Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Strumica

For one person, living is cheaper in Strumica: $859 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $16,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Strumica
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Strumica Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Strumica

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon versus $859 in Strumica.

Lisbon $2,206
Strumica $859

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Lisbon versus $1,216 in Strumica.

Lisbon $3,276
Strumica $1,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $1,574 in Strumica.

Lisbon $4,346
Strumica $1,574

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 63% above, Strumica is 36% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €14.98

$3.70 MKD 202

355.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.2

$22.47 MKD 1,224

171.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.75

$3.65 MKD 199

200.82%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.71

$1.51 MKD 82.5

101.99%

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

$2.28 €2.03

$1.33 MKD 72.3

71.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.49

$1.16 MKD 63.2

44.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.05

$1.87 MKD 102

83.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.47

$1.96 MKD 107

99.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.23 MKD 67.2

-6.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$0.79 MKD 42.93

139.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.33

$1.71 MKD 93.4

-12.28%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.66

$2.22 MKD 121

85.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.55

$8.04 MKD 438

61.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.15

$6.11 MKD 333

31.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.89

$9.81 MKD 534

82.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$0.61 MKD 33.21

272.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.41 MKD 76.9

23.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.20 MKD 65.3

51.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$1.97 MKD 107

36.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$0.84 MKD 46.02

110.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.72

$0.77 MKD 41.93

151.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$0.64 MKD 34.80

128.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$0.59 MKD 31.89

28.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.91

$2.74 MKD 149

143.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.01

$5.52 MKD 301

2.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$0.87 MKD 47.29

48.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.90

$1.20 MKD 65.6

78.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.04

$0.72 MKD 39.10

219.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.10

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.54

$1.11 MKD 60.4

258.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$0.62 MKD 33.94

3.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.81

$7.86 MKD 428

140.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.02

$1.64 MKD 89.2

39.02%

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

$33.4K €29.6K

$34.2K MKD 1.9M

-2.43%

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

$38.5K €34.2K

$26.6K MKD 1.4M

45.00%

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

$158 €141

$148 MKD 8,073

6.73%

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

$17.54 €15.58

$12.86 MKD 700

36.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.70

$17.24 MKD 939

80.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.66

$19.86 MKD 1,082

124.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.86

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.51

$7.41 MKD 404

29.28%

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

$674 €598

$375 MKD 20.4K

79.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.6K

$8,846 MKD 481.8K

111.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €90.8

$83.4 MKD 4,544

22.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €40.77

$36.65 MKD 1,996

25.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €90.8

$99.9 MKD 5,443

2.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €108

$90.5 MKD 4,930

34.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,457

$316 MKD 17.2K

418.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,055

$239 MKD 13.0K

395.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,509

$505 MKD 27.5K

459.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,793

$300 MKD 16.3K

573.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,960

$1,457 MKD 79.3K

437.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,176

$983 MKD 53.6K

378.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,499

$628 MKD 34.2K

168.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

-4.50%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Strumica: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Strumica

$239 27.9% 79.8% $948

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Strumica

$178 20.7% 35.3% $97

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Strumica

$82 9.5% 66.6% $163

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Strumica

$178 20.8% 13.8% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Strumica

$140 16.3% 16.6% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Strumica

$35 4% 45.6% $29

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Strumica

$7.1 * 0.8% 88.2% $53

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 $1,641 in Lisbon and $316 in Strumica. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 2.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61 in Lisbon vs $22 in Strumica for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $178 per month, with Strumica cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇰 Strumica

🕒 Local time

20:44 8:44 PM

21:44 9:44 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

36,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.13 USD

100 MKD = 1.84 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.888 EUR (1 EUR = 1.13 USD).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 54.47 MKD (100 MKD = 1.84 USD). 1 EUR = 61.32 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Lisbon Strumica 2,710 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
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

Lisbon vs Strumica: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,206 in Lisbon and $859 in Strumica, so Strumica is about 61% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Lisbon is about 2.7 times higher, 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: $1,641 in Lisbon versus $316 in Strumica. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 55% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,206 per month in Lisbon versus $859 in Strumica – Strumica is about 61% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Strumica 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.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Strumica are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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