Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and Riyadh

For one person, living is cheaper in Belgrade: $1,538 a month against $1,768 in Riyadh, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Belgrade
🇷🇸 Serbia
$1,538
/mo nomad
Riyadh
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
$1,768
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgrade and in Riyadh

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

A single person spends $1,538 per month in Belgrade vs $1,768 in Riyadh, rent included.

  • Belgrade $1,538
  • Riyadh $1,768

A couple spends around $2,321 per month in Belgrade vs $2,557 in Riyadh, rent included.

  • Belgrade $2,321
  • Riyadh $2,557

A family of three spends $3,105 per month in Belgrade vs $3,345 in Riyadh, rent included.

  • Belgrade $3,105
  • Riyadh $3,345

Belgrade is about 13% cheaper than Riyadh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Belgrade and Riyadh sit above the global median – Belgrade by 15%, Riyadh by 32%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Belgrade
Riyadh
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.33 RSD 1,389
$8.09 SAR 30.36
64.77%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$58.4 RSD 6,085
$66.5 SAR 250
-12.10%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.58 RSD 1,414
$8.11 SAR 30.47
67.45%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$2.15 SAR 8.09
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.98 SAR 11.19
-
Cappuccino
$3.13 RSD 326
$4.34 SAR 16.31
-27.88%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.77 RSD 288
$0.86 SAR 3.24
222.09%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.27 RSD 237
$0.30 SAR 1.12
656.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.75 RSD 390
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.38 RSD 456
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Belgrade
Riyadh
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.40 RSD 146
$1.77 SAR 6.63
-20.90%
White Bread (500g)
$1.17 RSD 122
$1.32 SAR 4.97
-11.36%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.71 RSD 282
$2.40 SAR 9.03
12.92%
Eggs
$2.78 RSD 289
$3.06 SAR 11.48
-9.15%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.36 RSD 1,184
$10.63 SAR 39.91
6.87%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.01 RSD 731
$9.60 SAR 36.05
-26.98%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.72 RSD 1,638
$14.98 SAR 56.3
4.94%
Apples (1kg)
$1.66 RSD 173
$2.80 SAR 10.51
-40.71%
Banana (1kg)
$1.81 RSD 188
$1.98 SAR 7.45
-8.59%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.83 RSD 190
$2.51 SAR 9.43
-27.09%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.13 RSD 326
$1.80 SAR 6.75
73.89%
Potato (1kg)
$0.88 RSD 91.3
$1.18 SAR 4.45
-25.42%
Onion (1kg)
$0.67 RSD 70.3
$1.34 SAR 5.01
-50.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.81 RSD 84.4
$1.79 SAR 6.70
-54.75%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.68 RSD 70.9
$0.54 SAR 2.03
25.93%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$8.11 SAR 30.44
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.78 SAR 6.68
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.41 SAR 9.04
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.78 RSD 498
$7.53 SAR 28.26
-36.52%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.54 RSD 889
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.94 RSD 97.7
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 RSD 150
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Belgrade
Riyadh
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$1.05 SAR 3.96
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$37.18 SAR 140
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.09 RSD 322
$3.29 SAR 12.35
-6.08%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 RSD 107
$1.91 SAR 7.19
-46.60%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$17.18 RSD 1,789
$13.43 SAR 50.5
27.92%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.87 RSD 195
$0.65 SAR 2.42
187.69%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K RSD 3.2M
$34.6K SAR 130.0K
-11.22%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.3K RSD 2.5M
$22.8K SAR 85.7K
6.27%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Belgrade
Riyadh
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$218 RSD 22.7K
$106 SAR 397
106.01%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.24 RSD 2,629
$29.10 SAR 109
-13.26%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$35.35 RSD 3,683
$72.7 SAR 273
-51.40%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Belgrade
Riyadh
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.77 RSD 4,351
$91.4 SAR 343
-54.32%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.80 RSD 2,375
$56.4 SAR 212
-59.55%
Cinema Ticket
$8.47 RSD 882
$13.20 SAR 49.58
-35.83%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Belgrade
Riyadh
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$426 RSD 44.4K
$532 SAR 1,999
-19.92%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.4K RSD 1.2M
$10.2K SAR 38.4K
11.45%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Belgrade
Riyadh
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$111 RSD 11.6K
$57.4 SAR 215
93.79%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.99 RSD 4,791
$54.4 SAR 204
-15.52%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$119 RSD 12.4K
$105 SAR 393
13.99%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$154 RSD 16.0K
$106 SAR 397
45.54%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Belgrade
Riyadh
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$821 RSD 85.6K
$1,211 SAR 4,547
-32.16%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$561 RSD 58.4K
$834 SAR 3,132
-32.78%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,511 RSD 157.4K
$2,223 SAR 8,346
-31.99%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$942 RSD 98.1K
$1,241 SAR 4,658
-24.08%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,312 RSD 553.4K
$3,011 SAR 11.3K
76.43%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,165 RSD 329.7K
$1,937 SAR 7,274
63.39%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Belgrade
Riyadh
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,228 RSD 127.9K
$2,037 SAR 7,648
-39.72%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.61
5.54
-16.79%

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

Last update for Belgrade: October 3, 2026

Last update for Riyadh: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Belgrade
$561
Riyadh
$834 48.8% $273
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Belgrade
$278
Riyadh
$208 25.4% $71
Groceries & Markets
Belgrade
$246
Riyadh
$242 1.5% $3.8
Eating Out
Belgrade
$233
Riyadh
$146 37.3% $87
Clothing & Footwear
Belgrade
$194
Riyadh
$145 25.1% $49
Sport & Entertainment
Belgrade
$59
Riyadh
$118 101% $59
Getting Around
Belgrade
$8.2 *
Riyadh
$54 561% $46

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 $1,211 in Riyadh. 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 66% higher in Riyadh, 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 Riyadh. Groceries tell a different story – $246 in Belgrade vs $242 in Riyadh – so Riyadh wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇷🇸 Belgrade
🇸🇦 Riyadh
🕒 Local time
08:16 8:16 AM
09:16 9:16 AM
1 h ahead of Belgrade
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,197,714 Capital
5,188,286 Capital
💱 Currency
Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س
Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, USD, EUR to RSD – Serbian Dinar Converter

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).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.21 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Belgrade Riyadh 3,260 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Belgrade
  • Riyadh

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 Riyadh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Belgrade and in Riyadh compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,538 in Belgrade, $1,768 in Riyadh – roughly 15% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Belgrade compared to Riyadh?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,307 per month in Belgrade and $2,652 in Riyadh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Belgrade and Riyadh?
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.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $58.0 in Belgrade and $66.0 in Riyadh. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Interestingly, groceries are about 2% cheaper in Riyadh – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Belgrade, where all-in costs run around $1,538, than in Riyadh at $1,768. In Belgrade it covers expenses comfortably, while in Riyadh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Belgrade and Riyadh?
It depends on your priorities. Riyadh has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,538 in Belgrade to $1,768 in Riyadh. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Belgrade or Riyadh safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Belgrade and Riyadh?
If budget matters most, go with Belgrade. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Riyadh makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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