Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and Baghdad

For one person, living is cheaper in Baghdad: $1,148 a month against $1,538 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Belgrade
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Belgrade Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Baghdad
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Baghdad Living Index

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Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,538

/mo nomad

Baghdad

🇮🇶 Iraq

$1,148

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgrade and in Baghdad

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,538 in Belgrade versus $1,148 in Baghdad.

Belgrade $1,538
Baghdad $1,148

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,321 in Belgrade versus $1,702 in Baghdad.

Belgrade $2,321
Baghdad $1,702

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,105 in Belgrade versus $2,256 in Baghdad.

Belgrade $3,105
Baghdad $2,256

Living in Belgrade is roughly 34% more expensive than in Baghdad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Belgrade is 15% above, Baghdad is 14% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.33 RSD 1,389

$4.87 IQD 7,354

173.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.4 RSD 6,085

$34.91 IQD 52.7K

67.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.58 RSD 1,414

$7.52 IQD 11.4K

80.59%

Cappuccino

$3.13 RSD 326

$3.19 IQD 4,827

-1.88%

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

$2.77 RSD 288

$0.36 IQD 548

669.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 RSD 237

$0.25 IQD 379

808.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 RSD 390

$3.83 IQD 5,788

-2.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 RSD 456

$3.90 IQD 5,892

12.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 RSD 146

$1.03 IQD 1,563

35.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 RSD 122

$0.85 IQD 1,284

37.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 RSD 282

$1.53 IQD 2,308

77.12%

Eggs

$2.78 RSD 289

$1.92 IQD 2,901

44.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.36 RSD 1,184

$3.95 IQD 5,965

187.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.01 RSD 731

$4.60 IQD 6,954

52.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.72 RSD 1,638

$14.07 IQD 21.3K

11.73%

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 RSD 173

$1.14 IQD 1,722

45.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 RSD 188

$1.09 IQD 1,647

66.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 RSD 190

$1.04 IQD 1,567

75.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.13 RSD 326

$0.74 IQD 1,125

322.97%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 RSD 91.3

$0.68 IQD 1,034

29.41%

Onion (1kg)

$0.67 RSD 70.3

$0.64 IQD 970

4.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.81 RSD 84.4

$0.66 IQD 1,003

22.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 RSD 70.9

$0.68 IQD 1,020

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.78 RSD 498

$1.93 IQD 2,922

147.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.54 RSD 889

$13.58 IQD 20.5K

-37.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RSD 97.7

$2.13 IQD 3,219

-55.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 RSD 150

$2.18 IQD 3,296

-33.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 IQD 1,030

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.19 IQD 35.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 RSD 322

$2.25 IQD 3,402

37.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 RSD 107

$1.57 IQD 2,373

-35.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.18 RSD 1,789

$7.68 IQD 11.6K

123.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 RSD 195

$0.68 IQD 1,030

175.00%

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

$30.7K RSD 3.2M

$19.1K IQD 28.8M

61.18%

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

$24.3K RSD 2.5M

$19.4K IQD 29.3M

25.14%

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

$218 RSD 22.7K

$218 IQD 330.0K

-0.34%

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

$25.24 RSD 2,629

$19.65 IQD 29.7K

28.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.35 RSD 3,683

$42.88 IQD 64.8K

-17.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.77 RSD 4,351

$47.30 IQD 71.5K

-11.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.80 RSD 2,375

$21.47 IQD 32.4K

6.19%

Cinema Ticket

$8.47 RSD 882

$10.64 IQD 16.1K

-20.39%

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

$426 RSD 44.4K

$168 IQD 253.1K

154.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K RSD 1.2M

$3,430 IQD 5.2M

232.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 RSD 11.6K

$28.72 IQD 43.4K

286.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.99 RSD 4,791

$32.11 IQD 48.5K

43.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 RSD 12.4K

$68.4 IQD 103.3K

74.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 RSD 16.0K

$49.01 IQD 74.1K

214.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$821 RSD 85.6K

$577 IQD 871.8K

42.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$561 RSD 58.4K

$361 IQD 545.2K

55.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,511 RSD 157.4K

$1,008 IQD 1.5M

49.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$942 RSD 98.1K

$669 IQD 1.0M

40.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,312 RSD 553.4K

$4,647 IQD 7.0M

14.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,165 RSD 329.7K

$1,569 IQD 2.4M

101.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,228 RSD 127.9K

$593 IQD 895.6K

107.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.61

4.12

11.89%

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

Last update for Belgrade: October 3, 2026

Last update for Baghdad: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belgrade

$561 35.5%

Baghdad

$361 31.6% 35.6% $200

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belgrade

$278 17.6%

Baghdad

$281 24.6% 1% $2.7

Groceries & Markets

Belgrade

$246 15.6%

Baghdad

$186 16.3% 24.4% $60

Eating Out

Belgrade

$233 14.7%

Baghdad

$129 11.3% 44.4% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Belgrade

$194 12.3%

Baghdad

$80 7% 58.6% $113

Sport & Entertainment

Belgrade

$59 3.7%

Baghdad

$69 6% 16.8% $9.9

Getting Around

Belgrade

$8.2 * 0.5%

Baghdad

$36 3.2% 339% $28

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 $577 in Baghdad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Belgrade pays 107% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $58.0 in Belgrade vs $35.00 in Baghdad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $246 vs $186 per month, with Baghdad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🇮🇶 Baghdad

🕒 Local time

07:45 7:45 AM

08:45 8:45 AM

1 h ahead of Belgrade

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,197,714 Capital

7,216,040 Capital

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.6 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.56 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.9 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, 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).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,695 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.9 EUR).

USD to RSD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Belgrade Baghdad 2,420 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Belgrade
Baghdad

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 Baghdad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Baghdad wins on cost – living expenses run 34% lower than in Belgrade. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Baghdad the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 107% higher in Belgrade, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $821 in Belgrade versus $577 in Baghdad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in Belgrade. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,538 per month in Belgrade versus $1,148 in Baghdad – a 34% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,148 in Baghdad versus $1,538 in Belgrade, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Baghdad but tight or insufficient in Belgrade. The gap between the two cities makes Baghdad 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 Baghdad 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 Baghdad gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Belgrade. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.