Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Assela and Belgrade

For one person, living is cheaper in Assela: $835 a month against $1,554 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Assela
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Assela Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Belgrade
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Belgrade Living Index

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Assela

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$835

/mo nomad

Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,554

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $835 in Assela versus $1,554 in Belgrade.

Assela $835
Belgrade $1,554

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,203 in Assela versus $2,337 in Belgrade.

Assela $1,203
Belgrade $2,337

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,571 in Assela versus $3,121 in Belgrade.

Assela $1,571
Belgrade $3,121

Living in Assela costs roughly 46% less than in Belgrade, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Assela is 38% below, Belgrade is 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.96 ETB 636

$13.15 RSD 1,372

-69.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.32 ETB 6,793

$57.5 RSD 6,004

-26.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.66 ETB 1,069

$13.38 RSD 1,396

-50.22%

Cappuccino

$0.96 ETB 153

$3.10 RSD 323

-69.03%

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

$0.64 ETB 102

$2.82 RSD 294

-77.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 ETB 109

$2.22 RSD 231

-69.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.83 ETB 133

$3.47 RSD 362

-76.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 ETB 353

$3.96 RSD 413

-44.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 ETB 169

$1.38 RSD 144

-23.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 ETB 188

$1.13 RSD 118

3.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 ETB 357

$2.66 RSD 278

-16.54%

Eggs

$1.78 ETB 286

$2.78 RSD 290

-35.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.18 ETB 1,152

$10.99 RSD 1,147

-34.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.17 ETB 1,632

$6.56 RSD 684

55.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.17 ETB 1,471

$15.07 RSD 1,573

-39.15%

Apples (1kg)

$5.43 ETB 871

$1.66 RSD 174

227.11%

Banana (1kg)

$0.68 ETB 109

$1.79 RSD 186

-62.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 ETB 348

$1.87 RSD 195

16.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.66 ETB 106

$3.03 RSD 316

-78.22%

Potato (1kg)

$0.47 ETB 75.4

$0.92 RSD 96.4

-48.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 ETB 169

$0.71 RSD 73.9

47.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 ETB 106

$0.74 RSD 77.7

-10.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ETB 96.9

$0.74 RSD 77.2

-18.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.03 ETB 1,290

$4.61 RSD 481

74.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.49 ETB 881

$8.81 RSD 919

-37.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 ETB 106

$0.89 RSD 92.8

-25.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 ETB 196

$1.45 RSD 152

-15.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ETB 207

$3.02 RSD 315

-57.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ETB 46.58

$0.98 RSD 103

-70.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.03 ETB 325

$17.08 RSD 1,782

-88.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 ETB 144

$1.91 RSD 199

-52.88%

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

$54.3K ETB 8.7M

$31.0K RSD 3.2M

75.13%

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

$56.5K ETB 9.1M

$24.7K RSD 2.6M

128.94%

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

$201 ETB 32.2K

$220 RSD 23.0K

-8.84%

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

$7.11 ETB 1,141

$24.41 RSD 2,547

-70.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$209 ETB 33.5K

$35.64 RSD 3,719

486.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.20 RSD 4,299

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.60 RSD 2,359

Cinema Ticket

$3.83 ETB 614

$8.59 RSD 897

-55.41%

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

$137 ETB 22.1K

$424 RSD 44.2K

-67.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K ETB 4.8M

$11.0K RSD 1.1M

175.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.25 ETB 5,337

$111 RSD 11.5K

-69.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.9 ETB 11.4K

$47.28 RSD 4,933

49.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.7 ETB 12.5K

$113 RSD 11.8K

-31.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.6 ETB 13.3K

$157 RSD 16.3K

-47.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 RSD 84.0K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$546 RSD 57.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,452 RSD 151.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$931 RSD 97.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,368 RSD 560.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,155 RSD 329.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,237 RSD 129.0K

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 Assela: October 11, 2026

Last update for Belgrade: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Assela

$417 50%

Belgrade

$280 18.1% 32.7% $136

Groceries & Markets

Assela

$211 25.3%

Belgrade

$241 15.5% 13.8% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Assela

$119 14.3%

Belgrade

$192 12.4% 61.7% $73

Eating Out

Assela

$77 9.2%

Belgrade

$228 14.7% 196% $151

Sport & Entertainment

Assela

$7.7 * 0.9%

Belgrade

$58 3.8% 663% $51

Getting Around

Assela

$2.7 * 0.3%

Belgrade

$7.9 * 0.5% 190% $5.2

Accommodation & Living

Assela

- * 0%

Belgrade

$546 35.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $42.00 in Assela vs $58.0 in Belgrade for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $211 vs $241 per month, with Assela cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇹 Assela

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🕒 Local time

01:46 1:46 AM

00:46 12:46 AM

1 h behind Assela

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

139,500

1,197,714 Capital

💱 Currency

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ETB = 6.23 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.56 EUR

1,000 RSD = 9.58 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.55 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 160 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.23 USD). 1 EUR = 180 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.56 EUR).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.58 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.55 EUR).

USD to ETB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Assela Belgrade 4,480 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Assela
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

Assela vs Belgrade: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Assela is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 86% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,252 in Assela and $2,331 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.

Childcare runs $137 in Assela versus $424 in Belgrade. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Assela – a meal for two runs $42.00 versus $58.0 in Belgrade. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $835 in Assela versus $1,554 in Belgrade, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Assela but tight or insufficient in Belgrade. The gap between the two cities makes Assela 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, Assela 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 Assela gentler on the wallet – expenses run 86% less than in Belgrade. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.