Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and Johannesburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Johannesburg: $1,406 a month against $1,541 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 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
67

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index

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Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,541

/mo nomad

Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgrade and in Johannesburg

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

A single person spends $1,541 per month in Belgrade vs $1,406 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Belgrade $1,541
Johannesburg $1,406

A couple spends around $2,351 per month in Belgrade vs $2,195 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Belgrade $2,351
Johannesburg $2,195

A family of three spends $3,161 per month in Belgrade vs $2,983 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Belgrade $3,161
Johannesburg $2,983

Belgrade costs about 10% more than Johannesburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Belgrade and Johannesburg sit above the global median – Belgrade by 14%, Johannesburg by 4%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.43 RSD 1,406

$11.88 R 196

13.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.0 RSD 6,071

$44.83 R 741

29.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.30 RSD 1,392

$7.40 R 122

79.73%

Cappuccino

$3.05 RSD 319

$2.45 R 40.45

24.49%

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

$2.82 RSD 295

$1.23 R 20.28

129.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 RSD 239

$0.92 R 15.26

147.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.66 RSD 383

$2.45 R 40.53

49.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 RSD 437

$2.74 R 45.28

52.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 RSD 148

$1.31 R 21.69

7.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 RSD 122

$1.26 R 20.80

-7.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 RSD 264

$1.72 R 28.45

47.09%

Eggs

$2.80 RSD 293

$2.63 R 43.51

6.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.93 RSD 1,144

$8.87 R 147

23.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.80 RSD 712

$5.68 R 93.8

19.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.40 RSD 1,613

$9.04 R 149

70.35%

Apples (1kg)

$1.63 RSD 170

$2.07 R 34.29

-21.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 RSD 183

$1.91 R 31.51

-8.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 RSD 187

$1.83 R 30.17

-2.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.04 RSD 318

$2.05 R 33.88

48.29%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 RSD 102

$1.70 R 28.14

-42.94%

Onion (1kg)

$0.65 RSD 68.1

$1.81 R 29.84

-64.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 RSD 77.6

$1.51 R 24.91

-50.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 RSD 75.8

$1.26 R 20.76

-42.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.53 RSD 474

$3.50 R 57.9

29.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.25 RSD 863

$6.07 R 100

35.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 RSD 90.3

$1.80 R 29.79

-52.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 RSD 149

$2.31 R 38.13

-38.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.62 R 26.82

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.7 R 1,499

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.10 RSD 325

$0.82 R 13.60

278.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 RSD 102

$0.92 R 15.15

6.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.10 RSD 1,790

$14.30 R 236

19.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 RSD 196

$1.52 R 25.07

23.03%

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

$30.9K RSD 3.2M

$35.4K R 585.2K

-12.75%

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

$24.1K RSD 2.5M

$34.7K R 574.2K

-30.73%

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

$215 RSD 22.5K

$228 R 3,766

-5.73%

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

$25.55 RSD 2,675

$38.51 R 637

-33.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.40 RSD 3,706

$38.02 R 628

-6.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.62 RSD 4,252

$35.33 R 584

14.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 RSD 2,381

$16.47 R 272

38.07%

Cinema Ticket

$7.99 RSD 837

$8.47 R 140

-5.67%

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

$453 RSD 47.5K

$247 R 4,082

83.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K RSD 1.3M

$7,727 R 127.7K

60.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$112 RSD 11.7K

$58.1 R 961

92.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.56 RSD 4,979

$44.29 R 732

7.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 RSD 11.9K

$113 R 1,862

0.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 RSD 15.4K

$111 R 1,835

32.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$829 RSD 86.8K

$526 R 8,689

57.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$540 RSD 56.6K

$407 R 6,732

32.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,508 RSD 157.9K

$1,091 R 18.0K

38.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$975 RSD 102.0K

$900 R 14.9K

8.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,059 RSD 529.6K

$1,029 R 17.0K

391.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,171 RSD 332.0K

$748 R 12.4K

324.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,276 RSD 133.6K

$1,750 R 28.9K

-27.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

10.91

-58.75%

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

Last update for Belgrade: November 1, 2026

Last update for Johannesburg: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belgrade

$540 35.1%

Johannesburg

$407 29% 24.6% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belgrade

$276 17.9%

Johannesburg

$304 21.6% 10.4% $29

Groceries & Markets

Belgrade

$241 15.6%

Johannesburg

$220 15.7% 8.5% $20

Eating Out

Belgrade

$231 15%

Johannesburg

$173 12.3% 25.1% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Belgrade

$189 12.3%

Johannesburg

$147 10.4% 22.3% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Belgrade

$57 3.7%

Johannesburg

$52 3.7% 7.6% $4.3

Getting Around

Belgrade

$8 * 0.5%

Johannesburg

$103 7.3% 1184% $95

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 $526 in Johannesburg. 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 37% higher in Johannesburg, 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 $45 in Johannesburg. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $241 vs $220 – making Johannesburg the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🕒 Local time

15:18 3:18 PM

16:18 4:18 PM

1 h ahead of Belgrade

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,197,714 Capital

4,434,827

💱 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 →

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Between locations

Belgrade Johannesburg 7,930 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Belgrade
Johannesburg

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 Johannesburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,541 in Belgrade, $1,406 in Johannesburg – Johannesburg comes out roughly 9% 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 $2,110 in Johannesburg. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Johannesburg, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $526 there versus $829 in Belgrade.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $58 in Belgrade and $45 in Johannesburg. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 9% more in Belgrade, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,541 in Belgrade and $1,406 in Johannesburg. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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