Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Strumica

For one person, living is cheaper in Strumica: $855 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Strumica
🇲🇰 North Macedonia
$855
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $855 in Strumica, rent included.

  • Nosara $1,839
  • Strumica $855

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,214 in Strumica, rent included.

  • Nosara $2,828
  • Strumica $1,214

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,573 in Strumica, rent included.

  • Nosara $3,818
  • Strumica $1,573

Nosara costs about 115% more than Strumica, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Strumica is 37% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Nosara
Strumica
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.35 ₡5,539
$3.65 MKD 199
238.36%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.2 ₡27.4K
$22.76 MKD 1,242
168.80%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.52 ₡3,373
$3.67 MKD 200
104.90%
Cappuccino
$4.41 ₡1,978
$1.56 MKD 85.2
182.69%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 ₡780
$1.32 MKD 72.1
31.82%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.31 ₡587
$1.20 MKD 65.5
9.17%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.28 ₡1,471
$1.84 MKD 101
78.26%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.47 ₡2,004
$2.06 MKD 112
116.99%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Nosara
Strumica
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.56 ₡701
$1.27 MKD 69.5
22.83%
White Bread (500g)
$3.02 ₡1,355
$0.80 MKD 43.71
277.50%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.51 ₡1,125
$1.68 MKD 91.7
49.40%
Eggs
$3.57 ₡1,603
$2.22 MKD 121
60.81%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.43 ₡3,333
$7.85 MKD 428
-5.35%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.52 ₡4,717
$6.06 MKD 331
73.60%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.97 ₡6,265
$10.11 MKD 551
38.18%
Apples (1kg)
$2.35 ₡1,052
$0.62 MKD 33.64
279.03%
Banana (1kg)
$1.61 ₡720
$1.40 MKD 76.2
15.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.80 ₡2,152
$1.16 MKD 63.4
313.79%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.61 ₡724
$1.90 MKD 103
-15.26%
Potato (1kg)
$3.80 ₡1,703
$0.83 MKD 45.36
357.83%
Onion (1kg)
$3.69 ₡1,657
$0.83 MKD 45.02
344.58%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.13 ₡507
$0.60 MKD 32.66
88.33%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.66 ₡1,191
$0.56 MKD 30.51
375.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.18 ₡2,321
$2.74 MKD 150
89.05%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.88 ₡8,916
$5.29 MKD 289
275.80%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.90 ₡1,300
$0.94 MKD 51.1
208.51%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.63 ₡1,626
$1.19 MKD 65.1
205.04%
🚌 Getting Around
Nosara
Strumica
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.12 ₡504
$0.76 MKD 41.61
47.37%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$72.6 ₡32.6K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.14 ₡958
$1.06 MKD 57.7
101.89%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.57 ₡703
$0.62 MKD 33.62
153.23%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.52 ₡3,823
$7.69 MKD 420
10.79%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.52 ₡682
$1.62 MKD 88.2
-6.17%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.6K ₡9.7M
$35.0K MKD 1.9M
-38.27%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.5K ₡15.5M
$27.0K MKD 1.5M
27.81%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nosara
Strumica
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.3 ₡43.2K
$150 MKD 8,164
-35.67%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$35.89 ₡16.1K
$12.60 MKD 687
184.84%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$53.6 ₡24.0K
$18.22 MKD 994
194.13%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Nosara
Strumica
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$71.6 ₡32.1K
$20.21 MKD 1,102
254.23%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$34.91 ₡15.7K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.89 ₡3,539
$7.38 MKD 403
6.91%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Nosara
Strumica
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$494 ₡221.6K
$361 MKD 19.7K
36.87%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.9K ₡5.3M
$5,568 MKD 303.7K
112.98%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Nosara
Strumica
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.9 ₡24.2K
$84.2 MKD 4,590
-35.90%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$55.4 ₡24.8K
$37.11 MKD 2,025
49.31%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.9 ₡34.9K
$99.8 MKD 5,444
-21.93%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.6 ₡35.7K
$89.6 MKD 4,889
-11.17%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Nosara
Strumica
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$788 ₡353.4K
$307 MKD 16.7K
156.82%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$794 ₡356.2K
$233 MKD 12.7K
240.83%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,939 ₡1.8M
$495 MKD 27.0K
696.40%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,419 ₡636.5K
$294 MKD 16.1K
382.05%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,912 ₡3.1M
$1,478 MKD 80.6K
367.67%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,224 ₡549.0K
$969 MKD 52.9K
26.30%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Nosara
Strumica
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$864 ₡387.3K
$641 MKD 35.0K
34.68%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.62
4
115.50%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Strumica: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Nosara
$794
Strumica
$233 70.7% $561
Groceries & Markets
Nosara
$352
Strumica
$177 49.7% $175
Eating Out
Nosara
$212
Strumica
$82 61.1% $130
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nosara
$186
Strumica
$180 2.8% $5.3
Clothing & Footwear
Nosara
$120
Strumica
$140 16.4% $20
Sport & Entertainment
Nosara
$87
Strumica
$35 60% $52
Getting Around
Nosara
$87
Strumica
$7.2 * 91.7% $80

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $307 in Strumica. 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 35% higher in Nosara, 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 $61.0 in Nosara versus $23.00 in Strumica. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $177 – making Strumica the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇷 Nosara
🇲🇰 Strumica
🕒 Local time
00:44 12:44 AM
08:44 8:44 AM
8 h ahead of Nosara
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
4,912
36,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MKD, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Nosara Strumica 10,750 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Nosara
  • 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
Nosara vs Strumica: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Nosara and in Strumica compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $855 in Strumica – roughly 115% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Nosara compared to Strumica?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,282 in Strumica. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Nosara and Strumica?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Strumica, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $23.00 in Strumica. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 99% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Which city is more doable on $1,000 per month?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Strumica, where all-in costs run around $855, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Strumica it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Nosara and Strumica?
It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $855 in Strumica to $1,839 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Nosara or Strumica safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Nosara and Strumica?
If budget matters most, go with Strumica. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nosara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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