Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and Kyiv

For one person, living is cheaper in Kyiv: $1,005 a month against $1,538 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Belgrade
🇷🇸 Serbia
$1,538
/mo nomad
Kyiv
🇺🇦 Ukraine
$1,005
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgrade and in Kyiv

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

A single person spends $1,538 per month in Belgrade vs $1,005 in Kyiv, rent included.

  • Belgrade $1,538
  • Kyiv $1,005

A couple spends around $2,321 per month in Belgrade vs $1,556 in Kyiv, rent included.

  • Belgrade $2,321
  • Kyiv $1,556

A family of three spends $3,105 per month in Belgrade vs $2,107 in Kyiv, rent included.

  • Belgrade $3,105
  • Kyiv $2,107

Belgrade costs about 53% more than Kyiv, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Belgrade sits 15% above the global median, while Kyiv is 25% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Belgrade
Kyiv
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.33 RSD 1,392
$11.04 ₴495
20.74%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$58.4 RSD 6,099
$33.92 ₴1,522
72.23%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.58 RSD 1,417
$7.59 ₴340
78.92%
Cappuccino
$3.13 RSD 327
$1.72 ₴77.2
81.98%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.77 RSD 289
$0.84 ₴37.58
229.76%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.27 RSD 237
$0.60 ₴26.73
278.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.75 RSD 391
$1.32 ₴59.0
184.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.38 RSD 457
$1.97 ₴88.4
122.34%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Belgrade
Kyiv
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.40 RSD 146
$1.36 ₴60.9
2.94%
White Bread (500g)
$1.17 RSD 122
$0.90 ₴40.34
30.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.71 RSD 283
$1.46 ₴65.4
85.62%
Eggs
$2.78 RSD 290
$1.97 ₴88.2
41.12%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.36 RSD 1,186
$10.39 ₴466
9.34%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.01 RSD 732
$5.41 ₴243
29.57%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.72 RSD 1,641
$8.90 ₴399
76.63%
Apples (1kg)
$1.66 RSD 173
$1.19 ₴53.3
39.50%
Banana (1kg)
$1.81 RSD 189
$1.55 ₴69.4
16.77%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.83 RSD 191
$1.86 ₴83.6
-1.61%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.13 RSD 327
$2.74 ₴123
14.23%
Potato (1kg)
$0.88 RSD 91.5
$0.60 ₴27.07
46.67%
Onion (1kg)
$0.67 RSD 70.5
$0.49 ₴22.07
36.73%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.81 RSD 84.6
$1.38 ₴62.1
-41.30%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.68 RSD 71.1
$0.60 ₴27.05
13.33%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.78 RSD 500
$3.41 ₴153
40.18%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.54 RSD 891
$5.51 ₴247
54.99%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.94 RSD 97.9
$0.95 ₴42.62
-1.05%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 RSD 151
$1.36 ₴61.1
5.88%
🚌 Getting Around
Belgrade
Kyiv
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.57 ₴25.50
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$11.05 ₴496
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.09 RSD 323
$2.25 ₴101
37.33%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 RSD 107
$0.43 ₴19.26
137.21%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$17.18 RSD 1,793
$4.38 ₴196
292.24%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.87 RSD 196
$1.72 ₴77.3
8.72%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K RSD 3.2M
$28.8K ₴1.3M
6.64%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.3K RSD 2.5M
$25.8K ₴1.2M
-5.97%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Belgrade
Kyiv
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$218 RSD 22.7K
$99.5 ₴4,464
118.76%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.24 RSD 2,635
$7.19 ₴323
251.04%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$35.35 RSD 3,691
$6.47 ₴290
446.37%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Belgrade
Kyiv
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.77 RSD 4,361
$36.23 ₴1,625
15.29%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.80 RSD 2,380
$18.79 ₴843
21.34%
Cinema Ticket
$8.47 RSD 884
$5.65 ₴253
49.91%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Belgrade
Kyiv
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$426 RSD 44.5K
$411 ₴18.4K
3.83%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.4K RSD 1.2M
$14.9K ₴667.4K
-23.37%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Belgrade
Kyiv
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$111 RSD 11.6K
$74.0 ₴3,321
50.17%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.99 RSD 4,802
$39.09 ₴1,754
17.65%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$119 RSD 12.4K
$97.1 ₴4,354
22.78%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$154 RSD 16.1K
$120 ₴5,369
28.60%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Belgrade
Kyiv
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$821 RSD 85.8K
$626 ₴28.1K
31.17%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$561 RSD 58.5K
$342 ₴15.4K
63.83%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,511 RSD 157.8K
$1,253 ₴56.2K
20.67%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$942 RSD 98.3K
$616 ₴27.6K
52.94%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,312 RSD 554.6K
$2,637 ₴118.3K
101.49%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,165 RSD 330.4K
$1,132 ₴50.8K
179.62%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Belgrade
Kyiv
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,228 RSD 128.2K
$831 ₴37.3K
47.73%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.61
17.88
-74.22%

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

Last update for Belgrade: October 3, 2026

Last update for Kyiv: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Belgrade
$561
Kyiv
$342 39% $218
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Belgrade
$278
Kyiv
$113 59.3% $165
Groceries & Markets
Belgrade
$246
Kyiv
$192 22.1% $54
Eating Out
Belgrade
$233
Kyiv
$148 36.4% $85
Clothing & Footwear
Belgrade
$194
Kyiv
$148 23.3% $45
Sport & Entertainment
Belgrade
$59
Kyiv
$48 19.1% $11
Getting Around
Belgrade
$8.2 *
Kyiv
$18 116% $9.5

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $821 in Belgrade versus $626 in Kyiv. 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 48% 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 Kyiv. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $246 vs $192 – making Kyiv the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇷🇸 Belgrade
🇺🇦 Kyiv
🕒 Local time
04:48 4:48 AM
05:48 5:48 AM
1 h ahead of Belgrade
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,197,714 Capital
2,908,249 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

UAH, USD, EUR to RSD – Serbian Dinar Converter

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.58 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.54 EUR).

Ukrainian Hryvnia exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 44.86 UAH (100 UAH = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 50.32 UAH (100 UAH = 1.99 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Belgrade Kyiv 980 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Belgrade
  • Kyiv

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 Kyiv: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Belgrade and in Kyiv compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,538 in Belgrade, $1,005 in Kyiv – roughly 53% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Belgrade compared to Kyiv?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,307 per month in Belgrade and $1,508 in Kyiv. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Belgrade and Kyiv?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Kyiv, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $58.0 in Belgrade and $34.00 in Kyiv. 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 28% more in Belgrade, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Kyiv, where all-in costs run around $1,005, than in Belgrade at $1,538. In Kyiv it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Belgrade and Kyiv?
It depends on your priorities. Kyiv has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,005 in Kyiv to $1,538 in Belgrade. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Belgrade or Kyiv safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Belgrade and Kyiv?
If budget matters most, go with Kyiv. 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.

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