Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Asmara and Belgrade

For one person, living is cheaper in Asmara: $1,402 a month against $1,538 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Belgrade outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

67

Cost of Living Index in Asmara
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Asmara Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Belgrade
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Belgrade Living Index

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Asmara

🇪🇷 Eritrea

$1,402

/mo nomad

Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,538

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,402 in Asmara versus $1,538 in Belgrade.

Asmara $1,402
Belgrade $1,538

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,192 in Asmara versus $2,321 in Belgrade.

Asmara $2,192
Belgrade $2,321

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,983 in Asmara versus $3,105 in Belgrade.

Asmara $2,983
Belgrade $3,105

Living in Asmara costs roughly 9% less than in Belgrade, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Asmara 5% above, Belgrade 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.83 ERN 313

$13.33 RSD 1,389

56.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.92 ERN 509

$58.4 RSD 6,085

-41.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.04 ERN 90.7

$13.58 RSD 1,414

-55.52%

Cappuccino

$0.77 ERN 11.54

$3.13 RSD 326

-75.40%

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

$0.97 ERN 14.60

$2.77 RSD 288

-64.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 ERN 15.28

$2.27 RSD 237

-55.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.62 ERN 9.30

$3.75 RSD 390

-83.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 RSD 456

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ERN 24.67

$1.40 RSD 146

17.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 RSD 122

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 ERN 35.01

$2.71 RSD 282

-14.02%

Eggs

$4.34 ERN 65.3

$2.78 RSD 289

56.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.98 ERN 44.76

$11.36 RSD 1,184

-73.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$26.73 ERN 401

$7.01 RSD 731

281.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.11 ERN 152

$15.72 RSD 1,638

-35.69%

Apples (1kg)

$12.28 ERN 184

$1.66 RSD 173

639.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 ERN 19.79

$1.81 RSD 188

-27.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 ERN 29.31

$1.83 RSD 190

6.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 ERN 17.05

$3.13 RSD 326

-63.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.76 ERN 26.40

$0.88 RSD 91.3

100.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.95 ERN 14.26

$0.67 RSD 70.3

41.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.81 RSD 84.4

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 ERN 33.91

$0.68 RSD 70.9

232.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.78 RSD 498

Wine (Bottle)

$11.87 ERN 178

$8.54 RSD 889

38.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ERN 14.76

$0.94 RSD 97.7

4.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 ERN 15.27

$1.44 RSD 150

-29.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.14 ERN 2.13

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.17 ERN 123

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 RSD 322

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ERN 8.62

$1.02 RSD 107

-44.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.84 ERN 148

$17.18 RSD 1,789

-42.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.52 ERN 37.88

$1.87 RSD 195

34.76%

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

$66.4K ERN 997.5K

$30.7K RSD 3.2M

116.00%

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

$68.8K ERN 1.0M

$24.3K RSD 2.5M

183.61%

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

$25.13 ERN 377

$218 RSD 22.7K

-88.46%

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

$68.7 ERN 1,032

$25.24 RSD 2,629

172.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$202 ERN 3,031

$35.35 RSD 3,683

470.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.72 ERN 401

$41.77 RSD 4,351

-36.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.91 ERN 73.8

$22.80 RSD 2,375

-78.46%

Cinema Ticket

$1.22 ERN 18.40

$8.47 RSD 882

-85.60%

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

$24.69 ERN 371

$426 RSD 44.4K

-94.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,594 ERN 39.0K

$11.4K RSD 1.2M

-77.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$136 ERN 2,039

$111 RSD 11.6K

22.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$120 ERN 1,800

$45.99 RSD 4,791

160.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$203 ERN 3,056

$119 RSD 12.4K

70.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$152 ERN 2,276

$154 RSD 16.0K

-1.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$246 ERN 3,700

$821 RSD 85.6K

-70.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$199 ERN 2,988

$561 RSD 58.4K

-64.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$457 ERN 6,867

$1,511 RSD 157.4K

-69.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$432 ERN 6,488

$942 RSD 98.1K

-54.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,284 ERN 19.3K

$5,312 RSD 553.4K

-75.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,487 ERN 37.4K

$3,165 RSD 329.7K

-21.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,228 RSD 127.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.61

160.30%

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

Last update for Asmara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Belgrade: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Asmara

$364 * 26.4%

Belgrade

$246 15.6% 32.3% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Asmara

$296 21.4%

Belgrade

$278 17.6% 5.9% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Asmara

$275 19.9%

Belgrade

$194 12.3% 29.5% $81

Eating Out

Asmara

$205 * 14.9%

Belgrade

$233 14.7% 13.5% $28

Accommodation & Living

Asmara

$199 14.4%

Belgrade

$561 35.5% 182% $362

Sport & Entertainment

Asmara

$29 2.1%

Belgrade

$59 3.7% 101% $30

Getting Around

Asmara

$12 * 0.8%

Belgrade

$8.2 * 0.5% 29.3% $3.4

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 $246 in Asmara and $821 in Belgrade. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $34.00 in Asmara vs $58.0 in Belgrade. Groceries flip the comparison at $364 vs $246, with Belgrade cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇷 Asmara

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🕒 Local time

07:46 7:46 AM

06:46 6:46 AM

1 h behind Asmara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

579,000 Capital

1,197,714 Capital

💱 Currency

Eritrean Nakfa ERN ናቕፋ

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

100 ERN = 6.66 USD

100 ERN = 5.94 EUR

1,000 RSD = 9.6 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.56 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, USD, EUR to ERN – Eritrean Nakfa Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇷 Eritrean Nakfa (ናቕፋ)

Eritrean Nakfa exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 15.02 ERN (100 ERN = 6.66 USD). 1 EUR = 16.85 ERN (100 ERN = 5.94 EUR).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.6 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.56 EUR).

USD to ERN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Asmara Belgrade 3,710 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Asmara
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

Asmara vs Belgrade: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Asmara and Belgrade differ by about 10% in total monthly costs ($1,402 vs $1,538 including rent). Asmara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,103 in Asmara and $2,307 in Belgrade to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $246 in Asmara versus $821 in Belgrade. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $24.69 in Asmara versus $426 in Belgrade. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Asmara – a meal for two runs $34.00 versus $58.0 in Belgrade. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,402 in Asmara versus $1,538 in Belgrade, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Asmara but tight or insufficient in Belgrade. The gap between the two cities makes Asmara 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, Asmara 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 Asmara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Belgrade. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.