Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and Cape Town

For one person, living costs are similar in Belgrade and in Cape Town: $1,538 and $1,568 a month, rent and utilities included.

76

Cost of Living Index in Belgrade
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Belgrade Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,538

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgrade and in Cape Town

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

A single person spends $1,538 per month in Belgrade vs $1,568 in Cape Town, rent included.

Belgrade $1,538
Cape Town $1,568

A couple spends around $2,321 per month in Belgrade vs $2,438 in Cape Town, rent included.

Belgrade $2,321
Cape Town $2,438

A family of three spends $3,105 per month in Belgrade vs $3,307 in Cape Town, rent included.

Belgrade $3,105
Cape Town $3,307

Belgrade is about 2% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Belgrade and Cape Town sit above the global median – Belgrade by 15%, Cape Town by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.33 RSD 1,389

$11.78 R 194

13.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.4 RSD 6,085

$46.55 R 768

25.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.58 RSD 1,414

$5.96 R 98.4

127.85%

Cappuccino

$3.13 RSD 326

$2.47 R 40.80

26.72%

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

$2.77 RSD 288

$1.33 R 21.91

108.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 RSD 237

$1.03 R 16.99

120.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 RSD 390

$3.01 R 49.72

24.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 RSD 456

$3.66 R 60.4

19.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 RSD 146

$1.39 R 22.96

0.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 RSD 122

$1.19 R 19.60

-1.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 RSD 282

$2.11 R 34.84

28.44%

Eggs

$2.78 RSD 289

$3.01 R 49.58

-7.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.36 RSD 1,184

$8.96 R 148

26.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.01 RSD 731

$6.65 R 110

5.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.72 RSD 1,638

$9.29 R 153

69.21%

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 RSD 173

$1.83 R 30.13

-9.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 RSD 188

$1.90 R 31.31

-4.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 RSD 190

$1.75 R 28.83

4.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.13 RSD 326

$2.09 R 34.41

49.76%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 RSD 91.3

$1.55 R 25.64

-43.23%

Onion (1kg)

$0.67 RSD 70.3

$1.49 R 24.53

-55.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.81 RSD 84.4

$1.30 R 21.41

-37.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 RSD 70.9

$1.16 R 19.19

-41.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.78 RSD 498

$3.71 R 61.2

28.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.54 RSD 889

$6.06 R 100

40.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RSD 97.7

$1.39 R 22.85

-32.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 RSD 150

$2.20 R 36.32

-34.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 R 24.98

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,006

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 RSD 322

$0.63 R 10.33

390.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 RSD 107

$1.53 R 25.29

-33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.18 RSD 1,789

$4.81 R 79.4

257.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 RSD 195

$1.58 R 26.08

18.35%

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

$30.7K RSD 3.2M

$35.5K R 585.7K

-13.39%

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

$24.3K RSD 2.5M

$31.7K R 523.8K

-23.56%

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

$218 RSD 22.7K

$116 R 1,920

87.03%

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

$25.24 RSD 2,629

$28.37 R 468

-11.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.35 RSD 3,683

$40.69 R 671

-13.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.77 RSD 4,351

$48.85 R 806

-14.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.80 RSD 2,375

$11.13 R 184

104.85%

Cinema Ticket

$8.47 RSD 882

$8.83 R 146

-4.08%

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

$426 RSD 44.4K

$261 R 4,314

63.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K RSD 1.2M

$6,702 R 110.6K

70.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 RSD 11.6K

$55.4 R 914

100.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.99 RSD 4,791

$32.27 R 532

42.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 RSD 12.4K

$118 R 1,939

1.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 RSD 16.0K

$107 R 1,766

43.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$821 RSD 85.6K

$1,015 R 16.7K

-19.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$561 RSD 58.4K

$715 R 11.8K

-21.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,511 RSD 157.4K

$1,801 R 29.7K

-16.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$942 RSD 98.1K

$1,330 R 22.0K

-29.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,312 RSD 553.4K

$2,331 R 38.5K

127.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,165 RSD 329.7K

$1,513 R 25.0K

109.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,228 RSD 127.9K

$1,636 R 27.0K

-24.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.61

10.97

-57.98%

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

Last update for Belgrade: October 3, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belgrade

$561 35.5%

Cape Town

$715 45.3% 27.6% $155

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belgrade

$278 17.6%

Cape Town

$185 11.7% 33.4% $93

Groceries & Markets

Belgrade

$246 15.6%

Cape Town

$222 14.1% 9.6% $24

Eating Out

Belgrade

$233 14.7%

Cape Town

$174 11% 25.4% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Belgrade

$194 12.3%

Cape Town

$141 8.9% 27.4% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Belgrade

$59 3.7%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 13.3% $7.8

Getting Around

Belgrade

$8.2 * 0.5%

Cape Town

$75 4.8% 817% $67

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $821 in Belgrade versus $1,015 in Cape Town. 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 33% higher in Cape Town, 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 $47.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $246 vs $222 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

06:01 6:01 AM

Same time as Belgrade

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,197,714 Capital

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.6 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.56 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to RSD – Serbian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇸 Serbian Dinar (din)

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.6 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.56 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to RSD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Belgrade Cape Town 8,760 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Belgrade
Cape Town

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 Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,538 in Belgrade, $1,568 in Cape Town – roughly 2% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,307 per month in Belgrade and $2,352 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Belgrade, 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 $47.00 in Cape Town. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 11% cheaper in Cape Town – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Belgrade, where all-in costs run around $1,538, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Belgrade it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,538 in Belgrade to $1,568 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Cape Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.