Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arad and Belgrade

For one person, living is cheaper in Belgrade: $1,554 a month against $2,976 in Arad, rent and utilities included – about $17,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Arad
🇮🇱 Israel
$2,976
/mo nomad
Belgrade
🇷🇸 Serbia
$1,554
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Arad 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 Arad and in Belgrade actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,976 per month in Arad vs $1,554 in Belgrade, rent included.

  • Arad $2,976
  • Belgrade $1,554

A couple spends around $4,235 per month in Arad vs $2,337 in Belgrade, rent included.

  • Arad $4,235
  • Belgrade $2,337

A family of three spends $5,493 per month in Arad vs $3,121 in Belgrade, rent included.

  • Arad $5,493
  • Belgrade $3,121

Arad costs about 92% more than Belgrade, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Arad and Belgrade sit above the global median – Arad by 120%, Belgrade by 15%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Arad
Belgrade
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$25.95 ₪80.7
$13.15 RSD 1,371
97.34%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$92.1 ₪286
$57.5 RSD 5,999
60.01%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$20.04 ₪62.4
$13.38 RSD 1,394
49.78%
Cappuccino
$4.81 ₪14.97
$3.10 RSD 323
55.16%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.98 ₪12.40
$2.82 RSD 294
41.13%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 ₪8.31
$2.22 RSD 231
20.27%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.92 ₪30.86
$3.47 RSD 362
185.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$10.27 ₪31.97
$3.96 RSD 412
159.34%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Arad
Belgrade
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.57 ₪7.99
$1.38 RSD 144
86.23%
White Bread (500g)
$5.61 ₪17.46
$1.13 RSD 118
396.46%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.38 ₪10.51
$2.66 RSD 277
27.07%
Eggs
$4.48 ₪13.95
$2.78 RSD 290
61.15%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.12 ₪40.82
$10.99 RSD 1,146
19.38%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$19.23 ₪59.8
$6.56 RSD 684
193.14%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$26.55 ₪82.6
$15.07 RSD 1,571
76.18%
Apples (1kg)
$6.38 ₪19.84
$1.66 RSD 173
284.34%
Banana (1kg)
$3.20 ₪9.95
$1.79 RSD 186
78.77%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.05 ₪9.50
$1.87 RSD 195
63.10%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.17 ₪9.87
$3.03 RSD 315
4.62%
Potato (1kg)
$2.10 ₪6.54
$0.92 RSD 96.3
128.26%
Onion (1kg)
$1.70 ₪5.28
$0.71 RSD 73.8
139.44%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.42 ₪7.51
$0.74 RSD 77.6
227.03%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.56 ₪7.95
$0.74 RSD 77.2
245.95%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.96 ₪31.00
$4.61 RSD 481
116.05%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.22 ₪41.12
$8.81 RSD 918
50.06%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.69 ₪14.58
$0.89 RSD 92.7
426.97%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.22 ₪13.14
$1.45 RSD 151
191.03%
🚌 Getting Around
Arad
Belgrade
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.99 ₪9.29
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$87.4 ₪272
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$8.24 ₪25.65
$3.02 RSD 315
172.85%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.15 ₪3.59
$0.98 RSD 103
17.35%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$28.86 ₪89.8
$17.08 RSD 1,780
68.97%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.63 ₪8.17
$1.91 RSD 199
37.70%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$58.2K ₪181.2K
$31.0K RSD 3.2M
87.84%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$58.7K ₪182.8K
$24.7K RSD 2.6M
138.17%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Arad
Belgrade
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$336 ₪1,046
$220 RSD 23.0K
52.58%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.37 ₪38.47
$24.41 RSD 2,544
-49.32%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$49.51 ₪154
$35.64 RSD 3,715
38.92%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Arad
Belgrade
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$84.7 ₪264
$41.20 RSD 4,295
105.58%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$22.60 RSD 2,356
-
Cinema Ticket
$16.53 ₪51.4
$8.59 RSD 896
92.43%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Arad
Belgrade
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,643 ₪5,112
$424 RSD 44.2K
287.76%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$30.1K ₪93.5K
$11.0K RSD 1.1M
173.97%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Arad
Belgrade
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$103 ₪319
$111 RSD 11.5K
-7.31%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$64.3 ₪200
$47.28 RSD 4,929
35.96%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$176 ₪548
$113 RSD 11.8K
55.75%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$157 ₪487
$157 RSD 16.3K
-0.02%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Arad
Belgrade
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,678 ₪5,222
$805 RSD 83.9K
108.47%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 ₪3,683
$546 RSD 56.9K
116.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,522 ₪7,846
$1,452 RSD 151.4K
73.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,624 ₪5,053
$931 RSD 97.0K
74.54%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$10.8K ₪33.6K
$5,368 RSD 559.6K
100.94%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$8,515 ₪26.5K
$3,155 RSD 328.9K
169.87%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Arad
Belgrade
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,569 ₪7,992
$1,237 RSD 128.9K
107.73%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.2
4.61
12.80%

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

Last update for Arad: October 11, 2026

Last update for Belgrade: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Arad
$1.2K
Belgrade
$546 53.9% $638
Groceries & Markets
Arad
$516
Belgrade
$241 53.4% $275
Eating Out
Arad
$422
Belgrade
$228 46% $194
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Arad
$398
Belgrade
$280 29.6% $118
Clothing & Footwear
Arad
$225
Belgrade
$192 14.4% $32
Sport & Entertainment
Arad
$118
Belgrade
$58 50.4% $59
Getting Around
Arad
$113
Belgrade
$7.9 * 93% $105

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,678 in Arad versus $805 in Belgrade. 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 108% higher in Arad, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $92.0 in Arad versus $58.0 in Belgrade. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $516 vs $241 – making Belgrade the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇱 Arad
🇷🇸 Belgrade
🕒 Local time
05:24 5:24 AM
04:24 4:24 AM
1 h behind Arad
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
25,530
1,197,714 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, USD, EUR to ILS – Israeli New Shekel Converter

Israeli New Shekel exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3.11 ILS (1 ILS = 0.321 USD). 1 EUR = 3.5 ILS (1 ILS = 0.286 EUR).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Arad Belgrade 1,980 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Arad
  • 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
Arad vs Belgrade: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Arad or Belgrade?
Arad costs about 92% more than Belgrade, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Arad and in Belgrade?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,464 per month in Arad and $2,331 in Belgrade. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Arad or Belgrade?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Belgrade, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How much does it cost to live in Arad compared to Belgrade?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,976 in Arad and $1,554 in Belgrade. That's a gap of about 92%.
How do childcare costs compare in Arad and in Belgrade?
Kindergarten costs $1,643 per month in Arad and $424 in Belgrade. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Can you live on $2,000/month in Arad or in Belgrade?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Belgrade, where all-in costs run around $1,554, than in Arad at $2,976. In Belgrade it covers expenses comfortably, while in Arad it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Belgrade – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
How safe is Arad compared to Belgrade?
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.
Should I move to Arad or to Belgrade?
If budget matters most, go with Belgrade. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Arad makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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