Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and Karlovo

For one person, living is cheaper in Karlovo: $785 a month against $1,574 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Karlovo
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Karlovo Living Index

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Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,574

/mo nomad

Karlovo

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$785

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgrade and in Karlovo

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

A single person spends $1,574 per month in Belgrade vs $785 in Karlovo, rent included.

Belgrade $1,574
Karlovo $785

A couple spends around $2,376 per month in Belgrade vs $1,263 in Karlovo, rent included.

Belgrade $2,376
Karlovo $1,263

A family of three spends $3,178 per month in Belgrade vs $1,742 in Karlovo, rent included.

Belgrade $3,178
Karlovo $1,742

Belgrade costs about 101% more than Karlovo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Belgrade sits 16% above the global median, while Karlovo is 42% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.44 RSD 1,401

$7.09 BGN 12.34

89.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.8 RSD 6,029

$33.57 BGN 58.4

72.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.23 RSD 1,380

$8.66 BGN 15.07

52.77%

Cappuccino

$3.10 RSD 323

$1.45 BGN 2.53

113.79%

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

$2.73 RSD 285

$1.03 BGN 1.79

165.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 RSD 241

$0.74 BGN 1.28

212.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.54 RSD 369

$1.96 BGN 3.41

80.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 RSD 430

$1.75 BGN 3.04

136.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 RSD 151

$1.17 BGN 2.04

23.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 RSD 123

$0.84 BGN 1.47

40.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.61 RSD 272

$1.87 BGN 3.25

39.57%

Eggs

$2.78 RSD 289

$3.27 BGN 5.69

-14.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.23 RSD 1,171

$9.92 BGN 17.26

13.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.72 RSD 701

$8.31 BGN 14.45

-19.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 RSD 1,586

$5.86 BGN 10.20

159.73%

Apples (1kg)

$1.59 RSD 166

$1.26 BGN 2.19

26.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 RSD 191

$1.96 BGN 3.41

-6.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 RSD 191

$2.13 BGN 3.70

-14.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.10 RSD 324

$2.11 BGN 3.68

46.92%

Potato (1kg)

$0.95 RSD 98.8

$0.48 BGN 0.84

97.92%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 RSD 75.1

$0.90 BGN 1.56

-20.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 RSD 77.8

$0.99 BGN 1.71

-24.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 RSD 72.4

$0.77 BGN 1.34

-10.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.76 RSD 496

$3.24 BGN 5.64

46.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.43 RSD 878

$6.69 BGN 11.64

26.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RSD 97.8

$0.99 BGN 1.72

-5.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 RSD 159

$1.89 BGN 3.29

-19.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.11 BGN 1.93

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.67 BGN 41.18

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 RSD 312

$1.17 BGN 2.03

155.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 RSD 106

$0.71 BGN 1.23

43.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.54 RSD 1,828

$11.78 BGN 20.50

48.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 RSD 193

$1.40 BGN 2.43

32.14%

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

$30.5K RSD 3.2M

$30.0K BGN 52.2K

1.56%

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

$23.7K RSD 2.5M

$22.3K BGN 38.8K

6.24%

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

$219 RSD 22.9K

$104 BGN 180

111.55%

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

$24.82 RSD 2,588

$14.45 BGN 25.13

71.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.79 RSD 3,731

$11.91 BGN 20.72

200.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.37 RSD 4,313

$29.57 BGN 51.5

39.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.96 RSD 2,394

$17.35 BGN 30.18

32.33%

Cinema Ticket

$8.32 RSD 867

$5.57 BGN 9.69

49.37%

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

$423 RSD 44.1K

$226 BGN 393

87.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K RSD 1.2M

$5,755 BGN 10.0K

98.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 RSD 11.6K

$28.50 BGN 49.60

290.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.48 RSD 4,950

$11.54 BGN 20.08

311.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 RSD 12.1K

$56.9 BGN 99.0

103.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$158 RSD 16.4K

$45.99 BGN 80.0

243.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$823 RSD 85.8K

$335 BGN 583

145.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$560 RSD 58.3K

$191 BGN 332

192.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,485 RSD 154.8K

$534 BGN 929

177.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$969 RSD 101.1K

$403 BGN 701

140.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,489 RSD 572.2K

$1,320 BGN 2,297

315.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,193 RSD 332.8K

$1,083 BGN 1,885

194.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,214 RSD 126.5K

$448 BGN 779

171.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.61

3.25

41.85%

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

Last update for Belgrade: October 19, 2026

Last update for Karlovo: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belgrade

$560 35.6%

Karlovo

$191 24.3% 65.9% $369

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belgrade

$280 17.8%

Karlovo

$130 16.6% 53.6% $150

Groceries & Markets

Belgrade

$243 15.4%

Karlovo

$205 26.2% 15.5% $38

Eating Out

Belgrade

$231 14.7%

Karlovo

$121 15.4% 47.7% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Belgrade

$195 12.4%

Karlovo

$64 8.2% 66.9% $130

Sport & Entertainment

Belgrade

$58 3.7%

Karlovo

$41 5.2% 29.8% $17

Getting Around

Belgrade

$8.1 * 0.5%

Karlovo

$33 4.2% 306% $25

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $823 in Belgrade versus $335 in Karlovo. 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 171% 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 $34.00 in Karlovo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $243 vs $205 – making Karlovo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🇧🇬 Karlovo

🕒 Local time

19:59 7:59 PM

20:59 8:59 PM

1 h ahead of Belgrade

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,197,714 Capital

23,919

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to RSD – Serbian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇸 Serbian Dinar (din)

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

USD to RSD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Belgrade Karlovo 430 km

From you

Belgrade
Karlovo

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 Karlovo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,574 in Belgrade, $785 in Karlovo – roughly 101% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,360 per month in Belgrade and $1,177 in Karlovo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Karlovo, 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 $34.00 in Karlovo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 18% 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 Karlovo, where all-in costs run around $785, than in Belgrade at $1,574. In Karlovo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Karlovo – 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 Karlovo. 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.