Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Struga and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Struga: $867 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Struga
🇲🇰 North Macedonia
$867
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Struga and in Nosara

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

A single person spends $867 per month in Struga vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Struga $867
  • Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,319 per month in Struga vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Struga $1,319
  • Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,771 per month in Struga vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Struga $1,771
  • Nosara $3,818

Struga is about 53% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Struga
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.38 MKD 402
$12.35 ₡5,539
-40.24%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$29.55 MKD 1,612
$61.2 ₡27.4K
-51.70%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.35 MKD 292
$7.52 ₡3,373
-28.86%
Cappuccino
$1.50 MKD 81.9
$4.41 ₡1,978
-65.99%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.79 MKD 97.7
$1.74 ₡780
2.87%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.17 MKD 63.7
$1.31 ₡587
-10.69%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.73 MKD 149
$3.28 ₡1,471
-16.77%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.04 MKD 166
$4.47 ₡2,004
-31.99%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Struga
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.26 MKD 68.9
$1.56 ₡701
-19.23%
White Bread (500g)
$0.69 MKD 37.56
$3.02 ₡1,355
-77.15%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 MKD 87.8
$2.51 ₡1,125
-35.86%
Eggs
$1.97 MKD 107
$3.57 ₡1,603
-44.82%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.78 MKD 424
$7.43 ₡3,333
4.71%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.37 MKD 348
$10.52 ₡4,717
-39.45%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.59 MKD 687
$13.97 ₡6,265
-9.88%
Apples (1kg)
$1.47 MKD 80.3
$2.35 ₡1,052
-37.45%
Banana (1kg)
$1.32 MKD 71.8
$1.61 ₡720
-18.01%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.30 MKD 70.7
$4.80 ₡2,152
-72.92%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.60 MKD 87.4
$1.61 ₡724
-0.62%
Potato (1kg)
$0.87 MKD 47.52
$3.80 ₡1,703
-77.11%
Onion (1kg)
$0.80 MKD 43.56
$3.69 ₡1,657
-78.32%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.59 MKD 32.44
$1.13 ₡507
-47.79%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.55 MKD 29.88
$2.66 ₡1,191
-79.32%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.42 MKD 186
$5.18 ₡2,321
-33.98%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.51 MKD 246
$19.88 ₡8,916
-77.31%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.06 MKD 57.9
$2.90 ₡1,300
-63.45%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.46 MKD 79.7
$3.63 ₡1,626
-59.78%
🚌 Getting Around
Struga
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.89 MKD 48.58
$1.12 ₡504
-20.54%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$53.6 MKD 2,924
$72.6 ₡32.6K
-26.20%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.12 MKD 61.0
$2.14 ₡958
-47.66%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.62 MKD 33.69
$1.57 ₡703
-60.51%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.87 MKD 266
$8.52 ₡3,823
-42.84%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.49 MKD 81.3
$1.52 ₡682
-1.97%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$36.0K MKD 2.0M
$21.6K ₡9.7M
66.67%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.3K MKD 1.5M
$34.5K ₡15.5M
-20.97%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Struga
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$99.8 MKD 5,445
$96.3 ₡43.2K
3.67%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.97 MKD 599
$35.89 ₡16.1K
-69.43%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.76 MKD 1,024
$53.6 ₡24.0K
-64.99%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Struga
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$19.98 MKD 1,090
$71.6 ₡32.1K
-72.09%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.68 MKD 637
$34.91 ₡15.7K
-66.54%
Cinema Ticket
$7.21 MKD 393
$7.89 ₡3,539
-8.62%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Struga
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$116 MKD 6,348
$494 ₡221.6K
-76.45%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,579 MKD 86.1K
$11.9K ₡5.3M
-86.69%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Struga
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$83.5 MKD 4,553
$53.9 ₡24.2K
54.75%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.17 MKD 1,646
$55.4 ₡24.8K
-45.55%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$70.1 MKD 3,825
$77.9 ₡34.9K
-10.01%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$52.4 MKD 2,856
$79.6 ₡35.7K
-34.23%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Struga
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$269 MKD 14.7K
$788 ₡353.4K
-65.84%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$225 MKD 12.3K
$794 ₡356.2K
-71.70%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$439 MKD 23.9K
$3,939 ₡1.8M
-88.86%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$355 MKD 19.4K
$1,419 ₡636.5K
-74.96%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,504 MKD 82.0K
$6,912 ₡3.1M
-78.24%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,328 MKD 72.4K
$1,224 ₡549.0K
8.47%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Struga
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$867 MKD 47.3K
$864 ₡387.3K
0.45%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.75
8.62
-56.50%

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

Last update for Struga: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Struga
$225
Nosara
$794 253% $570
Groceries & Markets
Struga
$186
Nosara
$352 89.8% $167
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Struga
$130
Nosara
$186 43.4% $56
Eating Out
Struga
$125
Nosara
$212 70% $87
Clothing & Footwear
Struga
$106
Nosara
$120 13% $14
Getting Around
Struga
$61
Nosara
$87 41.9% $26
Sport & Entertainment
Struga
$34
Nosara
$87 154% $53

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $269 in Struga versus $788 in Nosara. 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 0% 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 $30.00 in Struga versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $186 vs $352 – making Struga the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇰 Struga
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
06:10 6:10 AM
22:10 10:10 PM
8 h behind Struga
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
33,000
4,912
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

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

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).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Struga Nosara 10,610 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Struga
  • Nosara

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 Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Struga and in Nosara compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $867 in Struga, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 112% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Struga compared to Nosara?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,300 per month in Struga and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Struga and Nosara?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Struga, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do commuting costs compare in Struga and in Nosara?
Public transport costs about 35% less in Struga. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Struga and Nosara?
Kindergarten costs $116 per month in Struga and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Struga, where all-in costs run around $867, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Struga it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Struga and Nosara?
It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $867 in Struga to $1,839 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Struga or Nosara 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 Struga and Nosara?
If budget matters most, go with Struga. 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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