Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Strumica and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Strumica: $866 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Strumica
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Strumica Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Strumica

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$866

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Strumica and in Phuket

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $866 in Strumica versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Strumica $866
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,222 in Strumica versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Strumica $1,222
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,579 in Strumica versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Strumica $1,579
Phuket $3,154

Living in Strumica costs roughly 32% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Strumica 36% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.57 MKD 197

$4.47 ฿151

-20.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.29 MKD 1,226

$32.41 ฿1,092

-31.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.73 MKD 205

$8.81 ฿297

-57.66%

Cappuccino

$1.53 MKD 84.0

$2.83 ฿95.3

-45.94%

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

$1.40 MKD 77.0

$0.87 ฿29.37

60.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 MKD 63.0

$0.49 ฿16.64

134.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.85 MKD 102

$2.56 ฿86.2

-27.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 MKD 109

$3.68 ฿124

-46.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 MKD 70.9

$1.66 ฿55.9

-22.29%

White Bread (500g)

$0.74 MKD 40.45

$1.46 ฿49.25

-49.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 MKD 93.8

$1.50 ฿50.4

13.33%

Eggs

$2.12 MKD 117

$2.09 ฿70.4

1.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.99 MKD 440

$19.07 ฿642

-58.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.19 MKD 341

$3.30 ฿111

87.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.90 MKD 544

$10.91 ฿368

-9.26%

Apples (1kg)

$0.61 MKD 33.70

$2.93 ฿98.7

-79.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MKD 76.0

$1.69 ฿56.9

-18.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.20 MKD 66.3

$2.25 ฿75.7

-46.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 MKD 108

$2.08 ฿70.0

-5.29%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 MKD 45.55

$1.51 ฿50.9

-45.03%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 MKD 42.48

$1.38 ฿46.47

-44.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 MKD 35.22

$1.07 ฿35.91

-40.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 MKD 32.28

$0.52 ฿17.49

13.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.72 MKD 149

$4.20 ฿142

-35.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.37 MKD 296

$18.79 ฿633

-71.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 MKD 52.4

$1.82 ฿61.4

-47.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.20 MKD 65.9

$2.84 ฿95.7

-57.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 MKD 38.57

$1.45 ฿48.93

-51.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.07 MKD 59.1

$3.02 ฿102

-64.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 MKD 33.86

$1.02 ฿34.29

-39.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.73 MKD 425

$3.69 ฿124

109.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 MKD 86.6

$1.47 ฿49.70

6.80%

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

$33.6K MKD 1.9M

$26.8K ฿902.4K

25.64%

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

$26.4K MKD 1.5M

$26.7K ฿899.5K

-1.20%

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

$150 MKD 8,243

$96.4 ฿3,247

55.51%

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

$12.85 MKD 707

$11.26 ฿380

14.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.35 MKD 1,010

$16.85 ฿568

8.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.22 MKD 1,113

$67.2 ฿2,266

-69.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

Cinema Ticket

$7.10 MKD 391

$7.50 ฿253

-5.33%

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

$365 MKD 20.1K

$476 ฿16.0K

-23.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,764 MKD 317.1K

$11.3K ฿379.6K

-48.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.7 MKD 4,717

$62.4 ฿2,102

37.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.58 MKD 2,012

$28.41 ฿957

28.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 MKD 5,709

$94.3 ฿3,178

10.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.8 MKD 5,049

$85.8 ฿2,892

6.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$308 MKD 17.0K

$716 ฿24.1K

-56.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$241 MKD 13.3K

$491 ฿16.5K

-50.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$493 MKD 27.1K

$1,927 ฿64.9K

-74.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 MKD 16.4K

$1,431 ฿48.2K

-79.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,484 MKD 81.7K

$4,175 ฿140.7K

-64.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$979 MKD 53.9K

$3,045 ฿102.6K

-67.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 MKD 35.2K

$502 ฿16.9K

27.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-28.19%

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

Last update for Strumica: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Strumica

$241 27.8%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 104% $250

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Strumica

$181 20.9%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 31.2% $57

Groceries & Markets

Strumica

$178 20.5%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 49.8% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Strumica

$143 16.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 14.8% $21

Eating Out

Strumica

$81 9.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 49.4% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Strumica

$34 4%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 139% $48

Getting Around

Strumica

$7 * 0.8%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 914% $64

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 $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Strumica pays 27% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $22 in Strumica vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $178 vs $266 per month, with Strumica cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇰 Strumica

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

07:13 7:13 AM

13:13 1:13 PM

6 h ahead of Strumica

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,000

79,308

💱 Currency

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MKD = 1.82 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 55.02 MKD (100 MKD = 1.82 USD). 1 EUR = 61.25 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to MKD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Strumica Phuket 8,240 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Strumica
Phuket

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 Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Strumica is about 32% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 27% higher in Strumica, 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 $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $365 in Strumica versus $476 in Phuket. 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 $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Strumica 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.

Safety-wise, Strumica and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.