Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and Riga

For one person, living costs are similar in Belgrade and in Riga: $1,538 and $1,602 a month, rent and utilities included.

76

Cost of Living Index in Belgrade
Learn more

Belgrade Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Riga
Learn more

Riga Living Index

Jump to prices

Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,538

/mo nomad

Riga

🇱🇻 Latvia

$1,602

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgrade and in Riga

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

A single person spends $1,538 per month in Belgrade vs $1,602 in Riga, rent included.

Belgrade $1,538
Riga $1,602

A couple spends around $2,321 per month in Belgrade vs $2,442 in Riga, rent included.

Belgrade $2,321
Riga $2,442

A family of three spends $3,105 per month in Belgrade vs $3,282 in Riga, rent included.

Belgrade $3,105
Riga $3,282

Belgrade is about 4% cheaper than Riga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Belgrade and Riga sit above the global median – Belgrade by 15%, Riga by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.33 RSD 1,389

$16.77 €14.97

-20.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.4 RSD 6,085

$66.1 €59.0

-11.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.58 RSD 1,414

$9.14 €8.16

48.58%

Cappuccino

$3.13 RSD 326

$3.72 €3.32

-15.86%

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

$2.77 RSD 288

$1.60 €1.43

73.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 RSD 237

$1.17 €1.04

94.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 RSD 390

$5.49 €4.90

-31.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 RSD 456

$5.10 €4.55

-14.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 RSD 146

$1.15 €1.02

21.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 RSD 122

$1.47 €1.31

-20.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 RSD 282

$2.56 €2.28

5.86%

Eggs

$2.78 RSD 289

$3.68 €3.29

-24.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.36 RSD 1,184

$10.50 €9.37

8.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.01 RSD 731

$8.89 €7.93

-21.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.72 RSD 1,638

$14.05 €12.54

11.89%

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 RSD 173

$2.21 €1.97

-24.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 RSD 188

$1.85 €1.65

-2.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 RSD 190

$2.44 €2.18

-25.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.13 RSD 326

$3.17 €2.83

-1.26%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 RSD 91.3

$0.92 €0.82

-4.35%

Onion (1kg)

$0.67 RSD 70.3

$0.96 €0.86

-30.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.81 RSD 84.4

$1.76 €1.57

-53.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 RSD 70.9

$0.96 €0.86

-29.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.78 RSD 498

$6.78 €6.05

-29.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.54 RSD 889

$7.84 €7.00

8.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RSD 97.7

$2.01 €1.79

-53.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 RSD 150

$2.07 €1.85

-30.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.72 €1.54

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.18 €29.61

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 RSD 322

$3.34 €2.98

-7.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 RSD 107

$0.99 €0.88

3.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.18 RSD 1,789

$17.55 €15.66

-2.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 RSD 195

$2.10 €1.87

-10.95%

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

$30.7K RSD 3.2M

$27.7K €24.7K

11.06%

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

$24.3K RSD 2.5M

$30.5K €27.2K

-20.35%

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

$218 RSD 22.7K

$380 €340

-42.79%

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

$25.24 RSD 2,629

$19.90 €17.76

26.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.35 RSD 3,683

$20.17 €18.00

75.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.77 RSD 4,351

$50.5 €45.03

-17.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.80 RSD 2,375

$35.89 €32.03

-36.47%

Cinema Ticket

$8.47 RSD 882

$10.98 €9.80

-22.86%

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

$426 RSD 44.4K

$648 €578

-34.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K RSD 1.2M

$17.9K €16.0K

-36.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 RSD 11.6K

$69.4 €61.9

60.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.99 RSD 4,791

$50.8 €45.37

-9.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 RSD 12.4K

$85.3 €76.2

39.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 RSD 16.0K

$139 €124

11.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$821 RSD 85.6K

$594 €530

38.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$561 RSD 58.4K

$389 €347

44.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,511 RSD 157.4K

$1,137 €1,014

32.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$942 RSD 98.1K

$743 €663

26.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,312 RSD 553.4K

$3,027 €2,702

75.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,165 RSD 329.7K

$2,143 €1,912

47.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,228 RSD 127.9K

$1,498 €1,337

-18.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.61

4.64

-0.65%

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

Last update for Belgrade: October 3, 2026

Last update for Riga: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belgrade

$561 35.5%

Riga

$389 24.2% 30.6% $172

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belgrade

$278 17.6%

Riga

$421 26.1% 51.1% $142

Groceries & Markets

Belgrade

$246 15.6%

Riga

$270 16.8% 9.7% $24

Eating Out

Belgrade

$233 14.7%

Riga

$255 15.8% 9.6% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Belgrade

$194 12.3%

Riga

$155 9.6% 20% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Belgrade

$59 3.7%

Riga

$72 4.5% 23.4% $14

Getting Around

Belgrade

$8.2 * 0.5%

Riga

$48 3% 489% $40

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 $594 in Riga. 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 22% higher in Riga, 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 $66.0 in Riga. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $246 vs $270 – making Belgrade the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🇱🇻 Riga

🕒 Local time

10:14 10:14 AM

11:14 11:14 AM

1 h ahead of Belgrade

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,197,714 Capital

660,187 Capital

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.6 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.56 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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 = 8.56 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to RSD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Belgrade Riga 1,370 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Belgrade
Riga

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 Riga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,538 in Belgrade, $1,602 in Riga – roughly 4% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,307 per month in Belgrade and $2,403 in Riga. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Belgrade, 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 $66.0 in Riga. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 10% more in Riga, 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 Belgrade, where all-in costs run around $1,538, than in Riga at $1,602. In Belgrade it covers expenses comfortably, while in Riga it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Riga has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,538 in Belgrade to $1,602 in Riga. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Belgrade. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Riga makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.