Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and Alexandria

For one person, living is cheaper in Alexandria: $859 a month against $1,554 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Belgrade
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Belgrade Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Alexandria
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Alexandria Living Index

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Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,554

/mo nomad

Alexandria

🇷🇴 Romania

$859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgrade and in Alexandria

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Belgrade and in Alexandria actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,554 in Belgrade versus $859 in Alexandria.

Belgrade $1,554
Alexandria $859

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,337 in Belgrade versus $1,320 in Alexandria.

Belgrade $2,337
Alexandria $1,320

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,121 in Belgrade versus $1,781 in Alexandria.

Belgrade $3,121
Alexandria $1,781

Living in Belgrade is roughly 81% more expensive than in Alexandria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Belgrade is 15% above, Alexandria is 36% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.15 RSD 1,371

$8.30 RON 39.26

58.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.5 RSD 5,999

$30.10 RON 142

91.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.38 RSD 1,394

$7.24 RON 34.24

84.81%

Cappuccino

$3.10 RSD 323

$1.62 RON 7.68

91.36%

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

$2.82 RSD 294

$1.76 RON 8.34

60.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 RSD 231

$1.49 RON 7.03

48.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.47 RSD 362

$2.11 RON 9.99

64.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 RSD 412

$2.46 RON 11.66

60.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 RSD 144

$1.39 RON 6.56

-0.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 RSD 118

$0.80 RON 3.78

41.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 RSD 277

$1.10 RON 5.21

141.82%

Eggs

$2.78 RSD 290

$2.16 RON 10.23

28.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.99 RSD 1,146

$4.98 RON 23.57

120.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.56 RSD 684

$4.30 RON 20.35

52.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.07 RSD 1,571

$7.67 RON 36.31

96.48%

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 RSD 173

$0.88 RON 4.16

88.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 RSD 186

$1.18 RON 5.57

51.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 RSD 195

$0.98 RON 4.61

90.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.03 RSD 315

$0.98 RON 4.62

209.18%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 RSD 96.3

$0.70 RON 3.33

31.43%

Onion (1kg)

$0.71 RSD 73.8

$0.61 RON 2.87

16.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 RSD 77.6

$0.72 RON 3.40

2.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 RSD 77.2

$0.86 RON 4.06

-13.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.61 RSD 481

$5.43 RON 25.69

-15.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.81 RSD 918

$5.15 RON 24.38

71.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 RSD 92.7

$0.92 RON 4.34

-3.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 RSD 151

$1.08 RON 5.10

34.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 RON 2.86

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.28 RON 200

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 RSD 315

$0.44 RON 2.07

586.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 RSD 103

$0.40 RON 1.91

145.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.08 RSD 1,780

$5.49 RON 25.97

211.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 RSD 199

$1.72 RON 8.14

11.05%

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

$31.0K RSD 3.2M

$16.1K RON 76.2K

92.49%

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

$24.7K RSD 2.6M

$23.1K RON 109.4K

6.67%

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

$220 RSD 23.0K

$115 RON 545

91.34%

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

$24.41 RSD 2,544

$5.18 RON 24.53

371.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.64 RSD 3,715

$7.60 RON 35.96

368.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.20 RSD 4,295

$58.6 RON 277

-29.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.60 RSD 2,356

$24.59 RON 116

-8.09%

Cinema Ticket

$8.59 RSD 896

$6.36 RON 30.10

35.06%

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

$424 RSD 44.2K

$308 RON 1,459

37.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K RSD 1.1M

$6,663 RON 31.5K

64.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 RSD 11.5K

$51.7 RON 245

113.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.28 RSD 4,929

$22.37 RON 106

111.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 RSD 11.8K

$63.2 RON 299

78.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$157 RSD 16.3K

$64.0 RON 303

144.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 RSD 83.9K

$319 RON 1,511

152.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$546 RSD 56.9K

$238 RON 1,127

129.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,452 RSD 151.4K

$577 RON 2,731

151.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$931 RSD 97.0K

$419 RON 1,981

122.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,368 RSD 559.6K

$1,235 RON 5,842

334.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,155 RSD 328.9K

$778 RON 3,679

305.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,237 RSD 128.9K

$844 RON 3,995

46.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.61

6.73

-31.50%

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

Last update for Belgrade: October 12, 2026

Last update for Alexandria: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belgrade

$546 35.2%

Alexandria

$238 27.7% 56.4% $308

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belgrade

$280 18.1%

Alexandria

$128 14.9% 54.4% $152

Groceries & Markets

Belgrade

$241 15.5%

Alexandria

$148 17.2% 38.4% $92

Eating Out

Belgrade

$228 14.7%

Alexandria

$136 15.8% 40.3% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Belgrade

$192 12.4%

Alexandria

$91 10.5% 52.9% $102

Sport & Entertainment

Belgrade

$58 3.8%

Alexandria

$71 8.3% 22.1% $13

Getting Around

Belgrade

$7.9 * 0.5%

Alexandria

$47 5.5% 494% $39

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 $805 in Belgrade and $319 in Alexandria. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Belgrade pays 46% 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: $58.0 in Belgrade vs $30.00 in Alexandria for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $241 vs $148 per month, with Alexandria cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🇷🇴 Alexandria

🕒 Local time

02:23 2:23 AM

03:23 3:23 AM

1 h ahead of Belgrade

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,197,714 Capital

45,434

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to RSD – Serbian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇸 Serbian Dinar (din)

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to RSD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Belgrade Alexandria 400 km

From you

Belgrade
Alexandria

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

Belgrade vs Alexandria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alexandria wins on cost – living expenses run 81% lower than in Belgrade. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Alexandria the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 46% higher in Belgrade, 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: $805 in Belgrade versus $319 in Alexandria. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 62% higher in Belgrade. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,554 per month in Belgrade versus $859 in Alexandria – a 81% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $859 in Alexandria versus $1,554 in Belgrade, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Alexandria but tight or insufficient in Belgrade. The gap between the two cities makes Alexandria 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, Belgrade and Alexandria 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 Alexandria gentler on the wallet – expenses run 81% less than in Belgrade. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.