Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and Pleven

For one person, living is cheaper in Pleven: $889 a month against $1,554 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Pleven
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Pleven Living Index

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Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,554

/mo nomad

Pleven

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$889

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgrade and in Pleven

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

A single person spends $1,554 per month in Belgrade vs $889 in Pleven, rent included.

Belgrade $1,554
Pleven $889

A couple spends around $2,337 per month in Belgrade vs $1,420 in Pleven, rent included.

Belgrade $2,337
Pleven $1,420

A family of three spends $3,121 per month in Belgrade vs $1,950 in Pleven, rent included.

Belgrade $3,121
Pleven $1,950

Belgrade costs about 75% more than Pleven, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Belgrade sits 15% above the global median, while Pleven is 34% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.15 RSD 1,373

$8.76 BGN 15.33

50.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.5 RSD 6,009

$30.08 BGN 52.7

91.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.38 RSD 1,397

$6.07 BGN 10.62

120.43%

Cappuccino

$3.10 RSD 323

$2.16 BGN 3.79

43.52%

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

$2.82 RSD 294

$1.30 BGN 2.28

116.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 RSD 232

$1.17 BGN 2.04

89.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.47 RSD 363

$2.10 BGN 3.67

65.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 RSD 413

$2.34 BGN 4.10

69.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 RSD 144

$1.63 BGN 2.85

-15.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 RSD 118

$1.12 BGN 1.96

0.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 RSD 278

$1.68 BGN 2.93

58.33%

Eggs

$2.78 RSD 290

$3.43 BGN 6.01

-18.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.99 RSD 1,148

$9.21 BGN 16.12

19.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.56 RSD 685

$7.93 BGN 13.87

-17.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.07 RSD 1,574

$14.04 BGN 24.56

7.34%

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 RSD 174

$1.23 BGN 2.15

34.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 RSD 187

$2.03 BGN 3.55

-11.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 RSD 196

$2.11 BGN 3.69

-11.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.03 RSD 316

$2.27 BGN 3.97

33.48%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 RSD 96.5

$1.18 BGN 2.07

-22.03%

Onion (1kg)

$0.71 RSD 74.0

$1.07 BGN 1.88

-33.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 RSD 77.7

$1.06 BGN 1.85

-30.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 RSD 77.3

$0.70 BGN 1.22

5.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.61 RSD 482

$3.58 BGN 6.27

28.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.81 RSD 920

$6.42 BGN 11.23

37.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 RSD 92.9

$0.84 BGN 1.47

5.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 RSD 152

$1.13 BGN 1.98

28.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.61

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.41 BGN 70.7

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 RSD 316

$1.55 BGN 2.72

94.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 RSD 103

$0.86 BGN 1.50

13.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.08 RSD 1,784

$12.14 BGN 21.24

40.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 RSD 199

$1.60 BGN 2.79

19.37%

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

$31.0K RSD 3.2M

$29.5K BGN 51.6K

5.22%

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

$24.7K RSD 2.6M

$25.4K BGN 44.5K

-3.07%

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

$220 RSD 23.0K

$98.1 BGN 172

124.62%

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

$24.41 RSD 2,549

$15.91 BGN 27.85

53.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.64 RSD 3,722

$10.44 BGN 18.28

241.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.20 RSD 4,303

$35.31 BGN 61.8

16.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.60 RSD 2,361

$24.28 BGN 42.48

-6.92%

Cinema Ticket

$8.59 RSD 897

$8.65 BGN 15.14

-0.69%

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

$424 RSD 44.3K

$505 BGN 884

-16.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K RSD 1.1M

$6,150 BGN 10.8K

78.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 RSD 11.6K

$40.76 BGN 71.3

171.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.28 RSD 4,938

$28.23 BGN 49.40

67.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 RSD 11.8K

$92.8 BGN 162

21.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$157 RSD 16.4K

$102 BGN 178

54.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 RSD 84.1K

$341 BGN 597

136.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$546 RSD 57.0K

$171 BGN 300

218.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,452 RSD 151.7K

$563 BGN 986

157.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$931 RSD 97.2K

$330 BGN 577

182.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,368 RSD 560.6K

$1,450 BGN 2,538

270.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,155 RSD 329.5K

$1,112 BGN 1,946

183.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,237 RSD 129.1K

$932 BGN 1,631

32.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.61

2.85

61.75%

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

Last update for Belgrade: October 12, 2026

Last update for Pleven: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belgrade

$546 35.2%

Pleven

$171 19.3% 68.6% $375

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belgrade

$280 18.1%

Pleven

$124 14% 55.6% $156

Groceries & Markets

Belgrade

$241 15.5%

Pleven

$233 26.2% 3.2% $7.6

Eating Out

Belgrade

$228 14.7%

Pleven

$139 15.7% 38.9% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Belgrade

$192 12.4%

Pleven

$118 13.3% 38.4% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Belgrade

$58 3.8%

Pleven

$53 5.9% 9.9% $5.8

Getting Around

Belgrade

$7.9 * 0.5%

Pleven

$50 5.6% 529% $42

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 $341 in Pleven. 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 33% 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 $30.00 in Pleven. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $241 vs $233 – making Pleven the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🇧🇬 Pleven

🕒 Local time

23:01 11:01 PM

00:01 12:01 AM

1 h ahead of Belgrade

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,197,714 Capital

111,567

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.58 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.55 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to RSD – Serbian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇸 Serbian Dinar (din)

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.58 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.55 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.51 EUR).

USD to RSD in detail →

On the map

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Belgrade Pleven 370 km

From you

Belgrade
Pleven

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 Pleven: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,554 in Belgrade, $889 in Pleven – roughly 75% 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 $1,334 in Pleven. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pleven, 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 $30.00 in Pleven. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 3% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Pleven, where all-in costs run around $889, than in Belgrade at $1,554. In Pleven it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Pleven – 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 Pleven. 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.