Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Belgrade: $1,538 a month against $2,854 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $15,800 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
139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index

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Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,538

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgrade and in Dubai

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

A single person spends $1,538 per month in Belgrade vs $2,854 in Dubai, rent included.

Belgrade $1,538
Dubai $2,854

A couple spends around $2,321 per month in Belgrade vs $4,321 in Dubai, rent included.

Belgrade $2,321
Dubai $4,321

A family of three spends $3,105 per month in Belgrade vs $5,788 in Dubai, rent included.

Belgrade $3,105
Dubai $5,788

Belgrade is about 46% cheaper than Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Belgrade and Dubai sit above the global median – Belgrade by 15%, Dubai by 113%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.33 RSD 1,392

$13.04 AED 47.89

2.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.4 RSD 6,099

$81.4 AED 299

-28.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.58 RSD 1,417

$9.32 AED 34.25

45.71%

Cappuccino

$3.13 RSD 327

$5.97 AED 21.93

-47.57%

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

$2.77 RSD 289

$1.63 AED 5.98

69.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 RSD 237

$0.81 AED 2.99

180.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 RSD 391

$13.65 AED 50.1

-72.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 RSD 457

$13.38 AED 49.15

-67.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 RSD 146

$1.81 AED 6.64

-22.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 RSD 122

$1.57 AED 5.78

-25.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 RSD 283

$2.49 AED 9.16

8.84%

Eggs

$2.78 RSD 290

$3.28 AED 12.04

-15.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.36 RSD 1,186

$12.67 AED 46.52

-10.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.01 RSD 732

$9.75 AED 35.80

-28.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.72 RSD 1,641

$13.18 AED 48.39

19.27%

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 RSD 173

$2.61 AED 9.57

-36.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 RSD 189

$1.93 AED 7.09

-6.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 RSD 191

$1.92 AED 7.05

-4.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.13 RSD 327

$1.36 AED 5.00

130.15%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 RSD 91.5

$1.17 AED 4.29

-24.79%

Onion (1kg)

$0.67 RSD 70.5

$1.01 AED 3.71

-33.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.81 RSD 84.6

$1.51 AED 5.56

-46.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 RSD 71.1

$0.62 AED 2.29

9.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.78 RSD 500

$5.85 AED 21.50

-18.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.54 RSD 891

$16.14 AED 59.3

-47.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RSD 97.9

$2.65 AED 9.74

-64.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 RSD 151

$2.95 AED 10.82

-51.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 AED 6.03

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.6 AED 270

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 RSD 323

$3.17 AED 11.66

-2.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 RSD 107

$0.71 AED 2.63

43.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.18 RSD 1,793

$7.96 AED 29.23

115.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 RSD 196

$0.99 AED 3.64

88.89%

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

$30.7K RSD 3.2M

$27.4K AED 100.5K

12.33%

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

$24.3K RSD 2.5M

$22.5K AED 82.8K

7.67%

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

$218 RSD 22.7K

$250 AED 920

-13.07%

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

$25.24 RSD 2,635

$54.2 AED 199

-53.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.35 RSD 3,691

$91.8 AED 337

-61.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.77 RSD 4,361

$98.6 AED 362

-57.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.80 RSD 2,380

$42.61 AED 156

-46.49%

Cinema Ticket

$8.47 RSD 884

$16.03 AED 58.9

-47.16%

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

$426 RSD 44.5K

$843 AED 3,098

-49.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K RSD 1.2M

$18.3K AED 67.1K

-37.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 RSD 11.6K

$68.0 AED 250

63.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.99 RSD 4,802

$57.9 AED 212

-20.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 RSD 12.4K

$101 AED 370

18.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 RSD 16.1K

$101 AED 371

52.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$821 RSD 85.8K

$2,380 AED 8,741

-65.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$561 RSD 58.5K

$1,506 AED 5,531

-62.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,511 RSD 157.8K

$4,437 AED 16.3K

-65.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$942 RSD 98.3K

$3,010 AED 11.1K

-68.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,312 RSD 554.6K

$7,121 AED 26.2K

-25.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,165 RSD 330.4K

$4,135 AED 15.2K

-23.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,228 RSD 128.2K

$3,391 AED 12.5K

-63.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.61

4.54

1.54%

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

Last update for Belgrade: October 3, 2026

Last update for Dubai: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belgrade

$561 35.5%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5% 169% $945

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belgrade

$278 17.6%

Dubai

$396 13.8% 42.5% $118

Groceries & Markets

Belgrade

$246 15.6%

Dubai

$293 10.2% 18.9% $47

Eating Out

Belgrade

$233 14.7%

Dubai

$309 10.8% 32.7% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Belgrade

$194 12.3%

Dubai

$147 5.1% 23.9% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Belgrade

$59 3.7%

Dubai

$131 4.6% 123% $72

Getting Around

Belgrade

$8.2 * 0.5%

Dubai

$87 3% 959% $79

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 $2,380 in Dubai. 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 176% higher in Dubai, 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 $81.0 in Dubai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $246 vs $293 – making Belgrade the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

03:39 3:39 AM

05:39 5:39 AM

2 h ahead of Belgrade

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,197,714 Capital

3,790,000

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.58 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.54 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, 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 = 9.58 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.54 EUR).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.243 EUR).

USD to RSD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Belgrade Dubai 3,810 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Belgrade
Dubai

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 Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,538 in Belgrade, $2,854 in Dubai – roughly 86% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,307 per month in Belgrade and $4,281 in Dubai. 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 $81.0 in Dubai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 19% more in Dubai, 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 Belgrade, where all-in costs run around $1,538, than in Dubai at $2,854. In Belgrade it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dubai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Dubai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,538 in Belgrade to $2,854 in Dubai. 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, Dubai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.