Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and Hillcrest

For one person, living is cheaper in Hillcrest: $1,081 a month against $1,541 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Belgrade, Serbia
Hillcrest, South Africa
Belgrade
🇷🇸 Serbia
$1,541
/mo nomad
Hillcrest
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,081
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgrade and in Hillcrest

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

A single person spends $1,541 per month in Belgrade vs $1,081 in Hillcrest, rent included.

  • Belgrade $1,541
  • Hillcrest $1,081

A couple spends around $2,351 per month in Belgrade vs $1,686 in Hillcrest, rent included.

  • Belgrade $2,351
  • Hillcrest $1,686

A family of three spends $3,161 per month in Belgrade vs $2,292 in Hillcrest, rent included.

  • Belgrade $3,161
  • Hillcrest $2,292

Belgrade costs about 43% more than Hillcrest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Belgrade sits 14% above the global median, while Hillcrest is 20% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Belgrade
Hillcrest
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.43 RSD 1,398
$7.87 R 130
70.65%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$58.0 RSD 6,036
$38.34 R 632
51.25%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.30 RSD 1,384
$6.01 R 99.0
121.30%
Cappuccino
$3.05 RSD 317
$2.71 R 44.73
12.55%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.82 RSD 293
$1.14 R 18.78
147.37%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.28 RSD 238
$0.90 R 14.78
153.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.66 RSD 381
$2.45 R 40.40
49.39%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.18 RSD 435
$2.50 R 41.22
67.20%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Belgrade
Hillcrest
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 RSD 147
$1.18 R 19.37
19.49%
White Bread (500g)
$1.16 RSD 121
$0.98 R 16.20
18.37%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.53 RSD 263
$1.50 R 24.69
68.67%
Eggs
$2.80 RSD 292
$2.32 R 38.27
20.69%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.93 RSD 1,137
$8.19 R 135
33.46%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.80 RSD 708
$5.05 R 83.2
34.65%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.40 RSD 1,603
$7.27 R 120
111.83%
Apples (1kg)
$1.63 RSD 170
$1.29 R 21.31
26.36%
Banana (1kg)
$1.75 RSD 182
$1.93 R 31.74
-9.33%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.78 RSD 186
$1.95 R 32.07
-8.72%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.04 RSD 316
$1.73 R 28.55
75.72%
Potato (1kg)
$0.97 RSD 101
$1.46 R 24.09
-33.56%
Onion (1kg)
$0.65 RSD 67.7
$1.44 R 23.78
-54.86%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.74 RSD 77.2
$1.21 R 19.86
-38.84%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 RSD 75.3
$1.14 R 18.80
-36.84%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.53 RSD 471
$3.71 R 61.1
22.10%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.25 RSD 858
$4.80 R 79.1
71.88%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.86 RSD 89.8
$1.41 R 23.20
-39.01%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.43 RSD 148
$1.96 R 32.33
-27.04%
🚌 Getting Around
Belgrade
Hillcrest
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$1.54 R 25.30
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.10 RSD 323
$0.44 R 7.17
604.55%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.98 RSD 102
$0.71 R 11.66
38.03%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$17.10 RSD 1,780
$7.70 R 127
122.08%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.87 RSD 195
$1.45 R 23.95
28.97%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.9K RSD 3.2M
$35.2K R 580.2K
-12.27%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.1K RSD 2.5M
$33.1K R 544.7K
-27.19%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Belgrade
Hillcrest
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$215 RSD 22.4K
$153 R 2,522
40.33%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.55 RSD 2,659
$35.61 R 587
-28.25%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$35.40 RSD 3,685
$39.04 R 643
-9.32%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Belgrade
Hillcrest
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$40.62 RSD 4,228
$33.00 R 544
23.09%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.74 RSD 2,367
$13.55 R 223
67.82%
Cinema Ticket
$7.99 RSD 832
$7.29 R 120
9.60%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Belgrade
Hillcrest
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$453 RSD 47.2K
$310 R 5,115
46.05%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.4K RSD 1.3M
$7,429 R 122.4K
66.47%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Belgrade
Hillcrest
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$112 RSD 11.6K
$51.6 R 850
116.54%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.56 RSD 4,951
$27.96 R 461
70.10%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$114 RSD 11.8K
$97.0 R 1,598
17.17%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$147 RSD 15.3K
$79.2 R 1,304
85.47%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Belgrade
Hillcrest
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$829 RSD 86.3K
$377 R 6,206
120.21%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$540 RSD 56.2K
$353 R 5,810
53.25%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,508 RSD 157.0K
$640 R 10.6K
135.48%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$975 RSD 101.5K
$732 R 12.1K
33.11%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,059 RSD 526.6K
$764 R 12.6K
562.57%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,171 RSD 330.1K
$575 R 9,471
451.76%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Belgrade
Hillcrest
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,276 RSD 132.8K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.5
11.78
-61.80%

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

Last update for Belgrade: November 1, 2026

Last update for Hillcrest: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Belgrade
$540
Hillcrest
$353 34.7% $188
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Belgrade
$276
Hillcrest
$228 17.4% $48
Groceries & Markets
Belgrade
$241
Hillcrest
$189 21.3% $51
Eating Out
Belgrade
$231
Hillcrest
$139 39.8% $92
Clothing & Footwear
Belgrade
$189
Hillcrest
$115 39.1% $74
Sport & Entertainment
Belgrade
$57
Hillcrest
$48 15.9% $9
Getting Around
Belgrade
$8 *
Hillcrest
$10 * 26.5% $2.1

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 $377 in Hillcrest. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $58 in Belgrade versus $38 in Hillcrest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $241 vs $189 – making Hillcrest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇷🇸 Belgrade
🇿🇦 Hillcrest
🕒 Local time
01:50 1:50 AM
02:50 2:50 AM
1 h ahead of Belgrade
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,197,714 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to RSD – Serbian Dinar Converter

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.61 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.56 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Belgrade Hillcrest 8,360 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Belgrade
  • Hillcrest

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 Hillcrest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Belgrade and in Hillcrest compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,541 in Belgrade, $1,081 in Hillcrest – Hillcrest comes out roughly 30% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Belgrade compared to Hillcrest?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,312 per month in Belgrade and $1,622 in Hillcrest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Belgrade and Hillcrest?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Hillcrest, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $377 there versus $829 in Belgrade.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $58 in Belgrade and $38 in Hillcrest. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 27% more in Belgrade, though the gap depends on what you buy.
How far does $2,000 go in Belgrade compared to Hillcrest?
$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,541 in Belgrade and $1,081 in Hillcrest, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Where should families live: Belgrade or Hillcrest?
Families tend to lean toward Hillcrest – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Belgrade vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?