Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and Bistrita

For one person, living is cheaper in Bistrita: $845 a month against $1,554 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 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 Bistrita
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Bistrita Living Index

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Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,554

/mo nomad

Bistrita

🇷🇴 Romania

$845

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgrade and in Bistrita

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

A single person spends $1,554 per month in Belgrade vs $845 in Bistrita, rent included.

Belgrade $1,554
Bistrita $845

A couple spends around $2,337 per month in Belgrade vs $1,288 in Bistrita, rent included.

Belgrade $2,337
Bistrita $1,288

A family of three spends $3,121 per month in Belgrade vs $1,730 in Bistrita, rent included.

Belgrade $3,121
Bistrita $1,730

Belgrade costs about 84% more than Bistrita, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Belgrade sits 15% above the global median, while Bistrita is 37% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.15 RSD 1,371

$6.22 RON 29.44

111.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.5 RSD 5,999

$31.58 RON 149

82.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.38 RSD 1,394

$6.19 RON 29.28

116.16%

Cappuccino

$3.10 RSD 323

$2.23 RON 10.55

39.01%

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

$2.82 RSD 294

$1.56 RON 7.38

80.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 RSD 231

$1.37 RON 6.47

62.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.47 RSD 362

$2.13 RON 10.06

62.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 RSD 412

$3.19 RON 15.09

24.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 RSD 144

$1.23 RON 5.82

12.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 RSD 118

$1.05 RON 4.95

7.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 RSD 277

$1.04 RON 4.90

155.77%

Eggs

$2.78 RSD 290

$2.67 RON 12.62

4.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.99 RSD 1,146

$6.36 RON 30.08

72.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.56 RSD 684

$6.23 RON 29.47

5.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.07 RSD 1,571

$11.19 RON 53.0

34.67%

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 RSD 173

$0.87 RON 4.12

90.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 RSD 186

$1.45 RON 6.88

23.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 RSD 195

$1.60 RON 7.57

16.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.03 RSD 315

$2.07 RON 9.78

46.38%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 RSD 96.3

$0.80 RON 3.80

15.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.71 RSD 73.8

$0.65 RON 3.06

9.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 RSD 77.6

$1.06 RON 5.02

-30.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 RSD 77.2

$0.68 RON 3.20

8.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.61 RSD 481

$5.48 RON 25.92

-15.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.81 RSD 918

$5.15 RON 24.35

71.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 RSD 92.7

$0.91 RON 4.30

-2.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 RSD 151

$1.08 RON 5.11

34.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 RON 1.90

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.19 RON 100

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 RSD 315

$0.76 RON 3.58

297.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 RSD 103

$0.75 RON 3.55

30.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.08 RSD 1,780

$7.37 RON 34.88

131.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 RSD 199

$1.54 RON 7.29

24.03%

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

$31.0K RSD 3.2M

$27.3K RON 129.0K

13.65%

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

$24.7K RSD 2.6M

$24.1K RON 114.2K

2.19%

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

$220 RSD 23.0K

$172 RON 812

28.44%

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

$24.41 RSD 2,544

$5.53 RON 26.16

341.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.64 RSD 3,715

$5.82 RON 27.54

512.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.20 RSD 4,295

$39.75 RON 188

3.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.60 RSD 2,356

$30.96 RON 146

-27.00%

Cinema Ticket

$8.59 RSD 896

$6.20 RON 29.33

38.55%

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

$424 RSD 44.2K

$314 RON 1,485

35.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K RSD 1.1M

$8,963 RON 42.4K

22.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 RSD 11.5K

$37.77 RON 179

192.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.28 RSD 4,929

$26.48 RON 125

78.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 RSD 11.8K

$62.4 RON 295

81.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$157 RSD 16.3K

$72.6 RON 343

115.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 RSD 83.9K

$223 RON 1,055

260.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$546 RSD 56.9K

$185 RON 875

195.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,452 RSD 151.4K

$395 RON 1,868

267.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$931 RSD 97.0K

$315 RON 1,490

195.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,368 RSD 559.6K

$1,510 RON 7,146

255.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,155 RSD 328.9K

$1,175 RON 5,558

168.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,237 RSD 128.9K

$1,016 RON 4,805

21.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.61

6.73

-31.50%

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

Last update for Belgrade: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bistrita: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belgrade

$546 35.2%

Bistrita

$185 21.9% 66.1% $361

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belgrade

$280 18.1%

Bistrita

$183 21.7% 34.8% $97

Groceries & Markets

Belgrade

$241 15.5%

Bistrita

$184 21.8% 23.4% $56

Eating Out

Belgrade

$228 14.7%

Bistrita

$124 14.7% 45.7% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Belgrade

$192 12.4%

Bistrita

$90 10.6% 53.4% $103

Sport & Entertainment

Belgrade

$58 3.8%

Bistrita

$52 6.2% 10.7% $6.2

Getting Around

Belgrade

$7.9 * 0.5%

Bistrita

$27 3.2% 244% $19

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 $223 in Bistrita. 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 22% 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 $32.00 in Bistrita. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $241 vs $184 – making Bistrita the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🇷🇴 Bistrita

🕒 Local time

21:23 9:23 PM

22:23 10:23 PM

1 h ahead of Belgrade

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,197,714 Capital

75,076

💱 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

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Belgrade Bistrita 400 km

From you

Belgrade
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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 Bistrita: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,554 in Belgrade, $845 in Bistrita – roughly 84% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,331 per month in Belgrade and $1,268 in Bistrita. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $58.0 in Belgrade and $32.00 in Bistrita. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 31% more in Belgrade, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Bistrita, where all-in costs run around $845, than in Belgrade at $1,554. In Bistrita it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Bistrita – 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 Bistrita. 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.