Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and Mogadishu

For one person, living is cheaper in Mogadishu: $618 a month against $1,538 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Belgrade
Learn more

Belgrade Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Mogadishu
Learn more

Mogadishu Living Index

Jump to prices

Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,538

/mo nomad

Mogadishu

🇸🇴 Somalia

$618

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgrade and in Mogadishu

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

A single person spends $1,538 per month in Belgrade vs $618 in Mogadishu, rent included.

Belgrade $1,538
Mogadishu $618

A couple spends around $2,321 per month in Belgrade vs $951 in Mogadishu, rent included.

Belgrade $2,321
Mogadishu $951

A family of three spends $3,105 per month in Belgrade vs $1,283 in Mogadishu, rent included.

Belgrade $3,105
Mogadishu $1,283

Belgrade costs about 149% more than Mogadishu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Belgrade sits 15% above the global median, while Mogadishu is 54% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.33 RSD 1,389

$2.93 SOS 1,665

354.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.4 RSD 6,085

$34.64 SOS 19.7K

68.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.58 RSD 1,414

$4.40 SOS 2,501

208.64%

Cappuccino

$3.13 RSD 326

$1.94 SOS 1,103

61.34%

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

$2.77 RSD 288

$1.20 SOS 682

130.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 RSD 237

$0.53 SOS 302

328.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 RSD 390

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 RSD 456

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 RSD 146

$1.34 SOS 760

4.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 RSD 122

$1.66 SOS 940

-29.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 RSD 282

$0.75 SOS 428

261.33%

Eggs

$2.78 RSD 289

$1.93 SOS 1,096

44.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.36 RSD 1,184

$4.89 SOS 2,780

132.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.01 RSD 731

$3.96 SOS 2,252

77.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.72 RSD 1,638

$4.45 SOS 2,529

253.26%

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 RSD 173

$3.80 SOS 2,160

-56.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 RSD 188

$1.02 SOS 580

77.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 RSD 190

$3.04 SOS 1,724

-39.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.13 RSD 326

$1.27 SOS 721

146.46%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 RSD 91.3

$1.48 SOS 843

-40.54%

Onion (1kg)

$0.67 RSD 70.3

$1.72 SOS 978

-61.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.81 RSD 84.4

$1.49 SOS 846

-45.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 RSD 70.9

$0.53 SOS 301

28.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.78 RSD 498

Wine (Bottle)

$8.54 RSD 889

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RSD 97.7

$2.05 SOS 1,166

-54.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 RSD 150

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 SOS 291

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 RSD 322

$0.99 SOS 562

212.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 RSD 107

$0.56 SOS 318

82.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.18 RSD 1,789

$2.92 SOS 1,658

488.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 RSD 195

$0.92 SOS 523

103.26%

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

$30.7K RSD 3.2M

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

$24.3K RSD 2.5M

$6,416 SOS 3.6M

278.22%

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

$218 RSD 22.7K

$162 SOS 92.2K

34.15%

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

$25.24 RSD 2,629

$4.89 SOS 2,777

416.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.35 RSD 3,683

$65.5 SOS 37.2K

-46.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.77 RSD 4,351

$32.12 SOS 18.2K

30.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.80 RSD 2,375

Cinema Ticket

$8.47 RSD 882

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

$426 RSD 44.4K

$79.9 SOS 45.4K

433.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K RSD 1.2M

$751 SOS 426.4K

1418.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 RSD 11.6K

$13.79 SOS 7,832

705.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.99 RSD 4,791

$13.90 SOS 7,893

230.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 RSD 12.4K

$24.66 SOS 14.0K

383.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 RSD 16.0K

$32.82 SOS 18.6K

368.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$821 RSD 85.6K

$198 SOS 112.6K

314.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$561 RSD 58.4K

$77.6 SOS 44.1K

622.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,511 RSD 157.4K

$475 SOS 269.6K

218.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$942 RSD 98.1K

$186 SOS 105.9K

405.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,312 RSD 553.4K

$3,242 SOS 1.8M

63.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,165 RSD 329.7K

$2,367 SOS 1.3M

33.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,228 RSD 127.9K

$276 SOS 156.6K

345.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.61

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

Last update for Belgrade: October 3, 2026

Last update for Mogadishu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belgrade

$561 35.5%

Mogadishu

$78 12.6% 86.2% $483

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belgrade

$278 17.6%

Mogadishu

$233 37.8% 16.4% $46

Groceries & Markets

Belgrade

$246 15.6%

Mogadishu

$163 * 26.4% 33.9% $83

Eating Out

Belgrade

$233 14.7%

Mogadishu

$67 * 10.9% 71.2% $166

Clothing & Footwear

Belgrade

$194 12.3%

Mogadishu

$38 6.2% 80.2% $155

Sport & Entertainment

Belgrade

$59 3.7%

Mogadishu

$32 * 5.2% 45.3% $27

Getting Around

Belgrade

$8.2 * 0.5%

Mogadishu

$5.8 * 1% 28.9% $2.4

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 $198 in Mogadishu. 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 345% 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 $35.00 in Mogadishu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $246 vs $163 – making Mogadishu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🇸🇴 Mogadishu

🕒 Local time

13:17 1:17 PM

14:17 2:17 PM

1 h ahead of Belgrade

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,197,714 Capital

2,610,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

Somali Shilling SOS Sh

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.6 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.57 EUR

1,000 SOS = 1.76 USD

1,000 SOS = 1.57 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SOS, USD, EUR to RSD – Serbian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇸 Serbian Dinar (din)

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.6 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.57 EUR).

Somali Shilling exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 568 SOS (1,000 SOS = 1.76 USD). 1 EUR = 636 SOS (1,000 SOS = 1.57 EUR).

USD to RSD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Belgrade Mogadishu 5,350 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Belgrade
Mogadishu

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 Mogadishu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,538 in Belgrade, $618 in Mogadishu – roughly 149% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,307 per month in Belgrade and $927 in Mogadishu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mogadishu, 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 $35.00 in Mogadishu. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 51% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Mogadishu, where all-in costs run around $618, than in Belgrade at $1,538. In Mogadishu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mogadishu – 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 Mogadishu. 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.