Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and Mecca

For one person, living is cheaper in Mecca: $936 a month against $1,554 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Mecca
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Mecca Living Index

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Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,554

/mo nomad

Mecca

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgrade and in Mecca

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

A single person spends $1,554 per month in Belgrade vs $936 in Mecca, rent included.

Belgrade $1,554
Mecca $936

A couple spends around $2,337 per month in Belgrade vs $1,453 in Mecca, rent included.

Belgrade $2,337
Mecca $1,453

A family of three spends $3,121 per month in Belgrade vs $1,970 in Mecca, rent included.

Belgrade $3,121
Mecca $1,970

Belgrade costs about 66% more than Mecca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Belgrade sits 15% above the global median, while Mecca is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.15 RSD 1,371

$4.57 SAR 17.14

187.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.5 RSD 5,999

$26.89 SAR 101

113.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.38 RSD 1,394

$7.07 SAR 26.52

89.25%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.55 SAR 5.81

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 SAR 5.61

Cappuccino

$3.10 RSD 323

$2.61 SAR 9.79

18.77%

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

$2.82 RSD 294

$0.67 SAR 2.51

320.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 RSD 231

$0.23 SAR 0.86

865.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.47 RSD 362

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 RSD 412

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 RSD 144

$1.75 SAR 6.57

-21.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 RSD 118

$1.03 SAR 3.85

9.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 RSD 277

$2.11 SAR 7.91

26.07%

Eggs

$2.78 RSD 290

$2.52 SAR 9.46

10.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.99 RSD 1,146

$5.92 SAR 22.20

85.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.56 RSD 684

$8.08 SAR 30.33

-18.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.07 RSD 1,571

$12.95 SAR 48.59

16.37%

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 RSD 173

$2.09 SAR 7.84

-20.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 RSD 186

$1.58 SAR 5.94

13.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 RSD 195

$1.61 SAR 6.05

16.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.03 RSD 315

$1.47 SAR 5.52

106.12%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 RSD 96.3

$1.12 SAR 4.21

-17.86%

Onion (1kg)

$0.71 RSD 73.8

$1.30 SAR 4.87

-45.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 RSD 77.6

$1.05 SAR 3.94

-29.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 RSD 77.2

$0.50 SAR 1.86

48.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.06 SAR 15.24

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 SAR 6.95

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 SAR 5.97

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.61 RSD 481

$6.81 SAR 25.56

-32.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.81 RSD 918

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 RSD 92.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 RSD 151

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.34 SAR 5.03

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 RSD 315

$2.43 SAR 9.11

24.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 RSD 103

$1.75 SAR 6.57

-44.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.08 RSD 1,780

$13.15 SAR 49.33

29.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 RSD 199

$0.63 SAR 2.38

203.17%

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

$31.0K RSD 3.2M

$47.5K SAR 178.2K

-34.72%

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

$24.7K RSD 2.6M

$21.1K SAR 79.3K

16.74%

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

$220 RSD 23.0K

$66.9 SAR 251

229.67%

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

$24.41 RSD 2,544

$35.35 SAR 133

-30.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.64 RSD 3,715

$63.2 SAR 237

-43.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.20 RSD 4,295

$80.7 SAR 303

-48.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.60 RSD 2,356

$42.52 SAR 160

-46.85%

Cinema Ticket

$8.59 RSD 896

$11.96 SAR 44.88

-28.18%

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

$424 RSD 44.2K

$775 SAR 2,907

-45.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K RSD 1.1M

$16.2K SAR 60.8K

-32.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 RSD 11.5K

$13.57 SAR 50.9

715.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.28 RSD 4,929

$56.9 SAR 214

-16.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 RSD 11.8K

$39.67 SAR 149

185.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$157 RSD 16.3K

$53.3 SAR 200

193.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 RSD 83.9K

$533 SAR 2,001

51.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$546 RSD 56.9K

$290 SAR 1,088

88.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,452 RSD 151.4K

$830 SAR 3,114

75.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$931 RSD 97.0K

$523 SAR 1,963

77.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,368 RSD 559.6K

$6,375 SAR 23.9K

-15.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,155 RSD 328.9K

$2,298 SAR 8,624

37.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,237 RSD 128.9K

$1,083 SAR 4,063

14.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.61

5.25

-12.19%

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

Last update for Belgrade: October 12, 2026

Last update for Mecca: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belgrade

$546 35.2%

Mecca

$290 31% 46.9% $256

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belgrade

$280 18.1%

Mecca

$165 17.7% 41% $115

Groceries & Markets

Belgrade

$241 15.5%

Mecca

$193 20.6% 19.7% $47

Eating Out

Belgrade

$228 14.7%

Mecca

$93 9.9% 59.4% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Belgrade

$192 12.4%

Mecca

$74 7.9% 61.8% $119

Sport & Entertainment

Belgrade

$58 3.8%

Mecca

$105 11.2% 79.2% $46

Getting Around

Belgrade

$7.9 * 0.5%

Mecca

$17 * 1.8% 108% $8.6

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 $533 in Mecca. 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 14% 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 $27.00 in Mecca. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $241 vs $193 – making Mecca the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🇸🇦 Mecca

🕒 Local time

05:15 5:15 AM

06:15 6:15 AM

1 h ahead of Belgrade

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,197,714 Capital

1,675,368

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, USD, EUR to RSD – Serbian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇸 Serbian Dinar (din)

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.22 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

USD to RSD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Belgrade Mecca 3,150 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Belgrade
Mecca

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 Mecca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,554 in Belgrade, $936 in Mecca – roughly 66% 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 $1,404 in Mecca. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mecca, 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 $27.00 in Mecca. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 25% 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 Mecca, where all-in costs run around $936, than in Belgrade at $1,554. In Mecca it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mecca – 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 Mecca. 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.