Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and Braila

For one person, living is cheaper in Braila: $1,141 a month against $1,554 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Braila
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Braila Living Index

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Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,554

/mo nomad

Braila

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,141

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgrade and in Braila

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

A single person spends $1,554 per month in Belgrade vs $1,141 in Braila, rent included.

Belgrade $1,554
Braila $1,141

A couple spends around $2,337 per month in Belgrade vs $1,727 in Braila, rent included.

Belgrade $2,337
Braila $1,727

A family of three spends $3,121 per month in Belgrade vs $2,312 in Braila, rent included.

Belgrade $3,121
Braila $2,312

Belgrade costs about 36% more than Braila, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.15 RSD 1,371

$18.87 RON 89.3

-30.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.5 RSD 5,999

$39.78 RON 188

44.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.38 RSD 1,394

$9.13 RON 43.21

46.55%

Cappuccino

$3.10 RSD 323

$2.60 RON 12.29

19.23%

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

$2.82 RSD 294

$1.99 RON 9.41

41.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 RSD 231

$1.74 RON 8.25

27.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.47 RSD 362

$1.64 RON 7.76

111.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 RSD 412

$2.05 RON 9.72

93.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 RSD 144

$1.80 RON 8.51

-23.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 RSD 118

$1.40 RON 6.65

-19.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 RSD 277

$1.44 RON 6.82

84.72%

Eggs

$2.78 RSD 290

$3.33 RON 15.76

-16.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.99 RSD 1,146

$8.29 RON 39.22

32.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.56 RSD 684

$7.41 RON 35.08

-11.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.07 RSD 1,571

$9.19 RON 43.48

63.98%

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 RSD 173

$1.02 RON 4.82

62.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 RSD 186

$1.40 RON 6.63

27.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 RSD 195

$1.36 RON 6.46

37.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.03 RSD 315

$1.19 RON 5.63

154.62%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 RSD 96.3

$0.83 RON 3.95

10.84%

Onion (1kg)

$0.71 RSD 73.8

$0.78 RON 3.69

-8.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 RSD 77.6

$0.68 RON 3.22

8.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 RSD 77.2

$0.83 RON 3.92

-10.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.61 RSD 481

$6.23 RON 29.49

-26.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.81 RSD 918

$5.94 RON 28.13

48.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 RSD 92.7

$1.02 RON 4.84

-12.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 RSD 151

$1.58 RON 7.45

-8.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 RON 2.89

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.81 RON 74.8

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 RSD 315

$1.04 RON 4.90

190.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 RSD 103

$0.74 RON 3.49

32.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.08 RSD 1,780

$6.75 RON 31.95

153.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 RSD 199

$1.60 RON 7.55

19.37%

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

$31.0K RSD 3.2M

$26.4K RON 125.0K

17.30%

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

$24.7K RSD 2.6M

$29.4K RON 139.0K

-16.02%

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

$220 RSD 23.0K

$140 RON 660

57.89%

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

$24.41 RSD 2,544

$8.40 RON 39.74

190.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.64 RSD 3,715

$13.05 RON 61.7

173.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.20 RSD 4,295

$32.07 RON 152

28.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.60 RSD 2,356

$14.71 RON 69.6

53.64%

Cinema Ticket

$8.59 RSD 896

$7.41 RON 35.04

15.92%

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

$424 RSD 44.2K

$358 RON 1,696

18.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K RSD 1.1M

$8,366 RON 39.6K

31.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 RSD 11.5K

$100 RON 475

10.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.28 RSD 4,929

$59.2 RON 280

-20.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 RSD 11.8K

$90.6 RON 429

24.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$157 RSD 16.3K

$125 RON 589

25.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 RSD 83.9K

$377 RON 1,785

113.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$546 RSD 56.9K

$303 RON 1,432

80.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,452 RSD 151.4K

$551 RON 2,606

163.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$931 RSD 97.0K

$448 RON 2,118

107.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,368 RSD 559.6K

$1,917 RON 9,068

180.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,155 RSD 328.9K

$1,300 RON 6,153

142.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,237 RSD 128.9K

$847 RON 4,005

46.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.61

8.3

-44.46%

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

Last update for Belgrade: October 12, 2026

Last update for Braila: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belgrade

$546 35.2%

Braila

$303 26.5% 44.6% $243

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belgrade

$280 18.1%

Braila

$161 14.1% 42.6% $119

Groceries & Markets

Belgrade

$241 15.5%

Braila

$202 17.7% 15.8% $38

Eating Out

Belgrade

$228 14.7%

Braila

$237 20.8% 3.9% $8.9

Clothing & Footwear

Belgrade

$192 12.4%

Braila

$169 14.8% 12.4% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Belgrade

$58 3.8%

Braila

$47 4.1% 19.7% $12

Getting Around

Belgrade

$7.9 * 0.5%

Braila

$23 2% 189% $15

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 $377 in Braila. 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 46% 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 $40.00 in Braila. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $241 vs $202 – making Braila the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🇷🇴 Braila

🕒 Local time

06:07 6:07 AM

07:07 7:07 AM

1 h ahead of Belgrade

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,197,714 Capital

180,302

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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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Highest

Between locations

Belgrade Braila 590 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Belgrade
Braila

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 Braila: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,554 in Belgrade, $1,141 in Braila – roughly 36% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,331 per month in Belgrade and $1,712 in Braila. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Braila, 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 $40.00 in Braila. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 19% 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 Braila, where all-in costs run around $1,141, than in Belgrade at $1,554. In Braila it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Braila – 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 Braila. 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.