Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Baghdad and Belgrade

For one person, living is cheaper in Baghdad: $1,148 a month against $1,538 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Baghdad
Learn more

Baghdad Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Belgrade
Learn more

Belgrade Living Index

Jump to prices

Baghdad

🇮🇶 Iraq

$1,148

/mo nomad

Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,538

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,148 in Baghdad versus $1,538 in Belgrade.

Baghdad $1,148
Belgrade $1,538

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,702 in Baghdad versus $2,321 in Belgrade.

Baghdad $1,702
Belgrade $2,321

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,256 in Baghdad versus $3,105 in Belgrade.

Baghdad $2,256
Belgrade $3,105

Living in Baghdad costs roughly 25% less than in Belgrade, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Baghdad is 14% below, Belgrade is 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.87 IQD 7,354

$13.33 RSD 1,389

-63.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.91 IQD 52.7K

$58.4 RSD 6,085

-40.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 IQD 11.4K

$13.58 RSD 1,414

-44.62%

Cappuccino

$3.19 IQD 4,827

$3.13 RSD 326

1.92%

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

$0.36 IQD 548

$2.77 RSD 288

-87.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 IQD 379

$2.27 RSD 237

-88.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.83 IQD 5,788

$3.75 RSD 390

2.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 IQD 5,892

$4.38 RSD 456

-10.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 IQD 1,563

$1.40 RSD 146

-26.43%

White Bread (500g)

$0.85 IQD 1,284

$1.17 RSD 122

-27.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 IQD 2,308

$2.71 RSD 282

-43.54%

Eggs

$1.92 IQD 2,901

$2.78 RSD 289

-30.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.95 IQD 5,965

$11.36 RSD 1,184

-65.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.60 IQD 6,954

$7.01 RSD 731

-34.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.07 IQD 21.3K

$15.72 RSD 1,638

-10.50%

Apples (1kg)

$1.14 IQD 1,722

$1.66 RSD 173

-31.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.09 IQD 1,647

$1.81 RSD 188

-39.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.04 IQD 1,567

$1.83 RSD 190

-43.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.74 IQD 1,125

$3.13 RSD 326

-76.36%

Potato (1kg)

$0.68 IQD 1,034

$0.88 RSD 91.3

-22.73%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 IQD 970

$0.67 RSD 70.3

-4.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 IQD 1,003

$0.81 RSD 84.4

-18.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 IQD 1,020

$0.68 RSD 70.9

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.93 IQD 2,922

$4.78 RSD 498

-59.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.58 IQD 20.5K

$8.54 RSD 889

59.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 IQD 3,219

$0.94 RSD 97.7

126.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 IQD 3,296

$1.44 RSD 150

51.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 IQD 1,030

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.19 IQD 35.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.25 IQD 3,402

$3.09 RSD 322

-27.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 IQD 2,373

$1.02 RSD 107

53.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.68 IQD 11.6K

$17.18 RSD 1,789

-55.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.68 IQD 1,030

$1.87 RSD 195

-63.64%

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

$19.1K IQD 28.8M

$30.7K RSD 3.2M

-37.96%

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

$19.4K IQD 29.3M

$24.3K RSD 2.5M

-20.09%

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

$218 IQD 330.0K

$218 RSD 22.7K

0.34%

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

$19.65 IQD 29.7K

$25.24 RSD 2,629

-22.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.88 IQD 64.8K

$35.35 RSD 3,683

21.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.30 IQD 71.5K

$41.77 RSD 4,351

13.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.47 IQD 32.4K

$22.80 RSD 2,375

-5.83%

Cinema Ticket

$10.64 IQD 16.1K

$8.47 RSD 882

25.62%

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

$168 IQD 253.1K

$426 RSD 44.4K

-60.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,430 IQD 5.2M

$11.4K RSD 1.2M

-69.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.72 IQD 43.4K

$111 RSD 11.6K

-74.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.11 IQD 48.5K

$45.99 RSD 4,791

-30.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.4 IQD 103.3K

$119 RSD 12.4K

-42.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.01 IQD 74.1K

$154 RSD 16.0K

-68.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$577 IQD 871.8K

$821 RSD 85.6K

-29.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$361 IQD 545.2K

$561 RSD 58.4K

-35.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 IQD 1.5M

$1,511 RSD 157.4K

-33.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 IQD 1.0M

$942 RSD 98.1K

-29.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,647 IQD 7.0M

$5,312 RSD 553.4K

-12.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,569 IQD 2.4M

$3,165 RSD 329.7K

-50.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$593 IQD 895.6K

$1,228 RSD 127.9K

-51.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.12

4.61

-10.63%

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

Last update for Baghdad: 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

Baghdad

$361 31.6%

Belgrade

$561 35.5% 55.4% $200

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Baghdad

$281 24.6%

Belgrade

$278 17.6% 1% $2.7

Groceries & Markets

Baghdad

$186 16.3%

Belgrade

$246 15.6% 32.3% $60

Eating Out

Baghdad

$129 11.3%

Belgrade

$233 14.7% 80% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Baghdad

$80 7%

Belgrade

$194 12.3% 141% $113

Sport & Entertainment

Baghdad

$69 6%

Belgrade

$59 3.7% 14.4% $9.9

Getting Around

Baghdad

$36 3.2%

Belgrade

$8.2 * 0.5% 77.2% $28

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 $577 in Baghdad and $821 in Belgrade. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Belgrade pays 107% 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: $35.00 in Baghdad vs $58.0 in Belgrade for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $186 vs $246 per month, with Baghdad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Baghdad

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🕒 Local time

08:04 8:04 AM

07:04 7:04 AM

1 h behind Baghdad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,216,040 Capital

1,197,714 Capital

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.9 EUR

1,000 RSD = 9.6 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.56 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, USD, EUR to IQD – Iraqi Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇶 Iraqi Dinar (ع.د)

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,695 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.9 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 IQD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Baghdad Belgrade 2,420 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Baghdad
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

Baghdad vs Belgrade: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Baghdad wins on cost – living expenses run 34% lower than in Belgrade. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Baghdad the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 107% lower in Belgrade. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $577 in Baghdad versus $821 in Belgrade. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in Belgrade. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,148 per month in Baghdad versus $1,538 in Belgrade – a 34% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,148 in Baghdad versus $1,538 in Belgrade, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Baghdad but tight or insufficient in Belgrade. The gap between the two cities makes Baghdad 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, Baghdad 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 Baghdad gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Belgrade. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.