Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Struga

For one person, living is cheaper in Struga: $861 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Struga
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Struga Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Struga

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$861

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $861 in Struga.

Phuket $1,278
Struga $861

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,317 in Struga.

Phuket $2,216
Struga $1,317

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,772 in Struga.

Phuket $3,154
Struga $1,772

Living in Phuket is roughly 48% more expensive than in Struga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Struga 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$7.12 MKD 391

-37.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$29.20 MKD 1,606

10.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$5.43 MKD 299

62.25%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$1.56 MKD 85.9

81.41%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$1.82 MKD 100

-52.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$1.20 MKD 65.8

-59.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$2.68 MKD 148

-4.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.03 MKD 166

21.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.23 MKD 67.5

34.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$0.73 MKD 40.01

100.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.62 MKD 88.8

-7.41%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.96 MKD 108

6.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$7.41 MKD 408

157.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.24 MKD 343

-47.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$12.68 MKD 697

-13.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$1.47 MKD 81.1

99.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.35 MKD 74.4

25.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.25 MKD 68.7

80.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.54 MKD 84.7

35.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.89 MKD 49.03

69.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$0.85 MKD 46.50

62.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$0.59 MKD 32.64

81.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.55 MKD 30.24

-5.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.50 MKD 193

20.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$4.65 MKD 256

304.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.06 MKD 58.5

71.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$1.42 MKD 78.0

100.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.88 MKD 48.66

64.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$55.3 MKD 3,044

2.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.07 MKD 58.7

182.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.61 MKD 33.28

67.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$5.01 MKD 276

-26.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.43 MKD 78.6

2.80%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$33.1K MKD 1.8M

-19.11%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$25.9K MKD 1.4M

2.99%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$100 MKD 5,507

-3.77%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$10.81 MKD 595

4.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$18.92 MKD 1,040

-10.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$20.03 MKD 1,102

235.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$11.44 MKD 629

-6.21%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$7.46 MKD 410

0.54%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$118 MKD 6,501

302.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$1,583 MKD 87.1K

611.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$85.7 MKD 4,713

-27.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$31.08 MKD 1,709

-8.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$71.0 MKD 3,905

32.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$52.5 MKD 2,888

63.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$278 MKD 15.3K

157.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$217 MKD 12.0K

125.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$441 MKD 24.3K

336.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$356 MKD 19.6K

301.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$1,544 MKD 84.9K

170.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$1,364 MKD 75.0K

123.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$852 MKD 46.9K

-41.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.75

48.53%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Struga: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Struga

$217 25.2% 55.7% $274

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Struga

$184 21.4% 30.8% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Struga

$130 15.1% 4.3% $5.4

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Struga

$108 12.6% 11.3% $14

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Struga

$124 14.4% 1.5% $1.8

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Struga

$35 4.1% 57.5% $47

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Struga

$63 7.3% 10.8% $7.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $278 in Struga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Struga pays 70% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $29 in Struga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $184 per month, with Struga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇰 Struga

🕒 Local time

08:07 8:07 AM

02:07 2:07 AM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

33,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 MKD = 1.82 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MKD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

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 THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Struga 8,400 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
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

Phuket vs Struga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Struga is about 33% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 41% lower in Phuket. 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: $716 in Phuket versus $278 in Struga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $118 in Struga. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Struga – a meal for two runs $29 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $861 in Struga versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Struga but tight or insufficient in Phuket. 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, Phuket and Struga are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.