Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Belgrade

For one person, living is cheaper in Belgrade: $1,538 a month against $1,806 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Belgrade
Learn more

Belgrade Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,538

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,806 in Athens versus $1,538 in Belgrade.

Athens $1,806
Belgrade $1,538

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,731 in Athens versus $2,321 in Belgrade.

Athens $2,731
Belgrade $2,321

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,656 in Athens versus $3,105 in Belgrade.

Athens $3,656
Belgrade $3,105

Living in Athens is roughly 17% more expensive than in Belgrade, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 35% above, Belgrade 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.66 €14.85

$13.33 RSD 1,392

24.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €59.0

$58.4 RSD 6,099

13.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 €9.86

$13.58 RSD 1,417

-18.56%

Cappuccino

$4.14 €3.69

$3.13 RSD 327

32.27%

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

$2.80 €2.50

$2.77 RSD 289

1.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$2.27 RSD 237

-74.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.03

$3.75 RSD 391

50.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.86

$4.38 RSD 457

24.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 €1.74

$1.40 RSD 146

40.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.25

$1.17 RSD 122

20.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.83 €2.53

$2.71 RSD 283

4.43%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.49

$2.78 RSD 290

81.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 €13.68

$11.36 RSD 1,186

35.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.34 €9.22

$7.01 RSD 732

47.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.97 €16.92

$15.72 RSD 1,641

20.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.66 RSD 173

30.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.81 RSD 189

5.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.83 RSD 191

-24.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$3.13 RSD 327

-29.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

$0.88 RSD 91.5

25.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.00

$0.67 RSD 70.5

68.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.98

$0.81 RSD 84.6

35.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$0.68 RSD 71.1

22.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.60 €4.99

$4.78 RSD 500

17.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 €9.08

$8.54 RSD 891

19.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.95

$0.94 RSD 97.9

131.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 €2.18

$1.44 RSD 151

70.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 €1.23

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.87 €27.52

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.90

$3.09 RSD 323

41.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 €0.93

$1.02 RSD 107

1.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.11 €15.26

$17.18 RSD 1,793

-0.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.06

$1.87 RSD 196

23.53%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$30.7K RSD 3.2M

-8.99%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$24.3K RSD 2.5M

15.44%

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

$210 €187

$218 RSD 22.7K

-3.64%

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

$26.70 €23.80

$25.24 RSD 2,635

5.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.13 €26.86

$35.35 RSD 3,691

-14.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.6 €48.68

$41.77 RSD 4,361

30.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.03 €23.21

$22.80 RSD 2,380

14.17%

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 €9.61

$8.47 RSD 884

27.27%

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

$575 €513

$426 RSD 44.5K

34.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K €11.7K

$11.4K RSD 1.2M

15.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.2 €83.1

$111 RSD 11.6K

-16.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.68 €36.27

$45.99 RSD 4,802

-11.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.8

$119 RSD 12.4K

-12.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €114

$154 RSD 16.1K

-16.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 €674

$821 RSD 85.8K

-8.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 €582

$561 RSD 58.5K

16.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 €1,153

$1,511 RSD 157.8K

-14.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 €1,037

$942 RSD 98.3K

23.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,008 €3,574

$5,312 RSD 554.6K

-24.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,452 €3,078

$3,165 RSD 330.4K

9.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,243 €1,109

$1,228 RSD 128.2K

1.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

4.61

-2.82%

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

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Last update for Belgrade: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$652 36.5%

Belgrade

$561 35.5% 14.1% $92

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$315 17.6%

Belgrade

$246 15.6% 21.8% $69

Eating Out

Athens

$269 15%

Belgrade

$233 14.7% 13.4% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$267 14.9%

Belgrade

$278 17.6% 4.4% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$165 9.2%

Belgrade

$194 12.3% 17.5% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$76 4.3%

Belgrade

$59 3.7% 22.9% $17

Getting Around

Athens

$46 2.6%

Belgrade

$8.2 * 0.5% 82.1% $38

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 $756 in Athens and $821 in Belgrade. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 1% 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: $66.0 in Athens vs $58.0 in Belgrade for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $315 vs $246 per month, with Belgrade cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🕒 Local time

04:04 4:04 AM

03:04 3:04 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

1,197,714 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 RSD = 9.58 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.54 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.58 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.54 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Athens Belgrade 810 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
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

Athens vs Belgrade: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Belgrade wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Belgrade the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 1% higher in Athens, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $756 in Athens versus $821 in Belgrade. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $575 in Athens 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 Belgrade – a meal for two runs $58.0 versus $66.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,538 in Belgrade versus $1,806 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Belgrade but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Belgrade the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Belgrade delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,538 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Belgrade hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens 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 Belgrade gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.