Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and Kigali

For one person, living is cheaper in Kigali: $877 a month against $1,541 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Belgrade
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Belgrade Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Kigali
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Kigali Living Index

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Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,541

/mo nomad

Kigali

🇷🇼 Rwanda

$877

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgrade and in Kigali

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

A single person spends $1,541 per month in Belgrade vs $877 in Kigali, rent included.

Belgrade $1,541
Kigali $877

A couple spends around $2,351 per month in Belgrade vs $1,377 in Kigali, rent included.

Belgrade $2,351
Kigali $1,377

A family of three spends $3,161 per month in Belgrade vs $1,877 in Kigali, rent included.

Belgrade $3,161
Kigali $1,877

Belgrade costs about 76% more than Kigali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Belgrade sits 14% above the global median, while Kigali is 35% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.43 RSD 1,402

$2.95 RWF 4,341

355.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.0 RSD 6,053

$30.00 RWF 44.1K

93.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.30 RSD 1,388

$6.72 RWF 9,894

97.92%

Cappuccino

$3.05 RSD 318

$2.33 RWF 3,430

30.90%

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

$2.82 RSD 294

$0.75 RWF 1,107

276.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 RSD 238

$0.54 RWF 801

322.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.66 RSD 382

$0.99 RWF 1,456

269.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 RSD 436

$2.31 RWF 3,406

80.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 RSD 148

$0.87 RWF 1,280

62.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 RSD 121

$1.08 RWF 1,590

7.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 RSD 264

$1.34 RWF 1,970

88.81%

Eggs

$2.80 RSD 292

$1.65 RWF 2,423

69.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.93 RSD 1,141

$4.03 RWF 5,937

171.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.80 RSD 710

$4.46 RWF 6,556

52.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.40 RSD 1,608

$4.77 RWF 7,015

222.85%

Apples (1kg)

$1.63 RSD 170

$2.38 RWF 3,495

-31.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 RSD 183

$0.80 RWF 1,181

118.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 RSD 186

$1.50 RWF 2,208

18.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.04 RSD 317

$1.06 RWF 1,563

186.79%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 RSD 102

$0.47 RWF 697

106.38%

Onion (1kg)

$0.65 RSD 67.9

$0.70 RWF 1,037

-7.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 RSD 77.4

$0.65 RWF 949

13.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 RSD 75.5

$0.79 RWF 1,158

-8.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.53 RSD 473

$2.01 RWF 2,955

125.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.25 RSD 861

$10.03 RWF 14.8K

-17.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 RSD 90.0

$1.03 RWF 1,520

-16.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 RSD 149

$1.52 RWF 2,242

-5.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 RWF 477

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.09 RWF 36.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.10 RSD 324

$2.70 RWF 3,973

14.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 RSD 102

$2.00 RWF 2,947

-51.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.10 RSD 1,785

$3.69 RWF 5,431

363.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 RSD 196

$1.94 RWF 2,857

-3.61%

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

$30.9K RSD 3.2M

$26.2K RWF 38.5M

17.94%

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

$24.1K RSD 2.5M

$30.2K RWF 44.4M

-20.24%

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

$215 RSD 22.4K

$83.5 RWF 122.8K

157.25%

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

$25.55 RSD 2,667

$6.83 RWF 10.1K

274.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.40 RSD 3,695

$20.88 RWF 30.7K

69.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.62 RSD 4,240

$29.41 RWF 43.3K

38.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 RSD 2,374

$4.28 RWF 6,301

431.31%

Cinema Ticket

$7.99 RSD 834

$3.44 RWF 5,057

132.27%

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

$453 RSD 47.3K

$114 RWF 167.7K

297.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K RSD 1.3M

$16.4K RWF 24.1M

-24.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$112 RSD 11.7K

$17.62 RWF 25.9K

533.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.56 RSD 4,965

$15.77 RWF 23.2K

201.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 RSD 11.9K

$22.14 RWF 32.6K

413.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 RSD 15.3K

$33.90 RWF 49.9K

333.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$829 RSD 86.6K

$674 RWF 991.7K

23.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$540 RSD 56.4K

$413 RWF 607.4K

30.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,508 RSD 157.4K

$1,378 RWF 2.0M

9.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$975 RSD 101.7K

$858 RWF 1.3M

13.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,059 RSD 528.1K

$3,344 RWF 4.9M

51.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,171 RSD 331.0K

$3,067 RWF 4.5M

3.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,276 RSD 133.2K

$277 RWF 408.1K

360.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

16.2

-72.22%

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

Last update for Belgrade: November 1, 2026

Last update for Kigali: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belgrade

$540 35.1%

Kigali

$413 47% 23.6% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belgrade

$276 17.9%

Kigali

$111 12.7% 59.7% $165

Groceries & Markets

Belgrade

$241 15.6%

Kigali

$151 17.2% 37.1% $89

Eating Out

Belgrade

$231 15%

Kigali

$87 9.9% 62.6% $144

Clothing & Footwear

Belgrade

$189 12.3%

Kigali

$40 4.6% 78.7% $149

Sport & Entertainment

Belgrade

$57 3.7%

Kigali

$36 4.1% 35.9% $20

Getting Around

Belgrade

$8 * 0.5%

Kigali

$39 4.5% 389% $31

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 $674 in Kigali. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Belgrade are about 4.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $58 in Belgrade versus $30 in Kigali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $241 vs $151 – making Kigali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🇷🇼 Kigali

🕒 Local time

23:02 11:02 PM

00:02 12:02 AM

1 h ahead of Belgrade

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,197,714 Capital

1,132,686 Capital

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

Rwandan Franc RWF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.58 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR

10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD

10,000 RWF = 6.05 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RWF, USD, EUR to RSD – Serbian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇸 Serbian Dinar (din)

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.58 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR).

Rwandan Franc exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1,472 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD). 1 EUR = 1,652 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.05 EUR).

USD to RSD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Belgrade Kigali 5,290 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Belgrade
Kigali

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 Kigali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,541 in Belgrade, $877 in Kigali – Kigali comes out roughly 43% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,312 per month in Belgrade and $1,316 in Kigali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kigali, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $674 there versus $829 in Belgrade.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $58 in Belgrade and $30 in Kigali. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 59% more in Belgrade, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,541 in Belgrade and $877 in Kigali. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Kigali. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Belgrade makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.