Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and Arzamas

For one person, living is cheaper in Arzamas: $1,046 a month against $1,554 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 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
50

Cost of Living Index in Arzamas
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Arzamas Living Index

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Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,554

/mo nomad

Arzamas

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,046

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgrade and in Arzamas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,554 in Belgrade versus $1,046 in Arzamas.

Belgrade $1,554
Arzamas $1,046

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,337 in Belgrade versus $1,613 in Arzamas.

Belgrade $2,337
Arzamas $1,613

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,121 in Belgrade versus $2,180 in Arzamas.

Belgrade $3,121
Arzamas $2,180

Living in Belgrade is roughly 49% more expensive than in Arzamas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Belgrade is 15% above, Arzamas is 23% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.15 RSD 1,371

$10.13 ₽846

29.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.5 RSD 5,999

$34.19 ₽2,853

68.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.38 RSD 1,394

$6.83 ₽570

95.90%

Cappuccino

$3.10 RSD 323

$2.74 ₽229

13.14%

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

$2.82 RSD 294

$1.06 ₽88.3

166.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 RSD 231

$0.52 ₽43.61

326.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.47 RSD 362

$1.85 ₽154

87.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 RSD 412

$2.82 ₽235

40.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 RSD 144

$1.10 ₽91.8

25.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 RSD 118

$0.65 ₽54.1

73.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 RSD 277

$1.33 ₽111

100.00%

Eggs

$2.78 RSD 290

$1.77 ₽147

57.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.99 RSD 1,146

$9.77 ₽815

12.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.56 RSD 684

$5.87 ₽490

11.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.07 RSD 1,571

$12.33 ₽1,029

22.22%

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 RSD 173

$1.71 ₽143

-2.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 RSD 186

$1.66 ₽139

7.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 RSD 195

$1.79 ₽149

4.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.03 RSD 315

$2.94 ₽246

3.06%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 RSD 96.3

$0.67 ₽56.2

37.31%

Onion (1kg)

$0.71 RSD 73.8

$0.52 ₽43.63

36.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 RSD 77.6

$1.46 ₽122

-49.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 RSD 77.2

$0.70 ₽58.6

5.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.61 RSD 481

$3.38 ₽282

36.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.81 RSD 918

$6.60 ₽551

33.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 RSD 92.7

$1.09 ₽90.8

-18.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 RSD 151

$2.03 ₽170

-28.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 ₽46.05

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 RSD 315

$2.21 ₽184

36.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 RSD 103

$0.34 ₽28.04

188.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.08 RSD 1,780

$6.49 ₽542

163.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 RSD 199

$0.84 ₽70.4

127.38%

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

$31.0K RSD 3.2M

$35.8K ₽3.0M

-13.34%

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

$24.7K RSD 2.6M

$27.7K ₽2.3M

-11.09%

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

$220 RSD 23.0K

$134 ₽11.2K

64.64%

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

$24.41 RSD 2,544

$6.62 ₽553

268.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.64 RSD 3,715

$8.25 ₽689

332.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.20 RSD 4,295

$32.02 ₽2,672

28.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.60 RSD 2,356

$20.36 ₽1,699

11.00%

Cinema Ticket

$8.59 RSD 896

$6.66 ₽556

28.98%

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

$424 RSD 44.2K

$381 ₽31.8K

11.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K RSD 1.1M

$6,116 ₽510.4K

79.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 RSD 11.5K

$85.8 ₽7,161

28.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.28 RSD 4,929

$51.7 ₽4,318

-8.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 RSD 11.8K

$123 ₽10.3K

-8.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$157 RSD 16.3K

$108 ₽9,050

44.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 RSD 83.9K

$302 ₽25.2K

166.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$546 RSD 56.9K

$318 ₽26.6K

71.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,452 RSD 151.4K

$474 ₽39.5K

206.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$931 RSD 97.0K

$562 ₽46.9K

65.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,368 RSD 559.6K

$2,064 ₽172.3K

160.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,155 RSD 328.9K

$1,375 ₽114.8K

129.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,237 RSD 128.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.61

21.45

-78.51%

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

Last update for Belgrade: October 12, 2026

Last update for Arzamas: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belgrade

$546 35.2%

Arzamas

$318 30.4% 41.7% $228

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belgrade

$280 18.1%

Arzamas

$149 14.2% 47% $132

Groceries & Markets

Belgrade

$241 15.5%

Arzamas

$206 19.7% 14.4% $35

Eating Out

Belgrade

$228 14.7%

Arzamas

$156 14.9% 31.7% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Belgrade

$192 12.4%

Arzamas

$166 15.9% 13.7% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Belgrade

$58 3.8%

Arzamas

$45 4.3% 22.4% $13

Getting Around

Belgrade

$7.9 * 0.5%

Arzamas

$6.1 * 0.6% 23.3% $1.9

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 $302 in Arzamas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $58.0 in Belgrade vs $34.00 in Arzamas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $241 vs $206 per month, with Arzamas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🇷🇺 Arzamas

🕒 Local time

07:51 7:51 AM

08:51 8:51 AM

1 h ahead of Belgrade

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,197,714 Capital

103,396

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, 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).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

USD to RSD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Belgrade Arzamas 2,020 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Belgrade
Arzamas

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 Arzamas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Belgrade and Arzamas differ by about 49% in total monthly costs ($1,554 vs $1,046 including rent). Arzamas is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,331 in Belgrade and $1,569 in Arzamas 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $805 in Belgrade versus $302 in Arzamas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% 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 $1,046 in Arzamas – a 49% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,046 in Arzamas versus $1,554 in Belgrade, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Arzamas but tight or insufficient in Belgrade. The gap between the two cities makes Arzamas 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 Arzamas 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 Arzamas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Belgrade. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.