Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and Richards Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Richards Bay: $1,022 a month against $1,541 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Richards Bay
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Richards Bay Living Index

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Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,541

/mo nomad

Richards Bay

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,022

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgrade and in Richards Bay

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

A single person spends $1,541 per month in Belgrade vs $1,022 in Richards Bay, rent included.

Belgrade $1,541
Richards Bay $1,022

A couple spends around $2,351 per month in Belgrade vs $1,601 in Richards Bay, rent included.

Belgrade $2,351
Richards Bay $1,601

A family of three spends $3,161 per month in Belgrade vs $2,180 in Richards Bay, rent included.

Belgrade $3,161
Richards Bay $2,180

Belgrade costs about 51% more than Richards Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Belgrade sits 14% above the global median, while Richards Bay is 24% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.43 RSD 1,398

$8.66 R 142

55.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.0 RSD 6,036

$37.89 R 621

53.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.30 RSD 1,384

$5.57 R 91.2

138.78%

Cappuccino

$3.05 RSD 317

$2.16 R 35.36

41.20%

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

$2.82 RSD 293

$1.06 R 17.33

166.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 RSD 238

$0.89 R 14.62

156.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.66 RSD 381

$1.46 R 23.94

150.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 RSD 435

$1.84 R 30.18

127.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 RSD 147

$1.11 R 18.21

27.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 RSD 121

$0.97 R 15.82

19.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 RSD 263

$1.48 R 24.24

70.95%

Eggs

$2.80 RSD 292

$2.20 R 36.10

27.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.93 RSD 1,137

$6.43 R 105

69.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.80 RSD 708

$4.35 R 71.3

56.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.40 RSD 1,603

$6.75 R 111

128.15%

Apples (1kg)

$1.63 RSD 170

$1.97 R 32.33

-17.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 RSD 182

$1.65 R 27.07

6.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 RSD 186

$1.94 R 31.84

-8.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.04 RSD 316

$1.64 R 26.80

85.37%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 RSD 101

$0.93 R 15.26

4.30%

Onion (1kg)

$0.65 RSD 67.7

$1.16 R 19.06

-43.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 RSD 77.2

$1.15 R 18.79

-35.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 RSD 75.3

$1.23 R 20.12

-41.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.53 RSD 471

$2.46 R 40.27

84.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.25 RSD 858

$4.96 R 81.3

66.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 RSD 89.8

$1.53 R 25.07

-43.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 RSD 148

$2.00 R 32.72

-28.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$101 R 1,647

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.10 RSD 323

$0.40 R 6.54

675.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 RSD 102

$0.70 R 11.52

40.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.10 RSD 1,780

$7.53 R 123

127.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 RSD 195

$1.37 R 22.52

36.50%

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

$30.9K RSD 3.2M

$21.4K R 350.9K

44.22%

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

$24.1K RSD 2.5M

$28.7K R 470.0K

-16.10%

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

$215 RSD 22.4K

$132 R 2,168

62.27%

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

$25.55 RSD 2,659

$30.04 R 492

-14.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.40 RSD 3,685

$38.86 R 637

-8.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.62 RSD 4,228

$35.59 R 583

14.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 RSD 2,367

Cinema Ticket

$7.99 RSD 832

$7.39 R 121

8.12%

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

$453 RSD 47.2K

$106 R 1,744

325.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K RSD 1.3M

$2,665 R 43.7K

364.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$112 RSD 11.6K

$50.4 R 826

121.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.56 RSD 4,951

$18.89 R 310

151.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 RSD 11.8K

$75.0 R 1,229

51.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 RSD 15.3K

$81.3 R 1,332

80.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$829 RSD 86.3K

$366 R 6,001

126.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$540 RSD 56.2K

$255 R 4,178

111.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,508 RSD 157.0K

$686 R 11.2K

119.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$975 RSD 101.5K

$548 R 8,980

77.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,059 RSD 526.6K

$341 R 5,580

1385.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,171 RSD 330.1K

$502 R 8,232

531.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,276 RSD 132.8K

$1,199 R 19.6K

6.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

7.5

-40.00%

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

Last update for Belgrade: November 1, 2026

Last update for Richards Bay: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belgrade

$540 35.1%

Richards Bay

$255 25% 52.8% $285

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belgrade

$276 17.9%

Richards Bay

$201 19.7% 27% $74

Groceries & Markets

Belgrade

$241 15.6%

Richards Bay

$179 17.5% 25.8% $62

Eating Out

Belgrade

$231 15%

Richards Bay

$131 12.8% 43.4% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Belgrade

$189 12.3%

Richards Bay

$102 9.9% 46.2% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Belgrade

$57 3.7%

Richards Bay

$50 4.9% 11% $6.2

Getting Around

Belgrade

$8 * 0.5%

Richards Bay

$104 * 10.2% 1207% $96

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 $366 in Richards Bay. 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 6% 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 in Belgrade versus $38 in Richards Bay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $241 vs $179 – making Richards Bay the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🇿🇦 Richards Bay

🕒 Local time

23:11 11:11 PM

00:11 12:11 AM

1 h ahead of Belgrade

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,197,714 Capital

57,387

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.61 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.56 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.44 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 = 8.56 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 16.38 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.39 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR).

USD to RSD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Belgrade Richards Bay 8,270 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Belgrade
Richards Bay

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 Richards Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,541 in Belgrade, $1,022 in Richards Bay – Richards Bay comes out roughly 34% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,312 per month in Belgrade and $1,533 in Richards Bay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Richards Bay, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $366 there versus $829 in Belgrade.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $58 in Belgrade and $38 in Richards Bay. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 35% more in Belgrade, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Richards Bay, where all-in costs run around $1,022, than in Belgrade at $1,541. In Richards Bay it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Richards Bay. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Belgrade makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.