Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and Chisinau

For one person, living is cheaper in Chisinau: $1,275 a month against $1,538 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Belgrade
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Belgrade Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Chisinau
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Chisinau Living Index

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Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,538

/mo nomad

Chisinau

🇲🇩 Moldova

$1,275

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgrade and in Chisinau

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

A single person spends $1,538 per month in Belgrade vs $1,275 in Chisinau, rent included.

Belgrade $1,538
Chisinau $1,275

A couple spends around $2,321 per month in Belgrade vs $1,987 in Chisinau, rent included.

Belgrade $2,321
Chisinau $1,987

A family of three spends $3,105 per month in Belgrade vs $2,699 in Chisinau, rent included.

Belgrade $3,105
Chisinau $2,699

Belgrade costs about 21% more than Chisinau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Belgrade sits 15% above the global median, while Chisinau is 5% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.33 RSD 1,389

$11.27 MDL 200

18.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.4 RSD 6,085

$49.50 MDL 877

18.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.58 RSD 1,414

$8.46 MDL 150

60.52%

Cappuccino

$3.13 RSD 326

$2.12 MDL 37.57

47.64%

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

$2.77 RSD 288

$1.17 MDL 20.79

136.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 RSD 237

$0.91 MDL 16.07

149.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 RSD 390

$2.24 MDL 39.72

67.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 RSD 456

$1.92 MDL 34.03

128.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 RSD 146

$1.21 MDL 21.45

15.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 RSD 122

$0.69 MDL 12.21

69.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 RSD 282

$1.37 MDL 24.27

97.81%

Eggs

$2.78 RSD 289

$2.81 MDL 49.87

-1.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.36 RSD 1,184

$9.49 MDL 168

19.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.01 RSD 731

$5.02 MDL 88.9

39.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.72 RSD 1,638

$8.75 MDL 155

79.66%

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 RSD 173

$0.97 MDL 17.28

71.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 RSD 188

$1.92 MDL 34.11

-5.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 RSD 190

$2.08 MDL 36.86

-12.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.13 RSD 326

$2.25 MDL 39.84

39.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 RSD 91.3

$0.71 MDL 12.63

23.94%

Onion (1kg)

$0.67 RSD 70.3

$0.56 MDL 9.96

19.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.81 RSD 84.4

$1.31 MDL 23.27

-38.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 RSD 70.9

$0.88 MDL 15.54

-22.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.78 RSD 498

$3.37 MDL 59.7

41.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.54 RSD 889

$4.81 MDL 85.3

77.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RSD 97.7

$1.26 MDL 22.28

-25.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 RSD 150

$1.87 MDL 33.11

-22.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 MDL 6.61

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.68 MDL 243

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 RSD 322

$2.25 MDL 39.88

37.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 RSD 107

$0.33 MDL 5.81

209.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.18 RSD 1,789

$5.07 MDL 89.8

238.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 RSD 195

$1.70 MDL 30.18

10.00%

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

$30.7K RSD 3.2M

$29.4K MDL 520.4K

4.70%

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

$24.3K RSD 2.5M

$30.3K MDL 537.3K

-19.96%

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

$218 RSD 22.7K

$244 MDL 4,318

-10.66%

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

$25.24 RSD 2,629

$9.64 MDL 171

161.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.35 RSD 3,683

$10.72 MDL 190

229.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.77 RSD 4,351

$41.23 MDL 731

1.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.80 RSD 2,375

$20.17 MDL 358

13.04%

Cinema Ticket

$8.47 RSD 882

$8.40 MDL 149

0.83%

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

$426 RSD 44.4K

$428 MDL 7,578

-0.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K RSD 1.2M

$5,887 MDL 104.3K

93.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 RSD 11.6K

$80.8 MDL 1,432

37.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.99 RSD 4,791

$46.11 MDL 817

-0.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 RSD 12.4K

$115 MDL 2,046

3.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 RSD 16.0K

$114 MDL 2,018

35.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$821 RSD 85.6K

$678 MDL 12.0K

21.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$561 RSD 58.4K

$439 MDL 7,788

27.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,511 RSD 157.4K

$1,255 MDL 22.2K

20.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$942 RSD 98.1K

$829 MDL 14.7K

13.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,312 RSD 553.4K

$2,614 MDL 46.3K

103.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,165 RSD 329.7K

$1,988 MDL 35.2K

59.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,228 RSD 127.9K

$867 MDL 15.4K

41.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.61

9.1

-49.34%

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

Last update for Belgrade: October 3, 2026

Last update for Chisinau: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belgrade

$561 35.5%

Chisinau

$439 33.9% 21.6% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belgrade

$278 17.6%

Chisinau

$264 20.4% 5.1% $14

Groceries & Markets

Belgrade

$246 15.6%

Chisinau

$190 14.7% 22.7% $56

Eating Out

Belgrade

$233 14.7%

Chisinau

$164 12.7% 29.3% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Belgrade

$194 12.3%

Chisinau

$160 12.4% 17.2% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Belgrade

$59 3.7%

Chisinau

$58 4.5% 1.2% $0.7

Getting Around

Belgrade

$8.2 * 0.5%

Chisinau

$19 1.5% 132% $11

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 $678 in Chisinau. 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 42% 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 $49.00 in Chisinau. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $246 vs $190 – making Chisinau the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🇲🇩 Chisinau

🕒 Local time

06:03 6:03 AM

07:03 7:03 AM

1 h ahead of Belgrade

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,197,714 Capital

750,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.6 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.56 EUR

100 MDL = 5.64 USD

100 MDL = 5.03 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MDL, 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).

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 17.72 MDL (100 MDL = 5.64 USD). 1 EUR = 19.88 MDL (100 MDL = 5.03 EUR).

USD to RSD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Belgrade Chisinau 690 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Belgrade
Chisinau

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 Chisinau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,538 in Belgrade, $1,275 in Chisinau – roughly 21% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,307 per month in Belgrade and $1,912 in Chisinau. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chisinau, 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 $49.00 in Chisinau. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 29% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Chisinau, where all-in costs run around $1,275, than in Belgrade at $1,538. In Chisinau it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Chisinau has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,275 in Chisinau to $1,538 in Belgrade. 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 Chisinau. 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.