Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Struga and Bishkek

For one person, living is cheaper in Struga: $867 a month against $980 in Bishkek, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bishkek outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

42

Cost of Living Index in Struga
Learn more

Struga Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Bishkek
Learn more

Bishkek Living Index

Jump to prices

Struga

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$867

/mo nomad

Bishkek

🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan

$980

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Struga and in Bishkek

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Struga and in Bishkek actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $867 in Struga versus $980 in Bishkek.

Struga $867
Bishkek $980

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,319 in Struga versus $1,503 in Bishkek.

Struga $1,319
Bishkek $1,503

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,771 in Struga versus $2,026 in Bishkek.

Struga $1,771
Bishkek $2,026

Living in Struga costs roughly 12% less than in Bishkek, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Struga 36% lower, Bishkek 27% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.38 MKD 402

$7.02 KGS 614

5.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.55 MKD 1,612

$28.73 KGS 2,513

2.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.35 MKD 292

$5.73 KGS 501

-6.63%

Cappuccino

$1.50 MKD 81.9

$2.40 KGS 210

-37.50%

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

$1.79 MKD 97.7

$0.75 KGS 66.0

138.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.17 MKD 63.7

$0.40 KGS 35.19

192.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.73 MKD 149

$1.41 KGS 123

93.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 MKD 166

$1.89 KGS 165

60.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 MKD 68.9

$1.03 KGS 90.1

22.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.69 MKD 37.56

$0.38 KGS 33.63

81.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 MKD 87.8

$1.64 KGS 144

-1.83%

Eggs

$1.97 MKD 107

$1.77 KGS 155

11.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.78 MKD 424

$7.70 KGS 674

1.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.37 MKD 348

$4.51 KGS 395

41.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.59 MKD 687

$9.00 KGS 787

39.89%

Apples (1kg)

$1.47 MKD 80.3

$1.36 KGS 119

8.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 MKD 71.8

$1.88 KGS 165

-29.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.30 MKD 70.7

$2.01 KGS 176

-35.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.60 MKD 87.4

$1.53 KGS 134

4.58%

Potato (1kg)

$0.87 MKD 47.52

$0.58 KGS 50.8

50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 MKD 43.56

$0.48 KGS 41.73

66.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 MKD 32.44

$0.70 KGS 61.2

-15.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 MKD 29.88

$0.61 KGS 53.8

-9.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.42 MKD 186

$2.02 KGS 177

69.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.51 MKD 246

$9.18 KGS 803

-50.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 MKD 57.9

$1.42 KGS 124

-25.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 MKD 79.7

$2.01 KGS 176

-27.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 MKD 48.58

$0.22 KGS 19.13

304.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.6 MKD 2,924

$11.78 KGS 1,031

355.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.12 MKD 61.0

$0.87 KGS 76.4

28.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 MKD 33.69

$0.47 KGS 41.43

31.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.87 MKD 266

$5.65 KGS 494

-13.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 MKD 81.3

$1.02 KGS 89.4

46.08%

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

$36.0K MKD 2.0M

$30.0K KGS 2.6M

20.23%

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

$27.3K MKD 1.5M

$33.6K KGS 2.9M

-18.72%

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

$99.8 MKD 5,445

$50.2 KGS 4,393

98.81%

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

$10.97 MKD 599

$5.62 KGS 491

95.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.76 MKD 1,024

$11.77 KGS 1,029

59.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.98 MKD 1,090

$55.0 KGS 4,813

-63.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.68 MKD 637

$14.87 KGS 1,301

-21.45%

Cinema Ticket

$7.21 MKD 393

$5.68 KGS 497

26.94%

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

$116 MKD 6,348

$222 KGS 19.4K

-47.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,579 MKD 86.1K

$7,839 KGS 685.7K

-79.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.5 MKD 4,553

$55.4 KGS 4,843

50.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.17 MKD 1,646

$42.81 KGS 3,745

-29.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 MKD 3,825

$89.6 KGS 7,841

-21.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.4 MKD 2,856

$91.8 KGS 8,030

-42.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$269 MKD 14.7K

$612 KGS 53.5K

-56.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$225 MKD 12.3K

$410 KGS 35.8K

-45.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$439 MKD 23.9K

$1,041 KGS 91.1K

-57.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$355 MKD 19.4K

$708 KGS 62.0K

-49.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,504 MKD 82.0K

$1,803 KGS 157.7K

-16.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,328 MKD 72.4K

$1,224 KGS 107.0K

8.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$867 MKD 47.3K

$514 KGS 45.0K

68.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.75

20.1

-81.34%

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

Last update for Struga: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bishkek: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Struga

$225 25.9%

Bishkek

$410 41.8% 82.3% $185

Groceries & Markets

Struga

$186 21.4%

Bishkek

$177 18% 4.9% $9.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Struga

$130 15%

Bishkek

$68 6.9% 47.8% $62

Eating Out

Struga

$125 14.4%

Bishkek

$118 12% 5.7% $7.1

Clothing & Footwear

Struga

$106 12.3%

Bishkek

$126 12.8% 18.4% $20

Getting Around

Struga

$61 7.1%

Bishkek

$16 1.6% 74.1% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Struga

$34 4%

Bishkek

$66 6.8% 92.9% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $269 in Struga and $612 in Bishkek. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Struga pays 69% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $30.00 in Struga vs $29.00 in Bishkek for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $186 vs $177 per month, with Bishkek cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇰 Struga

🇰🇬 Bishkek

🕒 Local time

10:27 10:27 AM

14:27 2:27 PM

4 h ahead of Struga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

33,000

1,012,500 Capital

💱 Currency

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

Kyrgyzstani Som KGS сом

📈 Exchange rate

100 MKD = 1.83 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

100 KGS = 1.14 USD

100 KGS = 1.02 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KGS, USD, EUR to MKD – North Macedonian Denar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇰 North Macedonian Denar (ден)

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).

Kyrgyzstani Som exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 87.48 KGS (100 KGS = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 98.35 KGS (100 KGS = 1.02 EUR).

USD to MKD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Struga Bishkek 4,380 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Struga
Bishkek

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

Struga vs Bishkek: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Struga is cheaper overall, especially in clothing and leisure. The 13% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 69% higher in Struga, 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: $269 in Struga versus $612 in Bishkek. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $116 in Struga versus $222 in Bishkek. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Bishkek pay roughly 5% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $867 in Struga versus $980 in Bishkek, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Struga but tight or insufficient in Bishkek. The gap between the two cities makes Struga the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Struga is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Bishkek, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Struga and Bishkek are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Struga gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Bishkek. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.