Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and Butare

For one person, living is cheaper in Butare: $371 a month against $1,541 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Belgrade, Serbia
Butare, Rwanda
Belgrade
🇷🇸 Serbia
$1,541
/mo nomad
Butare
🇷🇼 Rwanda
$371
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgrade and in Butare

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

A single person spends $1,541 per month in Belgrade vs $371 in Butare, rent included.

  • Belgrade $1,541
  • Butare $371

A couple spends around $2,351 per month in Belgrade vs $594 in Butare, rent included.

  • Belgrade $2,351
  • Butare $594

A family of three spends $3,161 per month in Belgrade vs $816 in Butare, rent included.

  • Belgrade $3,161
  • Butare $816

Belgrade costs about 315% more than Butare, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Belgrade sits 14% above the global median, while Butare is 73% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Belgrade
Butare
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.43 RSD 1,398
$2.99 RWF 4,402
349.16%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$58.0 RSD 6,036
$30.93 RWF 45.5K
87.49%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.30 RSD 1,384
$6.73 RWF 9,910
97.62%
Cappuccino
$3.05 RSD 317
$2.37 RWF 3,489
28.69%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.82 RSD 293
$0.71 RWF 1,045
297.18%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.28 RSD 238
$0.56 RWF 818
307.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.66 RSD 381
$1.03 RWF 1,512
255.34%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.18 RSD 435
$2.38 RWF 3,510
75.63%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Belgrade
Butare
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 RSD 147
$0.33 RWF 481
327.27%
White Bread (500g)
$1.16 RSD 121
$0.83 RWF 1,221
39.76%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.53 RSD 263
$0.94 RWF 1,383
169.15%
Eggs
$2.80 RSD 292
$1.58 RWF 2,323
77.22%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.93 RSD 1,137
$1.72 RWF 2,532
535.47%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.80 RSD 708
$2.43 RWF 3,581
179.84%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.40 RSD 1,603
$3.02 RWF 4,444
409.93%
Apples (1kg)
$1.63 RSD 170
$2.02 RWF 2,972
-19.31%
Banana (1kg)
$1.75 RSD 182
$0.80 RWF 1,176
118.75%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.78 RSD 186
$1.12 RWF 1,645
58.93%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.04 RSD 316
$0.84 RWF 1,241
261.90%
Potato (1kg)
$0.97 RSD 101
$0.42 RWF 624
130.95%
Onion (1kg)
$0.65 RSD 67.7
$0.28 RWF 416
132.14%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.74 RSD 77.2
$0.14 RWF 204
428.57%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 RSD 75.3
$0.77 RWF 1,129
-6.49%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.53 RSD 471
$1.98 RWF 2,907
128.79%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.25 RSD 858
$10.33 RWF 15.2K
-20.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.86 RSD 89.8
$1.04 RWF 1,525
-17.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.43 RSD 148
$1.53 RWF 2,258
-6.54%
🚌 Getting Around
Belgrade
Butare
Difference
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.10 RSD 323
$2.75 RWF 4,046
12.73%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.98 RSD 102
$2.05 RWF 3,011
-52.20%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$17.10 RSD 1,780
$3.63 RWF 5,345
371.07%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.87 RSD 195
$1.95 RWF 2,864
-4.10%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.9K RSD 3.2M
$25.5K RWF 37.6M
20.93%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.1K RSD 2.5M
$29.6K RWF 43.5M
-18.60%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Belgrade
Butare
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$215 RSD 22.4K
$83.5 RWF 122.9K
157.09%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.55 RSD 2,659
$6.86 RWF 10.1K
272.45%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$35.40 RSD 3,685
$21.31 RWF 31.4K
66.12%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Belgrade
Butare
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$40.62 RSD 4,228
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.74 RSD 2,367
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.99 RSD 832
$3.36 RWF 4,938
137.80%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Belgrade
Butare
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$453 RSD 47.2K
$115 RWF 168.6K
295.72%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.4K RSD 1.3M
$16.4K RWF 24.1M
-24.55%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Belgrade
Butare
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$112 RSD 11.6K
$17.58 RWF 25.9K
535.32%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.56 RSD 4,951
$15.86 RWF 23.3K
199.87%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$114 RSD 11.8K
$22.49 RWF 33.1K
405.11%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$147 RSD 15.3K
$33.97 RWF 50.0K
332.15%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Belgrade
Butare
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$829 RSD 86.3K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$540 RSD 56.2K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,508 RSD 157.0K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$975 RSD 101.5K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,059 RSD 526.6K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,171 RSD 330.1K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Belgrade
Butare
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,276 RSD 132.8K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.5
16.2
-72.22%

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

Last update for Belgrade: November 1, 2026

Last update for Butare: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Belgrade
$540
Butare
- * 100%
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Belgrade
$276
Butare
$112 59.5% $164
Groceries & Markets
Belgrade
$241
Butare
$112 53.4% $128
Eating Out
Belgrade
$231
Butare
$88 62.1% $143
Clothing & Footwear
Belgrade
$189
Butare
$40 78.6% $148
Sport & Entertainment
Belgrade
$57
Butare
$6.7 * 88.1% $50
Getting Around
Belgrade
$8 *
Butare
$13 * 62.5% $5

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $58 in Belgrade versus $31 in Butare. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $241 vs $112 – making Butare the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇷🇸 Belgrade
🇷🇼 Butare
🕒 Local time
02:08 2:08 AM
03:08 3:08 AM
1 h ahead of Belgrade
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,197,714 Capital
62,823
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

RWF, USD, EUR to RSD – Serbian Dinar Converter

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.61 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.56 EUR).

Rwandan Franc exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1,472 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.79 USD). 1 EUR = 1,652 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.05 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Belgrade Butare 5,350 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Belgrade
  • Butare

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 Butare: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Belgrade and in Butare compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,541 in Belgrade, $371 in Butare – Butare comes out roughly 76% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.
What salary covers living expenses in Belgrade compared to Butare?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,312 per month in Belgrade and $557 in Butare. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $58 in Belgrade and $31 in Butare. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 115% more in Belgrade, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Which city is more doable on $800 per month?
A $800 monthly budget goes further in Butare, where all-in costs run around $371, than in Belgrade at $1,541. In Butare it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Belgrade and Butare?
It depends on your priorities. Butare has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $371 in Butare to $1,541 in Belgrade. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Belgrade or Butare safer for residents?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

Belgrade vs other spots: cost of living compared

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