Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and Assela

For one person, living is cheaper in Assela: $835 a month against $1,554 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Assela
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Assela Living Index

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Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,554

/mo nomad

Assela

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgrade and in Assela

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,554 in Belgrade versus $835 in Assela.

Belgrade $1,554
Assela $835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,337 in Belgrade versus $1,203 in Assela.

Belgrade $2,337
Assela $1,203

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,121 in Belgrade versus $1,571 in Assela.

Belgrade $3,121
Assela $1,571

Living in Belgrade is roughly 86% more expensive than in Assela, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Belgrade is 15% above, Assela is 38% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.15 RSD 1,372

$3.96 ETB 636

232.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.5 RSD 6,004

$42.32 ETB 6,793

35.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.38 RSD 1,396

$6.66 ETB 1,069

100.90%

Cappuccino

$3.10 RSD 323

$0.96 ETB 153

222.92%

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

$2.82 RSD 294

$0.64 ETB 102

340.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 RSD 231

$0.68 ETB 109

226.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.47 RSD 362

$0.83 ETB 133

318.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 RSD 413

$2.20 ETB 353

80.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 RSD 144

$1.05 ETB 169

31.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 RSD 118

$1.17 ETB 188

-3.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 RSD 278

$2.22 ETB 357

19.82%

Eggs

$2.78 RSD 290

$1.78 ETB 286

56.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.99 RSD 1,147

$7.18 ETB 1,152

53.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.56 RSD 684

$10.17 ETB 1,632

-35.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.07 RSD 1,573

$9.17 ETB 1,471

64.34%

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 RSD 174

$5.43 ETB 871

-69.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 RSD 186

$0.68 ETB 109

163.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 RSD 195

$2.17 ETB 348

-13.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.03 RSD 316

$0.66 ETB 106

359.09%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 RSD 96.4

$0.47 ETB 75.4

95.74%

Onion (1kg)

$0.71 RSD 73.9

$1.05 ETB 169

-32.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 RSD 77.7

$0.66 ETB 106

12.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 RSD 77.2

$0.60 ETB 96.9

23.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.61 RSD 481

$8.03 ETB 1,290

-42.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.81 RSD 919

$5.49 ETB 881

60.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 RSD 92.8

$0.66 ETB 106

34.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 RSD 152

$1.22 ETB 196

18.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 RSD 315

$1.29 ETB 207

134.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 RSD 103

$0.29 ETB 46.58

237.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.08 RSD 1,782

$2.03 ETB 325

741.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 RSD 199

$0.90 ETB 144

112.22%

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

$31.0K RSD 3.2M

$54.3K ETB 8.7M

-42.90%

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

$24.7K RSD 2.6M

$56.5K ETB 9.1M

-56.32%

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

$220 RSD 23.0K

$201 ETB 32.2K

9.70%

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

$24.41 RSD 2,547

$7.11 ETB 1,141

243.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.64 RSD 3,719

$209 ETB 33.5K

-82.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.20 RSD 4,299

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.60 RSD 2,359

Cinema Ticket

$8.59 RSD 897

$3.83 ETB 614

124.28%

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

$424 RSD 44.2K

$137 ETB 22.1K

208.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K RSD 1.1M

$30.2K ETB 4.8M

-63.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 RSD 11.5K

$33.25 ETB 5,337

232.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.28 RSD 4,933

$70.9 ETB 11.4K

-33.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 RSD 11.8K

$77.7 ETB 12.5K

45.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$157 RSD 16.3K

$82.6 ETB 13.3K

89.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 RSD 84.0K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$546 RSD 57.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,452 RSD 151.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$931 RSD 97.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,368 RSD 560.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,155 RSD 329.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,237 RSD 129.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.61

18.5

-75.08%

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

Last update for Belgrade: October 12, 2026

Last update for Assela: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belgrade

$546 35.2%

Assela

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belgrade

$280 18.1%

Assela

$417 50% 48.7% $136

Groceries & Markets

Belgrade

$241 15.5%

Assela

$211 25.3% 12.1% $29

Eating Out

Belgrade

$228 14.7%

Assela

$77 9.2% 66.2% $151

Clothing & Footwear

Belgrade

$192 12.4%

Assela

$119 14.3% 38.2% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Belgrade

$58 3.8%

Assela

$7.7 * 0.9% 86.9% $51

Getting Around

Belgrade

$7.9 * 0.5%

Assela

$2.7 * 0.3% 65.5% $5.2

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $58.0 in Belgrade vs $42.00 in Assela for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $241 vs $211 per month, with Assela cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🇪🇹 Assela

🕒 Local time

01:33 1:33 AM

02:33 2:33 AM

1 h ahead of Belgrade

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,197,714 Capital

139,500

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.58 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.55 EUR

1,000 ETB = 6.23 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.56 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ETB, USD, EUR to RSD – Serbian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇸 Serbian Dinar (din)

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.58 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.55 EUR).

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 160 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.23 USD). 1 EUR = 180 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.56 EUR).

USD to RSD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Belgrade Assela 4,480 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Belgrade
Assela

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 Assela: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Assela is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 86% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,331 in Belgrade and $1,252 in Assela 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.

Childcare runs $424 in Belgrade versus $137 in Assela. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Assela – a meal for two runs $42.00 versus $58.0 in Belgrade. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $835 in Assela versus $1,554 in Belgrade, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Assela but tight or insufficient in Belgrade. The gap between the two cities makes Assela 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 Assela 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 Assela gentler on the wallet – expenses run 86% less than in Belgrade. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.