Struga but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. 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, Lisbon and Struga are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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