Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and Lusaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Lusaka: $860 a month against $1,541 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Lusaka
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Lusaka Living Index

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Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,541

/mo nomad

Lusaka

🇿🇲 Zambia

$860

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgrade and in Lusaka

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

A single person spends $1,541 per month in Belgrade vs $860 in Lusaka, rent included.

Belgrade $1,541
Lusaka $860

A couple spends around $2,351 per month in Belgrade vs $1,472 in Lusaka, rent included.

Belgrade $2,351
Lusaka $1,472

A family of three spends $3,161 per month in Belgrade vs $2,084 in Lusaka, rent included.

Belgrade $3,161
Lusaka $2,084

Belgrade costs about 79% more than Lusaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Belgrade sits 14% above the global median, while Lusaka is 36% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.43 RSD 1,398

$5.47 ZMW 111

145.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.0 RSD 6,036

$30.14 ZMW 609

92.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.30 RSD 1,384

$4.83 ZMW 97.7

175.36%

Cappuccino

$3.05 RSD 317

$2.91 ZMW 58.9

4.81%

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

$2.82 RSD 293

$0.72 ZMW 14.45

291.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 RSD 238

$0.45 ZMW 9.04

406.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.66 RSD 381

$1.22 ZMW 24.63

200.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 RSD 435

$2.18 ZMW 44.12

91.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 RSD 147

$1.72 ZMW 34.69

-18.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 RSD 121

$1.19 ZMW 24.12

-2.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 RSD 263

$2.00 ZMW 40.34

26.50%

Eggs

$2.80 RSD 292

$1.94 ZMW 39.27

44.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.93 RSD 1,137

$10.21 ZMW 206

7.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.80 RSD 708

$6.08 ZMW 123

11.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.40 RSD 1,603

$6.24 ZMW 126

146.79%

Apples (1kg)

$1.63 RSD 170

$3.23 ZMW 65.4

-49.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 RSD 182

$2.45 ZMW 49.44

-28.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 RSD 186

$3.30 ZMW 66.7

-46.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.04 RSD 316

$1.49 ZMW 30.07

104.03%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 RSD 101

$2.57 ZMW 51.9

-62.26%

Onion (1kg)

$0.65 RSD 67.7

$1.84 ZMW 37.23

-64.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 RSD 77.2

$1.10 ZMW 22.26

-32.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 RSD 75.3

$0.77 ZMW 15.53

-6.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.53 RSD 471

$2.93 ZMW 59.2

54.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.25 RSD 858

$9.85 ZMW 199

-16.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 RSD 89.8

$1.37 ZMW 27.70

-37.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 RSD 148

$2.21 ZMW 44.65

-35.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.96 ZMW 19.47

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.4 ZMW 1,220

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.10 RSD 323

$2.43 ZMW 49.14

27.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 RSD 102

$1.51 ZMW 30.61

-35.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.10 RSD 1,780

$4.90 ZMW 99.1

248.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 RSD 195

$1.47 ZMW 29.66

27.21%

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

$30.9K RSD 3.2M

$7,434 ZMW 150.2K

315.49%

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

$24.1K RSD 2.5M

$25.3K ZMW 511.4K

-4.89%

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

$215 RSD 22.4K

$70.3 ZMW 1,422

205.30%

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

$25.55 RSD 2,659

$10.39 ZMW 210

145.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.40 RSD 3,685

$54.2 ZMW 1,095

-34.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.62 RSD 4,228

$52.9 ZMW 1,069

-23.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 RSD 2,367

$14.77 ZMW 299

53.96%

Cinema Ticket

$7.99 RSD 832

$5.85 ZMW 118

36.58%

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

$453 RSD 47.2K

$148 ZMW 3,000

205.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K RSD 1.3M

$20.4K ZMW 412.1K

-39.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$112 RSD 11.6K

$24.88 ZMW 503

348.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.56 RSD 4,951

$17.32 ZMW 350

174.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 RSD 11.8K

$44.96 ZMW 909

152.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 RSD 15.3K

$66.4 ZMW 1,341

121.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$829 RSD 86.3K

$388 ZMW 7,846

113.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$540 RSD 56.2K

$177 ZMW 3,570

205.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,508 RSD 157.0K

$1,074 ZMW 21.7K

40.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$975 RSD 101.5K

$587 ZMW 11.9K

66.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,059 RSD 526.6K

$1,929 ZMW 39.0K

162.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,171 RSD 330.1K

$8,657 ZMW 175.0K

-63.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,276 RSD 132.8K

$364 ZMW 7,348

250.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

-84.48%

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

Last update for Belgrade: November 1, 2026

Last update for Lusaka: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belgrade

$540 35.1%

Lusaka

$177 20.5% 67.3% $364

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belgrade

$276 17.9%

Lusaka

$135 15.7% 51.1% $141

Groceries & Markets

Belgrade

$241 15.6%

Lusaka

$232 27% 3.5% $8.5

Eating Out

Belgrade

$231 15%

Lusaka

$108 12.6% 53.1% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Belgrade

$189 12.3%

Lusaka

$69 8% 63.4% $120

Sport & Entertainment

Belgrade

$57 3.7%

Lusaka

$65 7.5% 14.2% $8

Getting Around

Belgrade

$8 * 0.5%

Lusaka

$74 8.6% 829% $66

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 $388 in Lusaka. 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 3.5 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 Lusaka. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $241 vs $232 – making Lusaka the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🇿🇲 Lusaka

🕒 Local time

06:26 6:26 AM

07:26 7:26 AM

1 h ahead of Belgrade

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,197,714 Capital

1,742,979 Capital

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.61 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.56 EUR

100 ZMW = 4.95 USD

100 ZMW = 4.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZMW, USD, EUR to RSD – Serbian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇸 Serbian Dinar (din)

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.61 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.56 EUR).

Zambian Kwacha exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 20.21 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.95 USD). 1 EUR = 22.69 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.41 EUR).

USD to RSD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Belgrade Lusaka 6,740 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Belgrade
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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 Lusaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,541 in Belgrade, $860 in Lusaka – Lusaka comes out roughly 44% 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 $1,290 in Lusaka. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lusaka, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $388 there versus $829 in Belgrade.

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

Groceries cost about 4% more in Belgrade, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Lusaka, where all-in costs run around $860, than in Belgrade at $1,541. In Lusaka it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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