Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and Arad

For one person, living is cheaper in Arad: $873 a month against $1,554 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Arad
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Arad Living Index

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Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,554

/mo nomad

Arad

🇷🇴 Romania

$873

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgrade and in Arad

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 Arad actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,554 per month in Belgrade vs $873 in Arad, rent included.

Belgrade $1,554
Arad $873

A couple spends around $2,337 per month in Belgrade vs $1,366 in Arad, rent included.

Belgrade $2,337
Arad $1,366

A family of three spends $3,121 per month in Belgrade vs $1,858 in Arad, rent included.

Belgrade $3,121
Arad $1,858

Belgrade costs about 78% more than Arad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Belgrade sits 15% above the global median, while Arad is 35% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.15 RSD 1,371

$8.16 RON 38.63

61.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.5 RSD 5,999

$32.35 RON 153

77.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.38 RSD 1,394

$7.15 RON 33.83

87.13%

Cappuccino

$3.10 RSD 323

$2.63 RON 12.45

17.87%

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

$2.82 RSD 294

$1.48 RON 7.00

90.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 RSD 231

$1.59 RON 7.53

39.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.47 RSD 362

$2.14 RON 10.15

62.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 RSD 412

$2.48 RON 11.71

59.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 RSD 144

$1.12 RON 5.32

23.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 RSD 118

$1.22 RON 5.76

-7.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 RSD 277

$1.72 RON 8.16

54.65%

Eggs

$2.78 RSD 290

$2.57 RON 12.17

8.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.99 RSD 1,146

$7.17 RON 33.94

53.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.56 RSD 684

$4.87 RON 23.03

34.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.07 RSD 1,571

$10.13 RON 47.93

48.77%

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 RSD 173

$1.60 RON 7.59

3.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 RSD 186

$1.70 RON 8.05

5.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 RSD 195

$1.69 RON 8.02

10.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.03 RSD 315

$1.40 RON 6.60

116.43%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 RSD 96.3

$0.76 RON 3.59

21.05%

Onion (1kg)

$0.71 RSD 73.8

$0.85 RON 4.04

-16.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 RSD 77.6

$1.18 RON 5.60

-37.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 RSD 77.2

$0.77 RON 3.63

-3.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.61 RSD 481

$5.95 RON 28.14

-22.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.81 RSD 918

$5.73 RON 27.10

53.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 RSD 92.7

$1.22 RON 5.78

-27.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 RSD 151

$1.78 RON 8.40

-18.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 RON 4.11

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.34 RON 139

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 RSD 315

$0.79 RON 3.71

282.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 RSD 103

$1.07 RON 5.06

-8.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.08 RSD 1,780

$10.40 RON 49.22

64.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 RSD 199

$1.84 RON 8.72

3.80%

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

$31.0K RSD 3.2M

$27.8K RON 131.8K

11.30%

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

$24.7K RSD 2.6M

$24.9K RON 117.8K

-0.98%

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

$220 RSD 23.0K

$125 RON 590

76.80%

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

$24.41 RSD 2,544

$8.19 RON 38.74

198.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.64 RSD 3,715

$7.28 RON 34.42

389.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.20 RSD 4,295

$34.12 RON 161

20.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.60 RSD 2,356

$30.83 RON 146

-26.69%

Cinema Ticket

$8.59 RSD 896

$5.27 RON 24.91

63.00%

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

$424 RSD 44.2K

$159 RON 752

166.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K RSD 1.1M

$3,847 RON 18.2K

185.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 RSD 11.5K

$42.29 RON 200

161.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.28 RSD 4,929

$21.47 RON 102

120.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 RSD 11.8K

$70.9 RON 335

59.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$157 RSD 16.3K

$72.6 RON 343

115.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 RSD 83.9K

$332 RON 1,571

142.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$546 RSD 56.9K

$222 RON 1,052

145.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,452 RSD 151.4K

$529 RON 2,505

174.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$931 RSD 97.0K

$412 RON 1,951

125.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,368 RSD 559.6K

$1,420 RON 6,719

277.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,155 RSD 328.9K

$1,062 RON 5,027

196.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,237 RSD 128.9K

$919 RON 4,349

34.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.61

7.35

-37.28%

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

Last update for Belgrade: October 12, 2026

Last update for Arad: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belgrade

$546 35.2%

Arad

$222 25.5% 59.3% $324

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belgrade

$280 18.1%

Arad

$140 16% 50% $140

Groceries & Markets

Belgrade

$241 15.5%

Arad

$188 21.5% 21.9% $53

Eating Out

Belgrade

$228 14.7%

Arad

$146 16.8% 35.8% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Belgrade

$192 12.4%

Arad

$93 10.7% 51.5% $99

Sport & Entertainment

Belgrade

$58 3.8%

Arad

$45 5.1% 23.5% $14

Getting Around

Belgrade

$7.9 * 0.5%

Arad

$39 4.5% 391% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Belgrade versus $332 in Arad. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 35% higher in Belgrade, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $58.0 in Belgrade versus $32.00 in Arad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $241 vs $188 – making Arad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🇷🇴 Arad

🕒 Local time

00:42 12:42 AM

01:42 1:42 AM

1 h ahead of Belgrade

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,197,714 Capital

159,074

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Belgrade Arad 170 km

From you

Belgrade
Arad

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 Arad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Belgrade costs about 78% more than Arad, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,331 per month in Belgrade and $1,310 in Arad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Arad, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $58.0 in Belgrade and $32.00 in Arad. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 28% more in Belgrade, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Arad, where all-in costs run around $873, than in Belgrade at $1,554. In Arad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Arad – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Arad. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Belgrade makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.