Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Belgrade: $1,541 a month against $1,638 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Belgrade
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Belgrade Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,541

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,638

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgrade and in Budapest

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

A single person spends $1,541 per month in Belgrade vs $1,638 in Budapest, rent included.

Belgrade $1,541
Budapest $1,638

A couple spends around $2,343 per month in Belgrade vs $2,553 in Budapest, rent included.

Belgrade $2,343
Budapest $2,553

A family of three spends $3,146 per month in Belgrade vs $3,467 in Budapest, rent included.

Belgrade $3,146
Budapest $3,467

Belgrade is about 6% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Belgrade and Budapest sit above the global median – Belgrade by 13%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.09 RSD 1,373

$13.81 Ft 4,548

-5.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.1 RSD 5,887

$61.5 Ft 20.2K

-8.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.35 RSD 1,400

$10.16 Ft 3,345

31.40%

Cappuccino

$3.10 RSD 325

$3.22 Ft 1,061

-3.73%

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

$2.72 RSD 286

$2.06 Ft 679

32.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 RSD 235

$1.83 Ft 604

22.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.51 RSD 368

$3.60 Ft 1,187

-2.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.06 RSD 426

$3.66 Ft 1,207

10.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 RSD 146

$1.19 Ft 392

16.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 RSD 117

$1.87 Ft 616

-40.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.65 RSD 278

$2.37 Ft 779

11.81%

Eggs

$2.69 RSD 282

$3.96 Ft 1,304

-32.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.92 RSD 1,145

$11.16 Ft 3,677

-2.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 RSD 684

$6.76 Ft 2,226

-3.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.55 RSD 1,631

$14.35 Ft 4,727

8.36%

Apples (1kg)

$1.59 RSD 167

$1.81 Ft 595

-12.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 RSD 192

$2.11 Ft 695

-13.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 RSD 189

$2.33 Ft 769

-22.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.10 RSD 325

$3.80 Ft 1,253

-18.42%

Potato (1kg)

$0.87 RSD 90.8

$0.99 Ft 327

-12.12%

Onion (1kg)

$0.66 RSD 68.8

$0.98 Ft 324

-32.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 RSD 80.5

$1.55 Ft 511

-50.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 RSD 72.3

$0.70 Ft 229

-1.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.73 RSD 496

$7.79 Ft 2,567

-39.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.61 RSD 903

$6.05 Ft 1,993

42.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RSD 98.8

$1.28 Ft 421

-26.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 RSD 159

$2.04 Ft 671

-25.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 Ft 511

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.28 Ft 8,987

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 RSD 316

$3.30 Ft 1,086

-8.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 RSD 104

$1.31 Ft 433

-24.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.07 RSD 1,791

$20.26 Ft 6,673

-15.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 RSD 196

$1.82 Ft 599

2.75%

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

$31.0K RSD 3.3M

$28.7K Ft 9.5M

8.02%

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

$23.4K RSD 2.5M

$33.1K Ft 10.9M

-29.20%

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

$212 RSD 22.3K

$172 Ft 56.7K

23.28%

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

$24.87 RSD 2,609

$23.95 Ft 7,890

3.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.64 RSD 3,633

$23.31 Ft 7,679

48.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.02 RSD 4,197

$68.6 Ft 22.6K

-41.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.70 RSD 2,381

$18.91 Ft 6,229

20.04%

Cinema Ticket

$8.02 RSD 841

$10.18 Ft 3,353

-21.22%

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

$439 RSD 46.0K

$600 Ft 197.8K

-26.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K RSD 1.2M

$16.8K Ft 5.5M

-32.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 RSD 11.6K

$99.0 Ft 32.6K

11.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.02 RSD 4,932

$43.25 Ft 14.2K

8.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 RSD 11.8K

$113 Ft 37.2K

-0.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$152 RSD 15.9K

$117 Ft 38.6K

29.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$806 RSD 84.5K

$836 Ft 275.4K

-3.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$547 RSD 57.3K

$640 Ft 210.7K

-14.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,551 RSD 162.6K

$1,598 Ft 526.5K

-2.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$982 RSD 102.9K

$1,205 Ft 396.9K

-18.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,342 RSD 560.3K

$5,625 Ft 1.9M

-5.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,117 RSD 326.9K

$3,802 Ft 1.3M

-18.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,217 RSD 127.6K

$1,671 Ft 550.6K

-27.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.61

6.45

-28.53%

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

Last update for Belgrade: October 26, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belgrade

$547 35.5%

Budapest

$640 39.1% 17% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belgrade

$272 17.6%

Budapest

$219 13.4% 19.3% $52

Groceries & Markets

Belgrade

$240 15.6%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 7.5% $18

Eating Out

Belgrade

$228 14.8%

Budapest

$221 13.5% 3.1% $7

Clothing & Footwear

Belgrade

$190 12.3%

Budapest

$168 10.2% 11.9% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Belgrade

$56 3.6%

Budapest

$89 5.4% 58.7% $33

Getting Around

Belgrade

$8 * 0.5%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 445% $35

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $806 in Belgrade versus $836 in Budapest. 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 37% higher in Budapest. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56 in Belgrade versus $61 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $240 vs $258 – making Belgrade the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

07:54 7:54 AM

Same time as Belgrade

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,197,714 Capital

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.53 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.57 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.04 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to RSD – Serbian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇸 Serbian Dinar (din)

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 105 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.53 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.57 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 329 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.04 USD). 1 EUR = 367 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR).

USD to RSD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Belgrade Budapest 320 km

From you

Belgrade
Budapest

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 Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,541 in Belgrade, $1,638 in Budapest – roughly 6% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,311 per month in Belgrade and $2,457 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $806 in Belgrade and $836 in Budapest. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56 in Belgrade and $61 in Budapest. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 8% more in Budapest, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,541 in Belgrade and $1,638 in Budapest, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Belgrade – 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 Belgrade. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.