Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and Buzau

For one person, living is cheaper in Buzau: $979 a month against $1,554 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Buzau
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Buzau Living Index

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Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,554

/mo nomad

Buzau

🇷🇴 Romania

$979

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgrade and in Buzau

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

A single person spends $1,554 per month in Belgrade vs $979 in Buzau, rent included.

Belgrade $1,554
Buzau $979

A couple spends around $2,337 per month in Belgrade vs $1,449 in Buzau, rent included.

Belgrade $2,337
Buzau $1,449

A family of three spends $3,121 per month in Belgrade vs $1,919 in Buzau, rent included.

Belgrade $3,121
Buzau $1,919

Belgrade costs about 59% more than Buzau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Belgrade sits 15% above the global median, while Buzau is 27% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.15 RSD 1,371

$10.42 RON 49.30

26.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.5 RSD 5,999

$24.71 RON 117

132.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.38 RSD 1,394

$6.30 RON 29.79

112.38%

Cappuccino

$3.10 RSD 323

$2.02 RON 9.58

53.47%

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

$2.82 RSD 294

$1.93 RON 9.12

46.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 RSD 231

$1.50 RON 7.08

48.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.47 RSD 362

$1.66 RON 7.85

109.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 RSD 412

$1.71 RON 8.10

131.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 RSD 144

$1.76 RON 8.32

-21.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 RSD 118

$1.31 RON 6.21

-13.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 RSD 277

$1.45 RON 6.84

83.45%

Eggs

$2.78 RSD 290

$3.10 RON 14.67

-10.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.99 RSD 1,146

$7.50 RON 35.47

46.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.56 RSD 684

$6.62 RON 31.33

-0.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.07 RSD 1,571

$11.10 RON 52.5

35.77%

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 RSD 173

$0.95 RON 4.50

74.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 RSD 186

$1.63 RON 7.72

9.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 RSD 195

$1.11 RON 5.25

68.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.03 RSD 315

$1.23 RON 5.83

146.34%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 RSD 96.3

$0.67 RON 3.18

37.31%

Onion (1kg)

$0.71 RSD 73.8

$0.78 RON 3.68

-8.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 RSD 77.6

$0.48 RON 2.28

54.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 RSD 77.2

$0.66 RON 3.11

12.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.61 RSD 481

$6.24 RON 29.54

-26.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.81 RSD 918

$6.43 RON 30.42

37.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 RSD 92.7

$0.76 RON 3.58

17.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 RSD 151

$1.43 RON 6.77

1.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 RON 3.10

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.60 RON 102

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 RSD 315

$0.52 RON 2.47

480.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 RSD 103

$0.49 RON 2.32

100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.08 RSD 1,780

$6.19 RON 29.27

175.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 RSD 199

$1.65 RON 7.81

15.76%

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

$31.0K RSD 3.2M

$19.4K RON 91.7K

59.89%

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

$24.7K RSD 2.6M

$21.1K RON 100.0K

16.68%

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

$220 RSD 23.0K

$119 RON 563

85.38%

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

$24.41 RSD 2,544

$7.87 RON 37.24

210.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.64 RSD 3,715

$7.72 RON 36.53

361.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.20 RSD 4,295

$32.03 RON 152

28.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.60 RSD 2,356

$17.85 RON 84.5

26.61%

Cinema Ticket

$8.59 RSD 896

$6.89 RON 32.60

24.67%

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

$424 RSD 44.2K

$285 RON 1,348

48.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K RSD 1.1M

$6,766 RON 32.0K

62.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 RSD 11.5K

$54.5 RON 258

103.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.28 RSD 4,929

$57.7 RON 273

-18.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 RSD 11.8K

$97.5 RON 461

15.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$157 RSD 16.3K

$84.1 RON 398

86.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 RSD 83.9K

$344 RON 1,629

133.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$546 RSD 56.9K

$292 RON 1,379

87.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,452 RSD 151.4K

$606 RON 2,867

139.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$931 RSD 97.0K

$423 RON 2,002

119.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,368 RSD 559.6K

$1,475 RON 6,976

264.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,155 RSD 328.9K

$1,194 RON 5,648

164.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,237 RSD 128.9K

$850 RON 4,021

45.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.61

6.97

-33.86%

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

Last update for Belgrade: October 12, 2026

Last update for Buzau: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belgrade

$546 35.2%

Buzau

$292 29.8% 46.6% $255

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belgrade

$280 18.1%

Buzau

$134 13.7% 52% $146

Groceries & Markets

Belgrade

$241 15.5%

Buzau

$196 20% 18.6% $45

Eating Out

Belgrade

$228 14.7%

Buzau

$152 15.5% 33.3% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Belgrade

$192 12.4%

Buzau

$132 13.5% 31.3% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Belgrade

$58 3.8%

Buzau

$46 4.7% 21.5% $13

Getting Around

Belgrade

$7.9 * 0.5%

Buzau

$27 2.8% 243% $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 $344 in Buzau. 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 45% 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 $25.00 in Buzau. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $241 vs $196 – making Buzau the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🇷🇴 Buzau

🕒 Local time

01:17 1:17 AM

02:17 2:17 AM

1 h ahead of Belgrade

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,197,714 Capital

115,494

💱 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 Buzau 500 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Belgrade
Buzau

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 Buzau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,554 in Belgrade, $979 in Buzau – roughly 59% 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 $1,469 in Buzau. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Buzau, 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 $25.00 in Buzau. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 23% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Buzau, where all-in costs run around $979, than in Belgrade at $1,554. In Buzau it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Buzau – 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 Buzau. 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.