Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and Asmara

For one person, living is cheaper in Asmara: $1,402 a month against $1,538 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Belgrade outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

76

Cost of Living Index in Belgrade
Learn more

Belgrade Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Asmara
Learn more

Asmara Living Index

Jump to prices

Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,538

/mo nomad

Asmara

🇪🇷 Eritrea

$1,402

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgrade and in Asmara

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,538 in Belgrade versus $1,402 in Asmara.

Belgrade $1,538
Asmara $1,402

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,321 in Belgrade versus $2,192 in Asmara.

Belgrade $2,321
Asmara $2,192

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,105 in Belgrade versus $2,983 in Asmara.

Belgrade $3,105
Asmara $2,983

Living in Belgrade is roughly 10% more expensive than in Asmara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Belgrade 15% above, Asmara 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.33 RSD 1,389

$20.83 ERN 313

-36.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.4 RSD 6,085

$33.92 ERN 509

72.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.58 RSD 1,414

$6.04 ERN 90.7

124.83%

Cappuccino

$3.13 RSD 326

$0.77 ERN 11.54

306.49%

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

$2.77 RSD 288

$0.97 ERN 14.60

185.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 RSD 237

$1.02 ERN 15.28

122.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 RSD 390

$0.62 ERN 9.30

504.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 RSD 456

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 RSD 146

$1.64 ERN 24.67

-14.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 RSD 122

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 RSD 282

$2.33 ERN 35.01

16.31%

Eggs

$2.78 RSD 289

$4.34 ERN 65.3

-35.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.36 RSD 1,184

$2.98 ERN 44.76

281.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.01 RSD 731

$26.73 ERN 401

-73.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.72 RSD 1,638

$10.11 ERN 152

55.49%

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 RSD 173

$12.28 ERN 184

-86.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 RSD 188

$1.32 ERN 19.79

37.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 RSD 190

$1.95 ERN 29.31

-6.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.13 RSD 326

$1.14 ERN 17.05

174.56%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 RSD 91.3

$1.76 ERN 26.40

-50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.67 RSD 70.3

$0.95 ERN 14.26

-29.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.81 RSD 84.4

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 RSD 70.9

$2.26 ERN 33.91

-69.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.78 RSD 498

Wine (Bottle)

$8.54 RSD 889

$11.87 ERN 178

-28.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RSD 97.7

$0.98 ERN 14.76

-4.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 RSD 150

$1.02 ERN 15.27

41.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.14 ERN 2.13

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.17 ERN 123

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 RSD 322

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 RSD 107

$0.57 ERN 8.62

78.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.18 RSD 1,789

$9.84 ERN 148

74.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 RSD 195

$2.52 ERN 37.88

-25.79%

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

$30.7K RSD 3.2M

$66.4K ERN 997.5K

-53.70%

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

$24.3K RSD 2.5M

$68.8K ERN 1.0M

-64.74%

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

$218 RSD 22.7K

$25.13 ERN 377

766.18%

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

$25.24 RSD 2,629

$68.7 ERN 1,032

-63.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.35 RSD 3,683

$202 ERN 3,031

-82.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.77 RSD 4,351

$26.72 ERN 401

56.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.80 RSD 2,375

$4.91 ERN 73.8

364.36%

Cinema Ticket

$8.47 RSD 882

$1.22 ERN 18.40

594.26%

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

$426 RSD 44.4K

$24.69 ERN 371

1626.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K RSD 1.2M

$2,594 ERN 39.0K

339.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 RSD 11.6K

$136 ERN 2,039

-18.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.99 RSD 4,791

$120 ERN 1,800

-61.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 RSD 12.4K

$203 ERN 3,056

-41.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 RSD 16.0K

$152 ERN 2,276

1.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$821 RSD 85.6K

$246 ERN 3,700

233.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$561 RSD 58.4K

$199 ERN 2,988

181.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,511 RSD 157.4K

$457 ERN 6,867

230.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$942 RSD 98.1K

$432 ERN 6,488

118.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,312 RSD 553.4K

$1,284 ERN 19.3K

313.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,165 RSD 329.7K

$2,487 ERN 37.4K

27.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,228 RSD 127.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.61

-61.58%

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

Last update for Belgrade: October 3, 2026

Last update for Asmara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belgrade

$561 35.5%

Asmara

$199 14.4% 64.5% $362

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belgrade

$278 17.6%

Asmara

$296 21.4% 6.2% $17

Groceries & Markets

Belgrade

$246 15.6%

Asmara

$364 * 26.4% 47.8% $118

Eating Out

Belgrade

$233 14.7%

Asmara

$205 * 14.9% 11.9% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Belgrade

$194 12.3%

Asmara

$275 19.9% 41.9% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Belgrade

$59 3.7%

Asmara

$29 2.1% 50.3% $30

Getting Around

Belgrade

$8.2 * 0.5%

Asmara

$12 * 0.8% 41.4% $3.4

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 $821 in Belgrade and $246 in Asmara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $58.0 in Belgrade vs $34.00 in Asmara. Groceries flip the comparison at $246 vs $364, with Belgrade cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🇪🇷 Asmara

🕒 Local time

09:28 9:28 AM

10:28 10:28 AM

1 h ahead of Belgrade

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,197,714 Capital

579,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

Eritrean Nakfa ERN ናቕፋ

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.6 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.56 EUR

100 ERN = 6.66 USD

100 ERN = 5.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ERN, USD, EUR to RSD – Serbian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇸 Serbian Dinar (din)

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).

Eritrean Nakfa exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 15.02 ERN (100 ERN = 6.66 USD). 1 EUR = 16.85 ERN (100 ERN = 5.94 EUR).

USD to RSD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Belgrade Asmara 3,710 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Belgrade
Asmara

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 Asmara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Belgrade and Asmara differ by about 10% in total monthly costs ($1,538 vs $1,402 including rent). Asmara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,307 in Belgrade and $2,103 in Asmara 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: $821 in Belgrade versus $246 in Asmara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $426 in Belgrade versus $24.69 in Asmara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Asmara – a meal for two runs $34.00 versus $58.0 in Belgrade. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,402 in Asmara versus $1,538 in Belgrade, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Asmara but tight or insufficient in Belgrade. The gap between the two cities makes Asmara 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 Asmara 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 Asmara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Belgrade. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.