Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and Medias

For one person, living is cheaper in Medias: $1,082 a month against $1,554 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Medias
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Medias Living Index

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Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,554

/mo nomad

Medias

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,082

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgrade and in Medias

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

A single person spends $1,554 per month in Belgrade vs $1,082 in Medias, rent included.

Belgrade $1,554
Medias $1,082

A couple spends around $2,337 per month in Belgrade vs $1,668 in Medias, rent included.

Belgrade $2,337
Medias $1,668

A family of three spends $3,121 per month in Belgrade vs $2,254 in Medias, rent included.

Belgrade $3,121
Medias $2,254

Belgrade costs about 44% more than Medias, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Belgrade sits 15% above the global median, while Medias is 20% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.15 RSD 1,371

$11.00 RON 52.1

19.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.5 RSD 5,999

$53.1 RON 251

8.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.38 RSD 1,394

$7.16 RON 33.88

86.87%

Cappuccino

$3.10 RSD 323

$3.62 RON 17.12

-14.36%

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

$2.82 RSD 294

$2.44 RON 11.57

15.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 RSD 231

$2.14 RON 10.14

3.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.47 RSD 362

$3.09 RON 14.60

12.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 RSD 412

$3.37 RON 15.96

17.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 RSD 144

$1.28 RON 6.05

7.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 RSD 118

$1.44 RON 6.79

-21.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 RSD 277

$1.79 RON 8.46

48.60%

Eggs

$2.78 RSD 290

$3.44 RON 16.27

-19.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.99 RSD 1,146

$8.63 RON 40.85

27.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.56 RSD 684

$6.79 RON 32.15

-3.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.07 RSD 1,571

$12.40 RON 58.7

21.53%

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 RSD 173

$1.53 RON 7.24

8.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 RSD 186

$1.46 RON 6.90

22.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 RSD 195

$1.58 RON 7.45

18.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.03 RSD 315

$2.60 RON 12.32

16.54%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 RSD 96.3

$0.83 RON 3.91

10.84%

Onion (1kg)

$0.71 RSD 73.8

$0.85 RON 4.04

-16.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 RSD 77.6

$0.90 RON 4.25

-17.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 RSD 77.2

$0.76 RON 3.59

-2.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.61 RSD 481

$5.92 RON 28.03

-22.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.81 RSD 918

$7.16 RON 33.86

23.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 RSD 92.7

$1.18 RON 5.56

-24.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 RSD 151

$1.87 RON 8.87

-22.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 RON 3.60

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.20 RON 100

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 RSD 315

$0.64 RON 3.01

371.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 RSD 103

$0.66 RON 3.12

48.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.08 RSD 1,780

$6.70 RON 31.69

154.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 RSD 199

$1.41 RON 6.66

35.46%

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

$31.0K RSD 3.2M

$28.8K RON 136.5K

7.44%

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

$24.7K RSD 2.6M

$25.6K RON 120.9K

-3.51%

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

$220 RSD 23.0K

$177 RON 838

24.43%

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

$24.41 RSD 2,544

$7.69 RON 36.39

217.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.64 RSD 3,715

$9.07 RON 42.92

292.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.20 RSD 4,295

$38.04 RON 180

8.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.60 RSD 2,356

$20.64 RON 97.6

9.50%

Cinema Ticket

$8.59 RSD 896

$6.49 RON 30.69

32.36%

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

$424 RSD 44.2K

$454 RON 2,146

-6.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K RSD 1.1M

$7,061 RON 33.4K

55.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 RSD 11.5K

$51.2 RON 242

116.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.28 RSD 4,929

$35.26 RON 167

34.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 RSD 11.8K

$75.7 RON 358

49.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$157 RSD 16.3K

$89.6 RON 424

74.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 RSD 83.9K

$392 RON 1,854

105.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$546 RSD 56.9K

$281 RON 1,329

94.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,452 RSD 151.4K

$593 RON 2,806

144.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$931 RSD 97.0K

$449 RON 2,126

107.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,368 RSD 559.6K

$1,878 RON 8,887

185.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,155 RSD 328.9K

$1,322 RON 6,253

138.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,237 RSD 128.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.61

7.2

-35.97%

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

Last update for Belgrade: October 12, 2026

Last update for Medias: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belgrade

$546 35.2%

Medias

$281 26% 48.6% $265

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belgrade

$280 18.1%

Medias

$194 17.9% 30.9% $87

Groceries & Markets

Belgrade

$241 15.5%

Medias

$222 20.5% 7.8% $19

Eating Out

Belgrade

$228 14.7%

Medias

$193 17.9% 15.1% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Belgrade

$192 12.4%

Medias

$113 10.5% 41.1% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Belgrade

$58 3.8%

Medias

$51 4.7% 12.6% $7.4

Getting Around

Belgrade

$7.9 * 0.5%

Medias

$28 2.6% 255% $20

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 $392 in Medias. 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 $53.0 in Medias. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $241 vs $222 – making Medias the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🇷🇴 Medias

🕒 Local time

20:39 8:39 PM

21:39 9:39 PM

1 h ahead of Belgrade

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,197,714 Capital

53,564

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to RSD – Serbian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇸 Serbian Dinar (din)

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to RSD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Belgrade Medias 340 km

From you

Belgrade
Medias

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 Medias: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,554 in Belgrade, $1,082 in Medias – roughly 44% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,331 per month in Belgrade and $1,623 in Medias. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Medias, 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 $53.0 in Medias. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 9% 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 Medias, where all-in costs run around $1,082, than in Belgrade at $1,554. In Medias it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Medias – 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 Medias. 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.