Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and Elista

For one person, living is cheaper in Elista: $887 a month against $1,554 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Belgrade
Learn more

Belgrade Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Elista
Learn more

Elista Living Index

Jump to prices

Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,554

/mo nomad

Elista

🇷🇺 Russia

$887

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgrade and in Elista

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

A single person spends $1,554 per month in Belgrade vs $887 in Elista, rent included.

Belgrade $1,554
Elista $887

A couple spends around $2,337 per month in Belgrade vs $1,466 in Elista, rent included.

Belgrade $2,337
Elista $1,466

A family of three spends $3,121 per month in Belgrade vs $2,045 in Elista, rent included.

Belgrade $3,121
Elista $2,045

Belgrade costs about 75% more than Elista, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Belgrade sits 15% above the global median, while Elista is 34% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.15 RSD 1,371

$6.61 ₽552

98.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.5 RSD 5,999

$47.59 ₽3,972

20.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.38 RSD 1,394

$6.40 ₽534

109.06%

Cappuccino

$3.10 RSD 323

$2.71 ₽226

14.39%

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

$2.82 RSD 294

$0.94 ₽78.2

200.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 RSD 231

$0.62 ₽51.9

258.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.47 RSD 362

$1.14 ₽95.4

204.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 RSD 412

$1.81 ₽151

118.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 RSD 144

$1.03 ₽85.8

33.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 RSD 118

$0.56 ₽46.39

101.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 RSD 277

$1.07 ₽89.5

148.60%

Eggs

$2.78 RSD 290

$1.42 ₽119

95.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.99 RSD 1,146

$7.19 ₽600

52.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.56 RSD 684

$4.56 ₽380

43.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.07 RSD 1,571

$11.15 ₽931

35.16%

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 RSD 173

$1.19 ₽99.4

39.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 RSD 186

$1.45 ₽121

23.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 RSD 195

$1.39 ₽116

34.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.03 RSD 315

$2.55 ₽213

18.82%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 RSD 96.3

$0.75 ₽62.3

22.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.71 RSD 73.8

$0.46 ₽38.79

54.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 RSD 77.6

$0.35 ₽29.04

111.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 RSD 77.2

$0.64 ₽53.8

15.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.61 RSD 481

$2.75 ₽229

67.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.81 RSD 918

$8.89 ₽742

-0.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 RSD 92.7

$1.05 ₽87.2

-15.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 RSD 151

$1.86 ₽156

-22.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 ₽43.40

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 RSD 315

$2.13 ₽178

41.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 RSD 103

$0.36 ₽30.36

172.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.08 RSD 1,780

$3.60 ₽300

374.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 RSD 199

$0.87 ₽72.3

119.54%

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

$31.0K RSD 3.2M

$25.9K ₽2.2M

19.82%

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

$24.7K RSD 2.6M

$30.4K ₽2.5M

-18.92%

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

$220 RSD 23.0K

$84.4 ₽7,042

161.25%

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

$24.41 RSD 2,544

$5.97 ₽498

308.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.64 RSD 3,715

$7.91 ₽660

350.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.20 RSD 4,295

$34.99 ₽2,921

17.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.60 RSD 2,356

$24.25 ₽2,024

-6.80%

Cinema Ticket

$8.59 RSD 896

$4.14 ₽345

107.49%

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

$424 RSD 44.2K

$369 ₽30.8K

14.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K RSD 1.1M

$6,636 ₽553.8K

65.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 RSD 11.5K

$81.3 ₽6,786

36.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.28 RSD 4,929

$52.4 ₽4,374

-9.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 RSD 11.8K

$54.2 ₽4,522

108.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$157 RSD 16.3K

$101 ₽8,468

54.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 RSD 83.9K

$476 ₽39.7K

69.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$546 RSD 56.9K

$313 ₽26.1K

74.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,452 RSD 151.4K

$830 ₽69.3K

74.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$931 RSD 97.0K

$642 ₽53.6K

44.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,368 RSD 559.6K

$1,917 ₽160.0K

180.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,155 RSD 328.9K

$1,588 ₽132.5K

98.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,237 RSD 128.9K

$363 ₽30.3K

240.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.61

21.33

-78.39%

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

Last update for Belgrade: October 12, 2026

Last update for Elista: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belgrade

$546 35.2%

Elista

$313 35.3% 42.7% $233

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belgrade

$280 18.1%

Elista

$98 11.1% 65% $182

Groceries & Markets

Belgrade

$241 15.5%

Elista

$176 19.8% 27% $65

Eating Out

Belgrade

$228 14.7%

Elista

$120 13.6% 47.3% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Belgrade

$192 12.4%

Elista

$130 14.7% 32.3% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Belgrade

$58 3.8%

Elista

$43 4.9% 25.9% $15

Getting Around

Belgrade

$7.9 * 0.5%

Elista

$6 * 0.7% 24.1% $1.9

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 $476 in Elista. 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 241% 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 $48.00 in Elista. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $241 vs $176 – making Elista the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🇷🇺 Elista

🕒 Local time

11:05 11:05 AM

12:05 12:05 PM

1 h ahead of Belgrade

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,197,714 Capital

103,219

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, 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).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

USD to RSD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Belgrade Elista 1,850 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Belgrade
Elista

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 Elista: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,554 in Belgrade, $887 in Elista – roughly 75% 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 $1,330 in Elista. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Elista, 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 $48.00 in Elista. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 37% 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 Elista, where all-in costs run around $887, than in Belgrade at $1,554. In Elista it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Elista – 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 Elista. 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.