Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Addis Ababa and Belgrade

For one person, living is cheaper in Addis Ababa: $1,307 a month against $1,554 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Addis Ababa
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Addis Ababa Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Belgrade
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Belgrade Living Index

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Addis Ababa

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$1,307

/mo nomad

Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,554

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Addis Ababa and in Belgrade

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,307 in Addis Ababa versus $1,554 in Belgrade.

Addis Ababa $1,307
Belgrade $1,554

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,926 in Addis Ababa versus $2,337 in Belgrade.

Addis Ababa $1,926
Belgrade $2,337

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,544 in Addis Ababa versus $3,121 in Belgrade.

Addis Ababa $2,544
Belgrade $3,121

Living in Addis Ababa costs roughly 16% less than in Belgrade, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Addis Ababa is 3% below, Belgrade is 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.92 ETB 630

$13.15 RSD 1,371

-70.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.93 ETB 6,730

$57.5 RSD 5,999

-27.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.68 ETB 1,072

$13.38 RSD 1,394

-50.07%

Cappuccino

$0.88 ETB 142

$3.10 RSD 323

-71.61%

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

$0.63 ETB 100

$2.82 RSD 294

-77.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 ETB 102

$2.22 RSD 231

-71.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.82 ETB 131

$3.47 RSD 362

-76.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 ETB 365

$3.96 RSD 412

-42.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 ETB 170

$1.38 RSD 144

-23.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 ETB 195

$1.13 RSD 118

7.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 ETB 357

$2.66 RSD 277

-16.54%

Eggs

$1.76 ETB 282

$2.78 RSD 290

-36.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.19 ETB 1,153

$10.99 RSD 1,146

-34.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.25 ETB 1,645

$6.56 RSD 684

56.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 ETB 1,486

$15.07 RSD 1,571

-38.55%

Apples (1kg)

$5.42 ETB 871

$1.66 RSD 173

226.51%

Banana (1kg)

$0.65 ETB 104

$1.79 RSD 186

-63.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ETB 352

$1.87 RSD 195

17.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.70 ETB 112

$3.03 RSD 315

-76.90%

Potato (1kg)

$0.50 ETB 80.4

$0.92 RSD 96.3

-45.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 ETB 167

$0.71 RSD 73.8

46.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 ETB 104

$0.74 RSD 77.6

-12.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ETB 97.0

$0.74 RSD 77.2

-18.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.20 ETB 1,316

$4.61 RSD 481

77.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.76 ETB 924

$8.81 RSD 918

-34.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 ETB 109

$0.89 RSD 92.7

-23.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 ETB 204

$1.45 RSD 151

-12.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 ETB 83.7

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.49 ETB 3,449

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 ETB 218

$3.02 RSD 315

-54.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ETB 46.70

$0.98 RSD 103

-70.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.02 ETB 325

$17.08 RSD 1,780

-88.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 ETB 144

$1.91 RSD 199

-52.88%

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

$56.0K ETB 9.0M

$31.0K RSD 3.2M

80.61%

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

$56.5K ETB 9.1M

$24.7K RSD 2.6M

129.22%

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

$206 ETB 33.1K

$220 RSD 23.0K

-6.47%

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

$7.16 ETB 1,149

$24.41 RSD 2,544

-70.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$216 ETB 34.6K

$35.64 RSD 3,715

504.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.41 ETB 7,128

$41.20 RSD 4,295

7.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.94 ETB 5,929

$22.60 RSD 2,356

63.45%

Cinema Ticket

$3.73 ETB 599

$8.59 RSD 896

-56.58%

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

$134 ETB 21.5K

$424 RSD 44.2K

-68.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.4K ETB 4.9M

$11.0K RSD 1.1M

177.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.22 ETB 5,331

$111 RSD 11.5K

-69.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.9 ETB 11.2K

$47.28 RSD 4,929

47.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.1 ETB 12.7K

$113 RSD 11.8K

-30.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.0 ETB 13.5K

$157 RSD 16.3K

-46.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$711 ETB 114.1K

$805 RSD 83.9K

-11.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$391 ETB 62.8K

$546 RSD 56.9K

-28.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,255 ETB 361.9K

$1,452 RSD 151.4K

55.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$786 ETB 126.2K

$931 RSD 97.0K

-15.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,965 ETB 315.4K

$5,368 RSD 559.6K

-63.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,004 ETB 161.1K

$3,155 RSD 328.9K

-68.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$200 ETB 32.1K

$1,237 RSD 128.9K

-83.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.5

4.61

301.30%

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

Last update for Addis Ababa: October 12, 2026

Last update for Belgrade: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Addis Ababa

$429 32.8%

Belgrade

$280 18.1% 34.6% $148

Accommodation & Living

Addis Ababa

$391 29.9%

Belgrade

$546 35.2% 39.6% $155

Groceries & Markets

Addis Ababa

$213 16.3%

Belgrade

$241 15.5% 12.7% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Addis Ababa

$120 9.2%

Belgrade

$192 12.4% 60.6% $73

Eating Out

Addis Ababa

$76 5.8%

Belgrade

$228 14.7% 201% $152

Sport & Entertainment

Addis Ababa

$52 4%

Belgrade

$58 3.8% 12.5% $6.5

Getting Around

Addis Ababa

$26 2%

Belgrade

$7.9 * 0.5% 69.9% $18

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 $711 in Addis Ababa and $805 in Belgrade. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Belgrade pays 519% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $42.00 in Addis Ababa vs $58.0 in Belgrade for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $213 vs $241 per month, with Addis Ababa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇹 Addis Ababa

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🕒 Local time

13:22 1:22 PM

12:22 12:22 PM

1 h behind Addis Ababa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,500,000 Capital

1,197,714 Capital

💱 Currency

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ETB = 6.23 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR

1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, USD, EUR to ETB – Ethiopian Birr Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇹 Ethiopian Birr (Br)

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 160 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.23 USD). 1 EUR = 180 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR).

USD to ETB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Addis Ababa Belgrade 4,350 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Addis Ababa
Belgrade

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

Addis Ababa vs Belgrade: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Addis Ababa and Belgrade differ by about 19% in total monthly costs ($1,307 vs $1,554 including rent). Addis Ababa is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 519% lower in Belgrade. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $711 in Addis Ababa versus $805 in Belgrade. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Belgrade. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,307 per month in Addis Ababa versus $1,554 in Belgrade – a 19% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,307 in Addis Ababa versus $1,554 in Belgrade, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Addis Ababa but tight or insufficient in Belgrade. The gap between the two cities makes Addis Ababa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Addis Ababa and Belgrade 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 Addis Ababa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Belgrade. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.