Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and Pretoria

For one person, living is cheaper in Pretoria: $1,278 a month against $1,541 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Belgrade, Serbia
Pretoria, South Africa
Belgrade
🇷🇸 Serbia
$1,541
/mo nomad
Pretoria
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,278
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgrade and in Pretoria

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

A single person spends $1,541 per month in Belgrade vs $1,278 in Pretoria, rent included.

  • Belgrade $1,541
  • Pretoria $1,278

A couple spends around $2,351 per month in Belgrade vs $1,980 in Pretoria, rent included.

  • Belgrade $2,351
  • Pretoria $1,980

A family of three spends $3,161 per month in Belgrade vs $2,683 in Pretoria, rent included.

  • Belgrade $3,161
  • Pretoria $2,683

Belgrade costs about 21% more than Pretoria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Belgrade sits 14% above the global median, while Pretoria is 5% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Belgrade
Pretoria
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.43 RSD 1,398
$8.90 R 147
50.90%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$58.0 RSD 6,036
$36.92 R 608
57.07%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.30 RSD 1,384
$5.30 R 87.3
150.94%
Cappuccino
$3.05 RSD 317
$2.29 R 37.77
33.19%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.82 RSD 293
$1.06 R 17.48
166.04%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.28 RSD 238
$0.86 R 14.10
165.12%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.66 RSD 381
$2.34 R 38.53
56.41%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.18 RSD 435
$3.42 R 56.3
22.22%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Belgrade
Pretoria
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 RSD 147
$1.13 R 18.68
24.78%
White Bread (500g)
$1.16 RSD 121
$1.14 R 18.75
1.75%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.53 RSD 263
$1.83 R 30.17
38.25%
Eggs
$2.80 RSD 292
$2.41 R 39.78
16.18%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.93 RSD 1,137
$8.44 R 139
29.50%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.80 RSD 708
$5.00 R 82.4
36.00%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.40 RSD 1,603
$7.41 R 122
107.83%
Apples (1kg)
$1.63 RSD 170
$1.79 R 29.54
-8.94%
Banana (1kg)
$1.75 RSD 182
$1.68 R 27.71
4.17%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.78 RSD 186
$1.78 R 29.31
-
Tomato (1kg)
$3.04 RSD 316
$1.58 R 26.05
92.41%
Potato (1kg)
$0.97 RSD 101
$1.08 R 17.77
-10.19%
Onion (1kg)
$0.65 RSD 67.7
$1.18 R 19.46
-44.92%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.74 RSD 77.2
$1.18 R 19.41
-37.29%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 RSD 75.3
$1.29 R 21.19
-44.19%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.53 RSD 471
$3.27 R 53.9
38.53%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.25 RSD 858
$5.17 R 85.2
59.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.86 RSD 89.8
$1.55 R 25.57
-44.52%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.43 RSD 148
$1.88 R 30.96
-23.94%
🚌 Getting Around
Belgrade
Pretoria
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$4.59 R 75.7
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$181 R 2,988
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.10 RSD 323
$0.31 R 5.13
900.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.98 RSD 102
$0.79 R 13.03
24.05%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$17.10 RSD 1,780
$14.73 R 243
16.09%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.87 RSD 195
$1.53 R 25.20
22.22%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.9K RSD 3.2M
$35.7K R 588.8K
-13.55%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.1K RSD 2.5M
$35.1K R 578.4K
-31.44%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Belgrade
Pretoria
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$215 RSD 22.4K
$150 R 2,470
43.27%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.55 RSD 2,659
$36.66 R 604
-30.31%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$35.40 RSD 3,685
$36.73 R 605
-3.62%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Belgrade
Pretoria
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$40.62 RSD 4,228
$31.99 R 527
26.98%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.74 RSD 2,367
$10.29 R 170
120.99%
Cinema Ticket
$7.99 RSD 832
$7.07 R 117
13.01%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Belgrade
Pretoria
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$453 RSD 47.2K
$261 R 4,300
73.72%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.4K RSD 1.3M
$15.0K R 246.8K
-17.42%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Belgrade
Pretoria
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$112 RSD 11.6K
$52.6 R 867
112.38%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.56 RSD 4,951
$32.65 R 538
45.67%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$114 RSD 11.8K
$92.1 R 1,517
23.41%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$147 RSD 15.3K
$83.1 R 1,369
76.76%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Belgrade
Pretoria
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$829 RSD 86.3K
$451 R 7,424
84.09%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$540 RSD 56.2K
$353 R 5,817
53.08%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,508 RSD 157.0K
$1,023 R 16.9K
47.34%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$975 RSD 101.5K
$727 R 12.0K
34.03%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,059 RSD 526.6K
$875 R 14.4K
478.11%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,171 RSD 330.1K
$652 R 10.8K
386.07%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Belgrade
Pretoria
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,276 RSD 132.8K
$1,397 R 23.0K
-8.69%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.5
11.34
-60.32%

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

Last update for Belgrade: November 1, 2026

Last update for Pretoria: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Belgrade
$540
Pretoria
$353 34.7% $187
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Belgrade
$276
Pretoria
$223 19% $52
Groceries & Markets
Belgrade
$241
Pretoria
$194 19.4% $47
Eating Out
Belgrade
$231
Pretoria
$141 39% $90
Clothing & Footwear
Belgrade
$189
Pretoria
$117 38% $72
Sport & Entertainment
Belgrade
$57
Pretoria
$46 18.5% $10
Getting Around
Belgrade
$8 *
Pretoria
$204 2453% $196

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 $451 in Pretoria. 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 10% higher in Pretoria, 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 $37 in Pretoria. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $241 vs $194 – making Pretoria the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇷🇸 Belgrade
🇿🇦 Pretoria
🕒 Local time
03:51 3:51 AM
04:51 4:51 AM
1 h ahead of Belgrade
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,197,714 Capital
741,651 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to RSD – Serbian Dinar Converter

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.61 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.56 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Belgrade Pretoria 7,890 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Belgrade
  • Pretoria

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 Pretoria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Belgrade and in Pretoria compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,541 in Belgrade, $1,278 in Pretoria – Pretoria comes out roughly 17% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Belgrade compared to Pretoria?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,312 per month in Belgrade and $1,917 in Pretoria. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Belgrade and Pretoria?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Pretoria, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $451 there versus $829 in Belgrade.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $58 in Belgrade and $37 in Pretoria. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 24% more in Belgrade, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Pretoria, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Belgrade at $1,541. In Pretoria it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Where should families live: Belgrade or Pretoria?
Families tend to lean toward Pretoria – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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