Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and Kocaeli

For one person, living is cheaper in Kocaeli: $1,250 a month against $1,554 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 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
60

Cost of Living Index in Kocaeli
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Kocaeli Living Index

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Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,554

/mo nomad

Kocaeli

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,250

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgrade and in Kocaeli

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

A single person spends $1,554 per month in Belgrade vs $1,250 in Kocaeli, rent included.

Belgrade $1,554
Kocaeli $1,250

A couple spends around $2,337 per month in Belgrade vs $1,771 in Kocaeli, rent included.

Belgrade $2,337
Kocaeli $1,771

A family of three spends $3,121 per month in Belgrade vs $2,291 in Kocaeli, rent included.

Belgrade $3,121
Kocaeli $2,291

Belgrade costs about 24% more than Kocaeli, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Belgrade sits 15% above the global median, while Kocaeli is 7% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.15 RSD 1,371

$8.14 ₺403

61.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.5 RSD 5,999

$30.28 ₺1,499

90.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.38 RSD 1,394

$8.02 ₺397

66.83%

Cappuccino

$3.10 RSD 323

$3.46 ₺172

-10.40%

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

$2.82 RSD 294

$1.13 ₺56.0

149.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 RSD 231

$0.31 ₺15.55

616.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.47 RSD 362

$2.54 ₺126

36.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 RSD 412

$2.83 ₺140

39.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 RSD 144

$0.92 ₺45.54

50.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 RSD 118

$0.83 ₺41.33

36.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 RSD 277

$2.63 ₺130

1.14%

Eggs

$2.78 RSD 290

$2.61 ₺129

6.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.99 RSD 1,146

$9.94 ₺492

10.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.56 RSD 684

$3.98 ₺197

64.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.07 RSD 1,571

$20.73 ₺1,026

-27.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 RSD 173

$1.73 ₺85.9

-4.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 RSD 186

$2.07 ₺102

-13.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 RSD 195

$1.03 ₺51.2

81.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.03 RSD 315

$1.16 ₺57.4

161.21%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 RSD 96.3

$0.53 ₺26.39

73.58%

Onion (1kg)

$0.71 RSD 73.8

$0.40 ₺20.04

77.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 RSD 77.6

$0.74 ₺36.52

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 RSD 77.2

$0.62 ₺30.73

19.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.61 RSD 481

$2.29 ₺114

101.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.81 RSD 918

$8.01 ₺397

9.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 RSD 92.7

$2.28 ₺113

-60.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 RSD 151

$2.27 ₺112

-36.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 ₺36.67

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.6 ₺3,692

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 RSD 315

$1.00 ₺49.51

202.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 RSD 103

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.08 RSD 1,780

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 RSD 199

$1.28 ₺63.2

49.22%

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

$31.0K RSD 3.2M

$41.7K ₺2.1M

-25.61%

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

$24.7K RSD 2.6M

$39.7K ₺2.0M

-37.81%

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

$220 RSD 23.0K

$78.3 ₺3,877

181.44%

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

$24.41 RSD 2,544

$11.85 ₺587

105.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.64 RSD 3,715

$13.10 ₺649

172.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.20 RSD 4,295

$54.3 ₺2,687

-24.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.60 RSD 2,356

$4.01 ₺199

463.59%

Cinema Ticket

$8.59 RSD 896

$5.04 ₺250

70.44%

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

$424 RSD 44.2K

$447 ₺22.1K

-5.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K RSD 1.1M

$5,990 ₺296.6K

83.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 RSD 11.5K

$47.75 ₺2,364

131.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.28 RSD 4,929

$54.3 ₺2,687

-12.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 RSD 11.8K

$121 ₺6,014

-6.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$157 RSD 16.3K

$100 ₺4,962

56.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 RSD 83.9K

$786 ₺38.9K

2.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$546 RSD 56.9K

$477 ₺23.6K

14.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,452 RSD 151.4K

$1,234 ₺61.1K

17.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$931 RSD 97.0K

$573 ₺28.4K

62.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,368 RSD 559.6K

$1,005 ₺49.8K

434.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,155 RSD 328.9K

$825 ₺40.9K

282.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,237 RSD 128.9K

$1,222 ₺60.5K

1.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.61

-88.76%

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

Last update for Belgrade: October 12, 2026

Last update for Kocaeli: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belgrade

$546 35.2%

Kocaeli

$477 38.2% 12.6% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belgrade

$280 18.1%

Kocaeli

$103 8.3% 63.2% $177

Groceries & Markets

Belgrade

$241 15.5%

Kocaeli

$226 18.1% 6% $14

Eating Out

Belgrade

$228 14.7%

Kocaeli

$155 12.4% 32% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Belgrade

$192 12.4%

Kocaeli

$146 11.7% 24.3% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Belgrade

$58 3.8%

Kocaeli

$64 5.2% 10.2% $6

Getting Around

Belgrade

$7.9 * 0.5%

Kocaeli

$79 * 6.3% 889% $71

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Belgrade versus $786 in Kocaeli. 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 1% 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 $30.00 in Kocaeli. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $241 vs $226 – making Kocaeli the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🇹🇷 Kocaeli

🕒 Local time

06:10 6:10 AM

07:10 7:10 AM

1 h ahead of Belgrade

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,197,714 Capital

2,079,072

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to RSD – Serbian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇸 Serbian Dinar (din)

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to RSD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Belgrade Kocaeli 890 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Belgrade
Kocaeli

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 Kocaeli: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,554 in Belgrade, $1,250 in Kocaeli – roughly 24% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,331 per month in Belgrade and $1,875 in Kocaeli. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kocaeli, 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 $30.00 in Kocaeli. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 6% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kocaeli, where all-in costs run around $1,250, than in Belgrade at $1,554. In Kocaeli it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kocaeli – 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 Kocaeli. 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.