Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and Cricova

For one person, living is cheaper in Cricova: $1,022 a month against $1,554 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 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
50

Cost of Living Index in Cricova
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Cricova Living Index

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Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,554

/mo nomad

Cricova

🇲🇩 Moldova

$1,022

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgrade and in Cricova

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

A single person spends $1,554 per month in Belgrade vs $1,022 in Cricova, rent included.

Belgrade $1,554
Cricova $1,022

A couple spends around $2,337 per month in Belgrade vs $1,858 in Cricova, rent included.

Belgrade $2,337
Cricova $1,858

A family of three spends $3,121 per month in Belgrade vs $2,693 in Cricova, rent included.

Belgrade $3,121
Cricova $2,693

Belgrade costs about 52% more than Cricova, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Belgrade sits 15% above the global median, while Cricova is 24% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.15 RSD 1,371

$8.25 MDL 146

59.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.5 RSD 5,999

$27.53 MDL 489

109.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.38 RSD 1,394

$10.30 MDL 183

29.90%

Cappuccino

$3.10 RSD 323

$1.08 MDL 19.20

187.04%

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

$2.82 RSD 294

$1.05 MDL 18.59

168.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 RSD 231

$0.68 MDL 12.14

226.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.47 RSD 362

$2.00 MDL 35.55

73.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 RSD 412

$2.21 MDL 39.25

79.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 RSD 144

$2.39 MDL 42.52

-42.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 RSD 118

$0.46 MDL 8.18

145.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 RSD 277

$1.09 MDL 19.38

144.04%

Eggs

$2.78 RSD 290

$1.25 MDL 22.22

122.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.99 RSD 1,146

$6.90 MDL 123

59.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.56 RSD 684

$4.59 MDL 81.5

42.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.07 RSD 1,571

$12.35 MDL 219

22.02%

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 RSD 173

$1.08 MDL 19.14

53.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 RSD 186

$0.86 MDL 15.21

108.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 RSD 195

$1.03 MDL 18.33

81.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.03 RSD 315

$1.09 MDL 19.29

177.98%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 RSD 96.3

$0.76 MDL 13.44

21.05%

Onion (1kg)

$0.71 RSD 73.8

$1.09 MDL 19.36

-34.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 RSD 77.6

$1.08 MDL 19.24

-31.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 RSD 77.2

$1.09 MDL 19.37

-32.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.61 RSD 481

$3.31 MDL 58.8

39.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.81 RSD 918

$4.45 MDL 79.1

97.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 RSD 92.7

$2.58 MDL 45.88

-65.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 RSD 151

$4.28 MDL 75.9

-66.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MDL 9.48

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.39 MDL 398

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 RSD 315

$1.10 MDL 19.57

174.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 RSD 103

$0.26 MDL 4.63

276.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.08 RSD 1,780

$6.53 MDL 116

161.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 RSD 199

$1.30 MDL 23.12

46.92%

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

$31.0K RSD 3.2M

$29.2K MDL 517.9K

6.30%

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

$24.7K RSD 2.6M

$23.8K MDL 422.4K

3.69%

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

$220 RSD 23.0K

$235 MDL 4,176

-6.26%

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

$24.41 RSD 2,544

$7.70 MDL 137

217.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.64 RSD 3,715

$11.02 MDL 196

223.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.20 RSD 4,295

$56.5 MDL 1,003

-27.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.60 RSD 2,356

$11.20 MDL 199

101.79%

Cinema Ticket

$8.59 RSD 896

$7.42 MDL 132

15.77%

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

$424 RSD 44.2K

$111 MDL 1,972

281.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K RSD 1.1M

$5,220 MDL 92.7K

110.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 RSD 11.5K

$56.2 MDL 998

96.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.28 RSD 4,929

$27.60 MDL 490

71.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 RSD 11.8K

$82.5 MDL 1,464

37.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$157 RSD 16.3K

$114 MDL 2,021

37.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 RSD 83.9K

$884 MDL 15.7K

-8.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$546 RSD 56.9K

$222 MDL 3,943

145.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,452 RSD 151.4K

$1,373 MDL 24.4K

5.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$931 RSD 97.0K

$1,108 MDL 19.7K

-16.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,368 RSD 559.6K

$2,775 MDL 49.3K

93.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,155 RSD 328.9K

$1,943 MDL 34.5K

62.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,237 RSD 128.9K

$562 MDL 9,989

119.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.61

-34.14%

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

Last update for Belgrade: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cricova: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belgrade

$546 35.2%

Cricova

$222 21.7% 59.3% $324

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belgrade

$280 18.1%

Cricova

$254 24.8% 9.5% $27

Groceries & Markets

Belgrade

$241 15.5%

Cricova

$191 18.7% 20.6% $50

Eating Out

Belgrade

$228 14.7%

Cricova

$131 12.8% 42.4% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Belgrade

$192 12.4%

Cricova

$126 12.3% 34.5% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Belgrade

$58 3.8%

Cricova

$71 7% 22.2% $13

Getting Around

Belgrade

$7.9 * 0.5%

Cricova

$27 2.6% 239% $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 $884 in Cricova. 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 120% 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 $28.00 in Cricova. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $241 vs $191 – making Cricova the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🇲🇩 Cricova

🕒 Local time

05:27 5:27 AM

06:27 6:27 AM

1 h ahead of Belgrade

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,197,714 Capital

10,642

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR

100 MDL = 5.63 USD

100 MDL = 5.01 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR).

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 17.76 MDL (100 MDL = 5.63 USD). 1 EUR = 19.97 MDL (100 MDL = 5.01 EUR).

USD to RSD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Belgrade Cricova 700 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Belgrade
Cricova

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 Cricova: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,554 in Belgrade, $1,022 in Cricova – roughly 52% 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 $1,533 in Cricova. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cricova, 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 $28.00 in Cricova. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 26% 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 Cricova, where all-in costs run around $1,022, than in Belgrade at $1,554. In Cricova it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cricova – 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 Cricova. 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.