Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and Mbarara

For one person, living is cheaper in Mbarara: $504 a month against $1,554 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Mbarara
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Mbarara Living Index

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Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,554

/mo nomad

Mbarara

🇺🇬 Uganda

$504

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgrade and in Mbarara

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

A single person spends $1,554 per month in Belgrade vs $504 in Mbarara, rent included.

Belgrade $1,554
Mbarara $504

A couple spends around $2,337 per month in Belgrade vs $798 in Mbarara, rent included.

Belgrade $2,337
Mbarara $798

A family of three spends $3,121 per month in Belgrade vs $1,093 in Mbarara, rent included.

Belgrade $3,121
Mbarara $1,093

Belgrade costs about 208% more than Mbarara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Belgrade sits 15% above the global median, while Mbarara is 63% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.15 RSD 1,371

$2.48 UGX 10.2K

430.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.5 RSD 5,999

$25.03 UGX 102.9K

129.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.38 RSD 1,394

$7.64 UGX 31.4K

75.13%

Cappuccino

$3.10 RSD 323

$2.49 UGX 10.2K

24.50%

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

$2.82 RSD 294

$0.35 UGX 1,455

705.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 RSD 231

$0.28 UGX 1,165

692.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.47 RSD 362

$1.22 UGX 4,998

184.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 RSD 412

$1.89 UGX 7,765

109.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 RSD 144

$0.49 UGX 2,012

181.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 RSD 118

$0.88 UGX 3,621

28.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 RSD 277

$1.27 UGX 5,239

109.45%

Eggs

$2.78 RSD 290

$1.56 UGX 6,409

78.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.99 RSD 1,146

$4.49 UGX 18.5K

144.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.56 RSD 684

$4.69 UGX 19.3K

39.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.07 RSD 1,571

$3.42 UGX 14.1K

340.64%

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 RSD 173

$2.11 UGX 8,662

-21.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 RSD 186

$1.28 UGX 5,284

39.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 RSD 195

$1.29 UGX 5,316

44.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.03 RSD 315

$1.17 UGX 4,820

158.97%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 RSD 96.3

$1.27 UGX 5,236

-27.56%

Onion (1kg)

$0.71 RSD 73.8

$1.22 UGX 5,007

-41.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 RSD 77.6

$0.75 UGX 3,065

-1.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 RSD 77.2

$0.52 UGX 2,149

42.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.61 RSD 481

$2.44 UGX 10.0K

88.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.81 RSD 918

$7.27 UGX 29.9K

21.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 RSD 92.7

$1.06 UGX 4,363

-16.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 RSD 151

$1.96 UGX 8,042

-26.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 UGX 3,030

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 RSD 315

$0.48 UGX 1,975

529.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 RSD 103

$0.32 UGX 1,334

206.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.08 RSD 1,780

$3.16 UGX 13.0K

440.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 RSD 199

$1.45 UGX 5,972

31.72%

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

$31.0K RSD 3.2M

$7,458 UGX 30.7M

315.62%

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

$24.7K RSD 2.6M

$7,349 UGX 30.2M

235.62%

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

$220 RSD 23.0K

$70.7 UGX 290.7K

211.90%

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

$24.41 RSD 2,544

$11.88 UGX 48.9K

105.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.64 RSD 3,715

$35.51 UGX 146.1K

0.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.20 RSD 4,295

$18.93 UGX 77.9K

117.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.60 RSD 2,356

Cinema Ticket

$8.59 RSD 896

$7.55 UGX 31.0K

13.77%

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

$424 RSD 44.2K

$255 UGX 1.0M

66.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K RSD 1.1M

$8,455 UGX 34.8M

29.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 RSD 11.5K

$14.07 UGX 57.9K

686.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.28 RSD 4,929

$13.15 UGX 54.1K

259.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 RSD 11.8K

$32.11 UGX 132.1K

252.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$157 RSD 16.3K

$44.20 UGX 181.8K

254.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 RSD 83.9K

$85.9 UGX 353.5K

836.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$546 RSD 56.9K

$74.2 UGX 305.2K

635.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,452 RSD 151.4K

$239 UGX 981.4K

508.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$931 RSD 97.0K

$172 UGX 708.1K

440.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,368 RSD 559.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,155 RSD 328.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,237 RSD 128.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.61

20.75

-77.78%

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

Last update for Belgrade: October 12, 2026

Last update for Mbarara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belgrade

$546 35.2%

Mbarara

$74 14.7% 86.4% $472

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belgrade

$280 18.1%

Mbarara

$118 23.4% 57.9% $162

Groceries & Markets

Belgrade

$241 15.5%

Mbarara

$141 28% 41.5% $100

Eating Out

Belgrade

$228 14.7%

Mbarara

$85 16.9% 62.7% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Belgrade

$192 12.4%

Mbarara

$47 9.3% 75.8% $146

Sport & Entertainment

Belgrade

$58 3.8%

Mbarara

$34 6.8% 41.7% $24

Getting Around

Belgrade

$7.9 * 0.5%

Mbarara

$5.1 * 1% 36.4% $2.9

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 $85.9 in Mbarara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $58.0 in Belgrade versus $25.00 in Mbarara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $241 vs $141 – making Mbarara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🇺🇬 Mbarara

🕒 Local time

02:47 2:47 AM

03:47 3:47 AM

1 h ahead of Belgrade

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,197,714 Capital

195,013

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

Ugandan Shilling UGX Sh

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR

10,000 UGX = 2.43 USD

10,000 UGX = 2.16 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UGX, 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).

Ugandan Shilling exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4,113 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.43 USD). 1 EUR = 4,624 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.16 EUR).

USD to RSD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Belgrade Mbarara 5,150 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Belgrade
Mbarara

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 Mbarara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,554 in Belgrade, $504 in Mbarara – roughly 208% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,331 per month in Belgrade and $755 in Mbarara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mbarara, 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 $25.00 in Mbarara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 71% 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 Mbarara, where all-in costs run around $504, than in Belgrade at $1,554. In Mbarara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mbarara – 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 Mbarara. 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.