Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and East London

For one person, living is cheaper in East London: $978 a month against $1,541 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Belgrade
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Belgrade Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in East London
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East London Living Index

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Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,541

/mo nomad

East London

🇿🇦 South Africa

$978

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgrade and in East London

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

A single person spends $1,541 per month in Belgrade vs $978 in East London, rent included.

Belgrade $1,541
East London $978

A couple spends around $2,351 per month in Belgrade vs $1,499 in East London, rent included.

Belgrade $2,351
East London $1,499

A family of three spends $3,161 per month in Belgrade vs $2,020 in East London, rent included.

Belgrade $3,161
East London $2,020

Belgrade costs about 58% more than East London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Belgrade sits 14% above the global median, while East London is 28% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.43 RSD 1,406

$7.97 R 132

68.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.0 RSD 6,071

$33.73 R 558

71.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.30 RSD 1,392

$5.09 R 84.2

161.30%

Cappuccino

$3.05 RSD 319

$2.05 R 33.84

48.78%

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

$2.82 RSD 295

$1.01 R 16.63

179.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 RSD 239

$0.72 R 11.98

216.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.66 RSD 383

$2.65 R 43.81

38.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 RSD 437

$3.11 R 51.3

34.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 RSD 148

$1.12 R 18.48

25.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 RSD 122

$0.91 R 15.03

27.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 RSD 264

$1.46 R 24.07

73.29%

Eggs

$2.80 RSD 293

$2.35 R 38.80

19.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.93 RSD 1,144

$8.42 R 139

29.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.80 RSD 712

$5.20 R 86.0

30.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.40 RSD 1,613

$7.93 R 131

94.20%

Apples (1kg)

$1.63 RSD 170

$1.74 R 28.80

-6.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 RSD 183

$1.52 R 25.07

15.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 RSD 187

$1.62 R 26.74

9.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.04 RSD 318

$1.57 R 26.02

93.63%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 RSD 102

$1.69 R 27.86

-42.60%

Onion (1kg)

$0.65 RSD 68.1

$1.42 R 23.54

-54.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 RSD 77.6

$1.23 R 20.38

-39.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 RSD 75.8

$1.01 R 16.73

-28.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.53 RSD 474

$2.95 R 48.79

53.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.25 RSD 863

$4.88 R 80.7

69.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 RSD 90.3

$1.05 R 17.31

-18.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 RSD 149

$0.97 R 16.01

47.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.10 RSD 325

$1.18 R 19.54

162.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 RSD 102

$0.50 R 8.20

96.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.10 RSD 1,790

$8.61 R 142

98.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 RSD 196

$1.46 R 24.13

28.08%

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

$30.9K RSD 3.2M

$35.3K R 583.5K

-12.50%

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

$24.1K RSD 2.5M

$29.4K R 485.4K

-18.04%

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

$215 RSD 22.5K

$123 R 2,037

74.23%

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

$25.55 RSD 2,675

$30.34 R 502

-15.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.40 RSD 3,706

$45.33 R 749

-21.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.62 RSD 4,252

$39.33 R 650

3.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 RSD 2,381

Cinema Ticket

$7.99 RSD 837

$5.04 R 83.3

58.53%

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

$453 RSD 47.5K

$175 R 2,891

159.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K RSD 1.3M

$5,508 R 91.0K

124.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$112 RSD 11.7K

$56.1 R 927

99.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.56 RSD 4,979

$32.59 R 539

45.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 RSD 11.9K

$73.5 R 1,215

54.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 RSD 15.4K

$94.8 R 1,567

54.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$829 RSD 86.8K

$238 R 3,928

248.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$540 RSD 56.6K

$296 R 4,884

82.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,508 RSD 157.9K

$603 R 9,971

149.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$975 RSD 102.0K

$566 R 9,354

72.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,059 RSD 529.6K

$481 R 7,944

952.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,171 RSD 332.0K

$833 R 13.8K

280.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,276 RSD 133.6K

$1,442 R 23.8K

-11.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

11.33

-60.28%

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

Last update for Belgrade: November 1, 2026

Last update for East London: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belgrade

$540 35.1%

East London

$295 30.2% 45.3% $245

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belgrade

$276 17.9%

East London

$199 20.4% 27.8% $77

Groceries & Markets

Belgrade

$241 15.6%

East London

$185 18.9% 23.2% $56

Eating Out

Belgrade

$231 15%

East London

$130 13.3% 43.7% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Belgrade

$189 12.3%

East London

$116 11.8% 38.8% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Belgrade

$57 3.7%

East London

$49 5.1% 12.7% $7.2

Getting Around

Belgrade

$8 * 0.5%

East London

$3.7 * 0.4% 54.2% $4.3

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $829 in Belgrade versus $238 in East London. 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 13% higher in East London, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $58 in Belgrade versus $34 in East London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $241 vs $185 – making East London the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🇿🇦 East London

🕒 Local time

13:28 1:28 PM

14:28 2:28 PM

1 h ahead of Belgrade

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,197,714 Capital

267,007

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.55 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.5 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.05 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 105 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.55 USD). 1 EUR = 118 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.5 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.53 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.05 USD). 1 EUR = 18.56 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

USD to RSD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Belgrade East London 8,690 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Belgrade
East London

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 East London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,541 in Belgrade, $978 in East London – East London comes out roughly 37% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,312 per month in Belgrade and $1,467 in East London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in East London, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $238 there versus $829 in Belgrade.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $58 in Belgrade and $34 in East London. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 30% more in Belgrade, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in East London, where all-in costs run around $978, than in Belgrade at $1,541. In East London it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward East London – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.