Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Strumica and Colombo

For one person, living is cheaper in Colombo: $804 a month against $866 in Strumica, rent and utilities included – about $740 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Strumica
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Strumica Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Colombo
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Colombo Living Index

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Strumica

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$866

/mo nomad

Colombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$804

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Strumica and in Colombo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $866 in Strumica versus $804 in Colombo.

Strumica $866
Colombo $804

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,222 in Strumica versus $1,240 in Colombo.

Strumica $1,222
Colombo $1,240

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,579 in Strumica versus $1,675 in Colombo.

Strumica $1,579
Colombo $1,675

Living in Strumica is roughly 8% more expensive than in Colombo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Strumica 36% lower, Colombo 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.57 MKD 197

$3.74 LKR 1,243

-4.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.29 MKD 1,226

$24.72 LKR 8,217

-9.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.73 MKD 205

$7.60 LKR 2,528

-50.92%

Cappuccino

$1.53 MKD 84.0

$2.45 LKR 814

-37.55%

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

$1.40 MKD 77.0

$0.68 LKR 226

105.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 MKD 63.0

$0.27 LKR 89.8

325.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.85 MKD 102

$2.22 LKR 739

-16.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 MKD 109

$3.07 LKR 1,020

-35.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 MKD 70.9

$1.57 LKR 520

-17.83%

White Bread (500g)

$0.74 MKD 40.45

$0.54 LKR 178

37.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 MKD 93.8

$0.80 LKR 266

112.50%

Eggs

$2.12 MKD 117

$1.71 LKR 568

23.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.99 MKD 440

$13.92 LKR 4,626

-42.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.19 MKD 341

$4.78 LKR 1,590

29.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.90 MKD 544

$7.46 LKR 2,480

32.71%

Apples (1kg)

$0.61 MKD 33.70

$6.40 LKR 2,126

-90.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MKD 76.0

$0.85 LKR 283

62.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.20 MKD 66.3

$4.26 LKR 1,416

-71.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 MKD 108

$1.33 LKR 443

48.12%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 MKD 45.55

$1.00 LKR 334

-17.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 MKD 42.48

$0.81 LKR 270

-4.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 MKD 35.22

$0.93 LKR 308

-31.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 MKD 32.28

$0.45 LKR 151

31.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.72 MKD 149

$10.33 LKR 3,435

-73.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.37 MKD 296

$12.87 LKR 4,279

-58.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 MKD 52.4

$1.93 LKR 642

-50.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.20 MKD 65.9

$3.00 LKR 999

-60.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 MKD 38.57

$0.18 LKR 59.3

288.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.96 LKR 1,982

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.07 MKD 59.1

$0.40 LKR 134

167.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 MKD 33.86

$0.35 LKR 116

77.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.73 MKD 425

$0.94 LKR 312

722.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 MKD 86.6

$1.32 LKR 438

18.94%

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

$33.6K MKD 1.9M

$43.4K LKR 14.4M

-22.50%

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

$26.4K MKD 1.5M

$39.7K LKR 13.2M

-33.55%

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

$150 MKD 8,243

$58.9 LKR 19.6K

154.60%

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

$12.85 MKD 707

$4.20 LKR 1,397

205.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.35 MKD 1,010

$20.61 LKR 6,853

-10.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.22 MKD 1,113

$19.88 LKR 6,611

1.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.81 LKR 1,932

Cinema Ticket

$7.10 MKD 391

$4.42 LKR 1,469

60.63%

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

$365 MKD 20.1K

$38.13 LKR 12.7K

856.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,764 MKD 317.1K

$1,214 LKR 403.5K

374.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.7 MKD 4,717

$17.77 LKR 5,907

382.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.58 MKD 2,012

$16.62 LKR 5,525

120.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 MKD 5,709

$77.8 LKR 25.9K

33.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.8 MKD 5,049

$42.22 LKR 14.0K

117.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$308 MKD 17.0K

$586 LKR 194.7K

-47.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$241 MKD 13.3K

$275 LKR 91.4K

-12.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$493 MKD 27.1K

$1,677 LKR 557.5K

-70.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 MKD 16.4K

$490 LKR 163.0K

-39.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,484 MKD 81.7K

$3,636 LKR 1.2M

-59.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$979 MKD 53.9K

$1,158 LKR 385.0K

-15.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 MKD 35.2K

$259 LKR 86.0K

147.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.69

-68.48%

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

Last update for Strumica: October 25, 2026

Last update for Colombo: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Strumica

$241 27.8%

Colombo

$275 34.2% 14.2% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Strumica

$181 20.9%

Colombo

$84 10.4% 53.8% $97

Groceries & Markets

Strumica

$178 20.5%

Colombo

$235 29.2% 32.3% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Strumica

$143 16.5%

Colombo

$69 8.6% 51.4% $74

Eating Out

Strumica

$81 9.4%

Colombo

$103 12.8% 26.6% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Strumica

$34 4%

Colombo

$29 3.6% 16.6% $5.7

Getting Around

Strumica

$7 * 0.8%

Colombo

$8.8 1.1% 26.9% $1.9

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $308 in Strumica and $586 in Colombo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Strumica pays about 2.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $22 in Strumica vs $25 in Colombo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $178 vs $235 per month, with Strumica cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇰 Strumica

🇱🇰 Colombo

🕒 Local time

06:05 6:05 AM

10:35 10:35 AM

4 h 30 min ahead of Strumica

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,000

753,000

💱 Currency

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

100 MKD = 1.82 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇰 North Macedonian Denar (ден)

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 55.02 MKD (100 MKD = 1.82 USD). 1 EUR = 61.25 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 332 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 370 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR).

USD to MKD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Strumica Colombo 6,800 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Strumica
Colombo

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

Strumica vs Colombo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Colombo wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Strumica. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Colombo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Strumica is about 2.5 times higher, 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: $308 in Strumica versus $586 in Colombo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $365 in Strumica versus $38 in Colombo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Strumica – a meal for two runs $22 versus $25 in Colombo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Colombo is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Colombo wins on affordability, Strumica on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.