Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and Bacau

For one person, living is cheaper in Bacau: $913 a month against $1,554 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Bacau
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Bacau Living Index

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Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,554

/mo nomad

Bacau

🇷🇴 Romania

$913

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgrade and in Bacau

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

A single person spends $1,554 per month in Belgrade vs $913 in Bacau, rent included.

Belgrade $1,554
Bacau $913

A couple spends around $2,337 per month in Belgrade vs $1,548 in Bacau, rent included.

Belgrade $2,337
Bacau $1,548

A family of three spends $3,121 per month in Belgrade vs $2,182 in Bacau, rent included.

Belgrade $3,121
Bacau $2,182

Belgrade costs about 70% more than Bacau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Belgrade sits 15% above the global median, while Bacau is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.15 RSD 1,371

$14.05 RON 66.5

-6.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.5 RSD 5,999

$85.1 RON 402

-32.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.38 RSD 1,394

$7.39 RON 34.96

81.06%

Cappuccino

$3.10 RSD 323

$1.98 RON 9.37

56.57%

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

$2.82 RSD 294

$1.94 RON 9.16

45.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 RSD 231

$1.90 RON 8.97

16.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.47 RSD 362

$2.48 RON 11.75

39.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 RSD 412

$3.16 RON 14.96

25.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 RSD 144

$1.22 RON 5.76

13.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 RSD 118

$0.65 RON 3.09

73.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 RSD 277

$1.64 RON 7.74

62.20%

Eggs

$2.78 RSD 290

$3.39 RON 16.03

-17.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.99 RSD 1,146

$7.79 RON 36.87

41.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.56 RSD 684

$5.43 RON 25.67

20.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.07 RSD 1,571

$8.42 RON 39.86

78.98%

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 RSD 173

$1.14 RON 5.41

45.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 RSD 186

$1.49 RON 7.06

20.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 RSD 195

$1.55 RON 7.32

20.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.03 RSD 315

$1.74 RON 8.24

74.14%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 RSD 96.3

$0.72 RON 3.43

27.78%

Onion (1kg)

$0.71 RSD 73.8

$0.65 RON 3.07

9.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 RSD 77.6

$0.76 RON 3.59

-2.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 RSD 77.2

$0.68 RON 3.23

8.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.61 RSD 481

$5.47 RON 25.87

-15.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.81 RSD 918

$5.08 RON 24.02

73.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 RSD 92.7

$0.94 RON 4.46

-5.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 RSD 151

$1.22 RON 5.78

18.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 RON 3.51

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.14 RON 138

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 RSD 315

$0.62 RON 2.92

387.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 RSD 103

$0.67 RON 3.17

46.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.08 RSD 1,780

$7.08 RON 33.51

141.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 RSD 199

$1.80 RON 8.50

6.11%

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

$31.0K RSD 3.2M

$28.9K RON 136.6K

7.36%

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

$24.7K RSD 2.6M

$24.9K RON 117.9K

-0.99%

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

$220 RSD 23.0K

$106 RON 502

107.65%

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

$24.41 RSD 2,544

$7.51 RON 35.53

225.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.64 RSD 3,715

$4.83 RON 22.86

637.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.20 RSD 4,295

$25.72 RON 122

60.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.60 RSD 2,356

$15.83 RON 74.9

42.77%

Cinema Ticket

$8.59 RSD 896

$6.44 RON 30.45

33.39%

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

$424 RSD 44.2K

$591 RON 2,794

-28.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K RSD 1.1M

$4,858 RON 23.0K

125.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 RSD 11.5K

$82.9 RON 392

33.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.28 RSD 4,929

$31.49 RON 149

50.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 RSD 11.8K

$59.6 RON 282

89.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$157 RSD 16.3K

$83.6 RON 395

87.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 RSD 83.9K

$400 RON 1,891

101.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$546 RSD 56.9K

$235 RON 1,113

132.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,452 RSD 151.4K

$546 RON 2,584

165.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$931 RSD 97.0K

$399 RON 1,889

133.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,368 RSD 559.6K

$1,818 RON 8,604

195.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,155 RSD 328.9K

$1,199 RON 5,673

163.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,237 RSD 128.9K

$933 RON 4,415

32.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.61

6.97

-33.86%

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

Last update for Belgrade: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bacau: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belgrade

$546 35.2%

Bacau

$235 25.8% 56.9% $311

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belgrade

$280 18.1%

Bacau

$118 13% 57.8% $162

Groceries & Markets

Belgrade

$241 15.5%

Bacau

$176 19.3% 26.8% $64

Eating Out

Belgrade

$228 14.7%

Bacau

$192 21.1% 15.6% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Belgrade

$192 12.4%

Bacau

$116 12.7% 39.8% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Belgrade

$58 3.8%

Bacau

$39 4.2% 33.9% $20

Getting Around

Belgrade

$7.9 * 0.5%

Bacau

$36 4% 354% $28

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 $400 in Bacau. 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 33% 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 $85.0 in Bacau. Groceries tell a different story – $241 in Belgrade vs $176 in Bacau – so Bacau wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🇷🇴 Bacau

🕒 Local time

21:37 9:37 PM

22:37 10:37 PM

1 h ahead of Belgrade

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,197,714 Capital

144,307

💱 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 Bacau 540 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Belgrade
Bacau

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 Bacau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Belgrade is pricier by about 70%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,331 per month in Belgrade and $1,369 in Bacau. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,554 in Belgrade and $913 in Bacau. That's a gap of about 70%.

Kindergarten costs $424 per month in Belgrade and $591 in Bacau. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Bacau, where all-in costs run around $913, than in Belgrade at $1,554. In Bacau it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Bacau – 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 Bacau. 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.