Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and Polokwane

For one person, living is cheaper in Polokwane: $961 a month against $1,541 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Belgrade
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Belgrade Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Polokwane
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Polokwane Living Index

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Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,541

/mo nomad

Polokwane

🇿🇦 South Africa

$961

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgrade and in Polokwane

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

A single person spends $1,541 per month in Belgrade vs $961 in Polokwane, rent included.

Belgrade $1,541
Polokwane $961

A couple spends around $2,351 per month in Belgrade vs $1,418 in Polokwane, rent included.

Belgrade $2,351
Polokwane $1,418

A family of three spends $3,161 per month in Belgrade vs $1,875 in Polokwane, rent included.

Belgrade $3,161
Polokwane $1,875

Belgrade costs about 60% more than Polokwane, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Belgrade sits 14% above the global median, while Polokwane is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.43 RSD 1,398

$12.19 R 200

10.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.0 RSD 6,036

$29.64 R 486

95.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.30 RSD 1,384

$7.32 R 120

81.69%

Cappuccino

$3.05 RSD 317

$2.45 R 40.14

24.49%

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

$2.82 RSD 293

$0.78 R 12.71

261.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 RSD 238

$0.87 R 14.18

162.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.66 RSD 381

$1.65 R 26.97

121.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 RSD 435

$1.89 R 31.04

121.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 RSD 147

$1.36 R 22.28

3.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 RSD 121

$1.13 R 18.52

2.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 RSD 263

$1.78 R 29.20

42.13%

Eggs

$2.80 RSD 292

$2.73 R 44.77

2.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.93 RSD 1,137

$7.72 R 126

41.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.80 RSD 708

$4.64 R 76.1

46.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.40 RSD 1,603

$6.04 R 99.0

154.97%

Apples (1kg)

$1.63 RSD 170

$1.97 R 32.24

-17.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 RSD 182

$1.91 R 31.35

-8.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 RSD 186

$1.73 R 28.37

2.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.04 RSD 316

$2.03 R 33.32

49.75%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 RSD 101

$1.69 R 27.61

-42.60%

Onion (1kg)

$0.65 RSD 67.7

$1.50 R 24.54

-56.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 RSD 77.2

$1.15 R 18.89

-35.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 RSD 75.3

$0.82 R 13.41

-12.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.53 RSD 471

$2.73 R 44.70

65.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.25 RSD 858

$4.78 R 78.3

72.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 RSD 89.8

$1.19 R 19.55

-27.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 RSD 148

$1.54 R 25.25

-7.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 R 14.19

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.68 R 486

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.10 RSD 323

$0.87 R 14.20

256.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 RSD 102

$0.88 R 14.37

11.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.10 RSD 1,780

$14.29 R 234

19.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 RSD 195

$1.41 R 23.12

32.62%

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

$30.9K RSD 3.2M

$26.0K R 426.4K

18.67%

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

$24.1K RSD 2.5M

$29.2K R 477.9K

-17.50%

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

$215 RSD 22.4K

$137 R 2,237

57.30%

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

$25.55 RSD 2,659

$39.36 R 645

-35.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.40 RSD 3,685

$32.94 R 540

7.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.62 RSD 4,228

$22.84 R 374

77.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 RSD 2,367

Cinema Ticket

$7.99 RSD 832

$8.37 R 137

-4.54%

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

$453 RSD 47.2K

$177 R 2,904

155.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K RSD 1.3M

$1,448 R 23.7K

753.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$112 RSD 11.6K

$45.19 R 740

147.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.56 RSD 4,951

$36.77 R 603

29.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 RSD 11.8K

$80.4 R 1,317

41.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 RSD 15.3K

$93.9 R 1,538

56.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$829 RSD 86.3K

$283 R 4,639

192.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$540 RSD 56.2K

$204 R 3,350

164.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,508 RSD 157.0K

$419 R 6,861

260.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$975 RSD 101.5K

$283 R 4,638

244.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,059 RSD 526.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,171 RSD 330.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,276 RSD 132.8K

$1,324 R 21.7K

-3.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

10.91

-58.75%

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

Last update for Belgrade: November 1, 2026

Last update for Polokwane: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belgrade

$540 35.1%

Polokwane

$204 21.3% 62.2% $336

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belgrade

$276 17.9%

Polokwane

$209 21.7% 24.3% $67

Groceries & Markets

Belgrade

$241 15.6%

Polokwane

$187 19.5% 22.3% $54

Eating Out

Belgrade

$231 15%

Polokwane

$167 17.4% 27.5% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Belgrade

$189 12.3%

Polokwane

$115 12% 38.9% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Belgrade

$57 3.7%

Polokwane

$40 4.1% 30.1% $17

Getting Around

Belgrade

$8 * 0.5%

Polokwane

$38 4% 381% $30

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $829 in Belgrade versus $283 in Polokwane. 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 4% higher in Polokwane, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $58 in Belgrade versus $30 in Polokwane. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $241 vs $187 – making Polokwane the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🇿🇦 Polokwane

🕒 Local time

18:00 6:00 PM

19:00 7:00 PM

1 h ahead of Belgrade

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,197,714 Capital

628,999

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.61 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.55 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to RSD – Serbian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇸 Serbian Dinar (din)

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.61 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.55 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 16.38 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.41 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.43 EUR).

USD to RSD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Belgrade Polokwane 7,700 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Belgrade
Polokwane

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 Polokwane: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,541 in Belgrade, $961 in Polokwane – Polokwane comes out roughly 38% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,312 per month in Belgrade and $1,441 in Polokwane. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Polokwane, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $283 there versus $829 in Belgrade.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $58 in Belgrade and $30 in Polokwane. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 29% more in Belgrade, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,541 in Belgrade and $961 in Polokwane. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Polokwane – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.