Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Struga and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Struga: $861 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Struga
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Struga Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Struga

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$861

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Struga and in Chiang Mai

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 Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $861 per month in Struga vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Struga $861
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,317 per month in Struga vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Struga $1,317
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,772 per month in Struga vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Struga $1,772
Chiang Mai $1,979

Struga is about 8% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Struga and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Struga 37% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.12 MKD 391

$2.24 ฿75.6

217.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.20 MKD 1,606

$19.00 ฿641

53.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.43 MKD 299

$5.55 ฿187

-2.16%

Cappuccino

$1.56 MKD 85.9

$1.67 ฿56.5

-6.59%

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

$1.82 MKD 100

$0.64 ฿21.54

184.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.20 MKD 65.8

$0.31 ฿10.31

287.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.68 MKD 148

$2.36 ฿79.5

13.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 MKD 166

$3.66 ฿124

-17.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 MKD 67.5

$1.95 ฿65.7

-36.92%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 MKD 40.01

$1.44 ฿48.46

-49.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 MKD 88.8

$1.33 ฿45.03

21.80%

Eggs

$1.96 MKD 108

$2.28 ฿77.1

-14.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.41 MKD 408

$16.45 ฿555

-54.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.24 MKD 343

$2.78 ฿93.9

124.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.68 MKD 697

$9.31 ฿314

36.20%

Apples (1kg)

$1.47 MKD 81.1

$2.35 ฿79.4

-37.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.35 MKD 74.4

$0.97 ฿32.79

39.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.25 MKD 68.7

$1.60 ฿53.9

-21.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 MKD 84.7

$1.50 ฿50.6

2.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.89 MKD 49.03

$1.28 ฿43.11

-30.47%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 MKD 46.50

$1.10 ฿37.18

-22.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 MKD 32.64

$0.71 ฿23.82

-16.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 MKD 30.24

$0.49 ฿16.36

12.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.50 MKD 193

$4.14 ฿140

-15.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.65 MKD 256

$17.52 ฿591

-73.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 MKD 58.5

$1.61 ฿54.5

-34.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 MKD 78.0

$2.78 ฿93.9

-48.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 MKD 48.66

$0.87 ฿29.30

1.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.3 MKD 3,044

$54.1 ฿1,825

2.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.07 MKD 58.7

$1.16 ฿39.04

-7.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 MKD 33.28

$0.53 ฿17.80

15.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.01 MKD 276

$2.42 ฿81.7

107.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 MKD 78.6

$1.45 ฿48.88

-1.38%

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

$33.1K MKD 1.8M

$21.1K ฿710.5K

57.20%

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

$25.9K MKD 1.4M

$26.9K ฿909.0K

-3.81%

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

$100 MKD 5,507

$62.2 ฿2,098

61.04%

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

$10.81 MKD 595

$12.17 ฿411

-11.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.92 MKD 1,040

$20.12 ฿679

-5.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.03 MKD 1,102

$37.31 ฿1,259

-46.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.44 MKD 629

$3.77 ฿127

203.45%

Cinema Ticket

$7.46 MKD 410

$6.49 ฿219

14.95%

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

$118 MKD 6,501

$736 ฿24.8K

-83.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,583 MKD 87.1K

$14.8K ฿498.2K

-89.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.7 MKD 4,713

$53.4 ฿1,801

60.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.08 MKD 1,709

$24.64 ฿831

26.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.0 MKD 3,905

$91.5 ฿3,087

-22.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.5 MKD 2,888

$71.9 ฿2,427

-27.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$278 MKD 15.3K

$482 ฿16.3K

-42.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$217 MKD 12.0K

$309 ฿10.4K

-29.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$441 MKD 24.3K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-56.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$356 MKD 19.6K

$633 ฿21.4K

-43.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,544 MKD 84.9K

$2,363 ฿79.7K

-34.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,364 MKD 75.0K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-14.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$852 MKD 46.9K

$590 ฿19.9K

44.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.75

5.57

-32.68%

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

Last update for Struga: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Struga

$217 25.2%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 42.2% $92

Groceries & Markets

Struga

$184 21.4%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 27.1% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Struga

$130 15.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 27.3% $35

Eating Out

Struga

$124 14.4%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 37.2% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Struga

$108 12.6%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 0.5% $0.5

Getting Around

Struga

$63 7.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 2.6% $1.6

Sport & Entertainment

Struga

$35 4.1%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 43.9% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $278 in Struga versus $482 in Chiang Mai. 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 45% higher in Struga, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29 in Struga versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $184 in Struga vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Struga wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇰 Struga

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

00:34 12:34 AM

06:34 6:34 AM

6 h ahead of Struga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

33,000

127,240

💱 Currency

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MKD = 1.82 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇰 North Macedonian Denar (ден)

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).

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).

USD to MKD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Struga Chiang Mai 7,690 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Struga
Chiang Mai

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 Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 9% more than Struga, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,292 per month in Struga and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Struga, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $278 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29 in Struga and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 27% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $861 in Struga and $936 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Struga – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.