Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arad and Belgrade

For one person, living is cheaper in Arad: $873 a month against $1,554 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Arad
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Arad Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Belgrade
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Belgrade Living Index

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Arad

🇷🇴 Romania

$873

/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 $873 per month in Arad vs $1,554 in Belgrade, rent included.

Arad $873
Belgrade $1,554

A couple spends around $1,366 per month in Arad vs $2,337 in Belgrade, rent included.

Arad $1,366
Belgrade $2,337

A family of three spends $1,858 per month in Arad vs $3,121 in Belgrade, rent included.

Arad $1,858
Belgrade $3,121

Arad is about 44% cheaper than Belgrade, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Arad sits 35% below the global median, while Belgrade is 15% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.16 RON 38.63

$13.15 RSD 1,371

-37.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.35 RON 153

$57.5 RSD 5,999

-43.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.15 RON 33.83

$13.38 RSD 1,394

-46.56%

Cappuccino

$2.63 RON 12.45

$3.10 RSD 323

-15.16%

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

$1.48 RON 7.00

$2.82 RSD 294

-47.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 RON 7.53

$2.22 RSD 231

-28.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 RON 10.15

$3.47 RSD 362

-38.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 RON 11.71

$3.96 RSD 412

-37.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 RON 5.32

$1.38 RSD 144

-18.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 RON 5.76

$1.13 RSD 118

7.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.16

$2.66 RSD 277

-35.34%

Eggs

$2.57 RON 12.17

$2.78 RSD 290

-7.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.17 RON 33.94

$10.99 RSD 1,146

-34.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.87 RON 23.03

$6.56 RSD 684

-25.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.13 RON 47.93

$15.07 RSD 1,571

-32.78%

Apples (1kg)

$1.60 RON 7.59

$1.66 RSD 173

-3.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 RON 8.05

$1.79 RSD 186

-5.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 RON 8.02

$1.87 RSD 195

-9.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.40 RON 6.60

$3.03 RSD 315

-53.80%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 RON 3.59

$0.92 RSD 96.3

-17.39%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 RON 4.04

$0.71 RSD 73.8

19.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 RON 5.60

$0.74 RSD 77.6

59.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 RON 3.63

$0.74 RSD 77.2

4.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.95 RON 28.14

$4.61 RSD 481

29.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.73 RON 27.10

$8.81 RSD 918

-34.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 RON 5.78

$0.89 RSD 92.7

37.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 RON 8.40

$1.45 RSD 151

22.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 RON 4.11

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.34 RON 139

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 RON 3.71

$3.02 RSD 315

-73.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 RON 5.06

$0.98 RSD 103

9.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.40 RON 49.22

$17.08 RSD 1,780

-39.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 RON 8.72

$1.91 RSD 199

-3.66%

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

$27.8K RON 131.8K

$31.0K RSD 3.2M

-10.15%

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

$24.9K RON 117.8K

$24.7K RSD 2.6M

0.99%

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

$125 RON 590

$220 RSD 23.0K

-43.44%

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

$8.19 RON 38.74

$24.41 RSD 2,544

-66.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.28 RON 34.42

$35.64 RSD 3,715

-79.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.12 RON 161

$41.20 RSD 4,295

-17.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.83 RON 146

$22.60 RSD 2,356

36.42%

Cinema Ticket

$5.27 RON 24.91

$8.59 RSD 896

-38.65%

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

$159 RON 752

$424 RSD 44.2K

-62.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,847 RON 18.2K

$11.0K RSD 1.1M

-64.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.29 RON 200

$111 RSD 11.5K

-61.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.47 RON 102

$47.28 RSD 4,929

-54.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.9 RON 335

$113 RSD 11.8K

-37.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.6 RON 343

$157 RSD 16.3K

-53.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$332 RON 1,571

$805 RSD 83.9K

-58.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$222 RON 1,052

$546 RSD 56.9K

-59.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$529 RON 2,505

$1,452 RSD 151.4K

-63.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$412 RON 1,951

$931 RSD 97.0K

-55.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,420 RON 6,719

$5,368 RSD 559.6K

-73.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,062 RON 5,027

$3,155 RSD 328.9K

-66.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$919 RON 4,349

$1,237 RSD 128.9K

-25.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.35

4.61

59.44%

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

$222 25.5%

Belgrade

$546 35.2% 146% $324

Groceries & Markets

Arad

$188 21.5%

Belgrade

$241 15.5% 28% $53

Eating Out

Arad

$146 16.8%

Belgrade

$228 14.7% 55.7% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arad

$140 16%

Belgrade

$280 18.1% 100% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Arad

$93 10.7%

Belgrade

$192 12.4% 106% $99

Sport & Entertainment

Arad

$45 5.1%

Belgrade

$58 3.8% 30.8% $14

Getting Around

Arad

$39 4.5%

Belgrade

$7.9 * 0.5% 79.6% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $332 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 35% higher in Belgrade, 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 $32.00 in Arad versus $58.0 in Belgrade. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $188 vs $241 – making Arad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Arad

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🕒 Local time

22:24 10:24 PM

21:24 9:24 PM

1 h behind Arad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

159,074

1,197,714 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 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 RON in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Arad Belgrade 170 km

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

Belgrade costs about 78% more than Arad, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,310 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.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Arad, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Arad and $58.0 in Belgrade. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 28% more in Belgrade, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Arad, where all-in costs run around $873, than in Belgrade at $1,554. In Arad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Arad – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Arad. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Belgrade makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.