Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and Hawassa

For one person, living is cheaper in Hawassa: $834 a month against $1,554 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Hawassa
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Hawassa Living Index

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Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,554

/mo nomad

Hawassa

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$834

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgrade and in Hawassa

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

A single person spends $1,554 per month in Belgrade vs $834 in Hawassa, rent included.

Belgrade $1,554
Hawassa $834

A couple spends around $2,337 per month in Belgrade vs $1,199 in Hawassa, rent included.

Belgrade $2,337
Hawassa $1,199

A family of three spends $3,121 per month in Belgrade vs $1,564 in Hawassa, rent included.

Belgrade $3,121
Hawassa $1,564

Belgrade costs about 86% more than Hawassa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Belgrade sits 15% above the global median, while Hawassa is 38% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.15 RSD 1,371

$3.90 ETB 625

237.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.5 RSD 5,999

$42.11 ETB 6,758

36.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.38 RSD 1,394

$6.56 ETB 1,054

103.96%

Cappuccino

$3.10 RSD 323

$0.95 ETB 153

226.32%

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

$2.82 RSD 294

$0.63 ETB 102

347.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 RSD 231

$0.69 ETB 110

221.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.47 RSD 362

$0.83 ETB 133

318.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 RSD 412

$2.30 ETB 370

72.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 RSD 144

$1.07 ETB 172

28.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 RSD 118

$1.17 ETB 188

-3.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 RSD 277

$1.01 ETB 163

163.37%

Eggs

$2.78 RSD 290

$1.58 ETB 253

75.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.99 RSD 1,146

$7.40 ETB 1,188

48.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.56 RSD 684

$10.07 ETB 1,616

-34.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.07 RSD 1,571

$9.09 ETB 1,458

65.79%

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 RSD 173

$5.35 ETB 859

-68.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 RSD 186

$0.68 ETB 109

163.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 RSD 195

$2.13 ETB 341

-12.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.03 RSD 315

$0.66 ETB 106

359.09%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 RSD 96.3

$0.50 ETB 80.5

84.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.71 RSD 73.8

$1.06 ETB 169

-33.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 RSD 77.6

$0.69 ETB 110

7.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 RSD 77.2

$0.57 ETB 91.3

29.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.61 RSD 481

$8.18 ETB 1,312

-43.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.81 RSD 918

$5.55 ETB 891

58.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 RSD 92.7

$0.66 ETB 106

34.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 RSD 151

$1.28 ETB 206

13.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 RSD 315

$1.31 ETB 210

130.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 RSD 103

$0.27 ETB 42.86

262.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.08 RSD 1,780

$2.03 ETB 326

741.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 RSD 199

$0.92 ETB 147

107.61%

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

$31.0K RSD 3.2M

$54.6K ETB 8.8M

-43.24%

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

$24.7K RSD 2.6M

$56.4K ETB 9.0M

-56.25%

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

$220 RSD 23.0K

$202 ETB 32.5K

9.02%

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

$24.41 RSD 2,544

$7.21 ETB 1,158

238.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.64 RSD 3,715

$213 ETB 34.2K

-83.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.20 RSD 4,295

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.60 RSD 2,356

Cinema Ticket

$8.59 RSD 896

$3.84 ETB 616

123.70%

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

$424 RSD 44.2K

$136 ETB 21.9K

210.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K RSD 1.1M

$30.2K ETB 4.9M

-63.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 RSD 11.5K

$33.37 ETB 5,356

231.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.28 RSD 4,929

$70.7 ETB 11.3K

-33.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 RSD 11.8K

$78.6 ETB 12.6K

43.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$157 RSD 16.3K

$83.6 ETB 13.4K

87.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 RSD 83.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$546 RSD 56.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,452 RSD 151.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$931 RSD 97.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,368 RSD 559.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,155 RSD 328.9K

$494 ETB 79.3K

538.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,237 RSD 128.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.61

18.5

-75.08%

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

Last update for Belgrade: October 12, 2026

Last update for Hawassa: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belgrade

$546 35.2%

Hawassa

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belgrade

$280 18.1%

Hawassa

$423 50.6% 50.7% $142

Groceries & Markets

Belgrade

$241 15.5%

Hawassa

$205 24.6% 14.6% $35

Eating Out

Belgrade

$228 14.7%

Hawassa

$76 9.2% 66.5% $152

Clothing & Footwear

Belgrade

$192 12.4%

Hawassa

$120 14.4% 37.7% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Belgrade

$58 3.8%

Hawassa

$7.7 * 0.9% 86.9% $51

Getting Around

Belgrade

$7.9 * 0.5%

Hawassa

$2.6 * 0.3% 66.8% $5.3

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $58.0 in Belgrade versus $42.00 in Hawassa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $241 vs $205 – making Hawassa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🇪🇹 Hawassa

🕒 Local time

06:36 6:36 AM

07:36 7:36 AM

1 h ahead of Belgrade

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,197,714 Capital

160,000

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR

1,000 ETB = 6.23 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ETB, USD, EUR to RSD – Serbian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇸 Serbian Dinar (din)

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR).

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 160 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.23 USD). 1 EUR = 180 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR).

USD to RSD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Belgrade Hawassa 4,550 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Belgrade
Hawassa

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 Hawassa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,554 in Belgrade, $834 in Hawassa – roughly 86% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,331 per month in Belgrade and $1,252 in Hawassa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $58.0 in Belgrade and $42.00 in Hawassa. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 17% 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 Hawassa, where all-in costs run around $834, than in Belgrade at $1,554. In Hawassa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Hawassa – 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 Hawassa. 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.