Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and Baia Mare

For one person, living is cheaper in Baia Mare: $882 a month against $1,554 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Belgrade
Learn more

Belgrade Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Baia Mare
Learn more

Baia Mare Living Index

Jump to prices

Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,554

/mo nomad

Baia Mare

🇷🇴 Romania

$882

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgrade and in Baia Mare

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,554 in Belgrade versus $882 in Baia Mare.

Belgrade $1,554
Baia Mare $882

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,337 in Belgrade versus $1,385 in Baia Mare.

Belgrade $2,337
Baia Mare $1,385

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,121 in Belgrade versus $1,888 in Baia Mare.

Belgrade $3,121
Baia Mare $1,888

Living in Belgrade is roughly 76% more expensive than in Baia Mare, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Belgrade is 15% above, Baia Mare is 35% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.15 RSD 1,371

$12.30 RON 58.2

6.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.5 RSD 5,999

$31.87 RON 151

80.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.38 RSD 1,394

$8.21 RON 38.85

62.97%

Cappuccino

$3.10 RSD 323

$2.08 RON 9.82

49.04%

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

$2.82 RSD 294

$1.74 RON 8.25

62.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 RSD 231

$1.33 RON 6.30

66.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.47 RSD 362

$1.60 RON 7.58

116.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 RSD 412

$2.14 RON 10.11

85.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 RSD 144

$1.45 RON 6.84

-4.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 RSD 118

$1.45 RON 6.84

-22.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 RSD 277

$1.48 RON 7.02

79.73%

Eggs

$2.78 RSD 290

$2.93 RON 13.88

-5.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.99 RSD 1,146

$6.13 RON 29.01

79.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.56 RSD 684

$6.48 RON 30.66

1.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.07 RSD 1,571

$10.53 RON 49.80

43.11%

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 RSD 173

$1.13 RON 5.36

46.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 RSD 186

$1.53 RON 7.24

16.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 RSD 195

$1.32 RON 6.26

41.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.03 RSD 315

$2.62 RON 12.41

15.65%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 RSD 96.3

$0.91 RON 4.33

1.10%

Onion (1kg)

$0.71 RSD 73.8

$1.07 RON 5.08

-33.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 RSD 77.6

$1.10 RON 5.23

-32.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 RSD 77.2

$0.81 RON 3.85

-8.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.61 RSD 481

$6.41 RON 30.35

-28.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.81 RSD 918

$4.62 RON 21.88

90.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 RSD 92.7

$1.09 RON 5.17

-18.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 RSD 151

$1.68 RON 7.93

-13.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 RON 3.11

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.36 RON 67.9

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 RSD 315

$0.76 RON 3.59

297.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 RSD 103

$0.75 RON 3.53

30.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.08 RSD 1,780

$5.94 RON 28.11

187.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 RSD 199

$1.72 RON 8.12

11.05%

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

$31.0K RSD 3.2M

$28.2K RON 133.3K

10.02%

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

$24.7K RSD 2.6M

$25.4K RON 120.1K

-2.80%

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

$220 RSD 23.0K

$103 RON 489

113.11%

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

$24.41 RSD 2,544

$14.96 RON 70.8

63.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.64 RSD 3,715

$11.75 RON 55.6

203.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.20 RSD 4,295

$38.39 RON 182

7.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.60 RSD 2,356

$16.14 RON 76.4

40.02%

Cinema Ticket

$8.59 RSD 896

$10.07 RON 47.66

-14.70%

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

$424 RSD 44.2K

$527 RON 2,493

-19.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K RSD 1.1M

$5,253 RON 24.9K

108.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 RSD 11.5K

$36.87 RON 174

200.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.28 RSD 4,929

$41.97 RON 199

12.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 RSD 11.8K

$62.1 RON 294

82.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$157 RSD 16.3K

$75.0 RON 355

108.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 RSD 83.9K

$278 RON 1,313

190.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$546 RSD 56.9K

$203 RON 960

169.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,452 RSD 151.4K

$489 RON 2,314

196.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$931 RSD 97.0K

$368 RON 1,743

152.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,368 RSD 559.6K

$2,044 RON 9,671

162.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,155 RSD 328.9K

$1,414 RON 6,691

123.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,237 RSD 128.9K

$859 RON 4,063

44.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.61

7.48

-38.37%

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

Last update for Belgrade: October 12, 2026

Last update for Baia Mare: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belgrade

$546 35.2%

Baia Mare

$203 23% 62.8% $343

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belgrade

$280 18.1%

Baia Mare

$130 14.8% 53.6% $150

Groceries & Markets

Belgrade

$241 15.5%

Baia Mare

$199 22.6% 17.1% $41

Eating Out

Belgrade

$228 14.7%

Baia Mare

$173 19.6% 24.3% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Belgrade

$192 12.4%

Baia Mare

$97 11% 49.5% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Belgrade

$58 3.8%

Baia Mare

$59 6.6% 0.3% $0.1

Getting Around

Belgrade

$7.9 * 0.5%

Baia Mare

$21 2.4% 171% $14

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 $278 in Baia Mare. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Belgrade pays 44% 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 $32.00 in Baia Mare for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $241 vs $199 per month, with Baia Mare cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🇷🇴 Baia Mare

🕒 Local time

20:00 8:00 PM

21:00 9:00 PM

1 h ahead of Belgrade

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,197,714 Capital

123,738

💱 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 Baia Mare 400 km

From you

Belgrade
Baia Mare

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 Baia Mare: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Baia Mare is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 76% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 44% 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: $805 in Belgrade versus $278 in Baia Mare. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% 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 $882 in Baia Mare – a 76% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $882 in Baia Mare versus $1,554 in Belgrade, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Baia Mare but tight or insufficient in Belgrade. The gap between the two cities makes Baia Mare 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 Baia Mare 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 Baia Mare gentler on the wallet – expenses run 76% less than in Belgrade. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.