Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and Ruse

For one person, living is cheaper in Ruse: $990 a month against $1,574 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Belgrade
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Belgrade Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Ruse
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Ruse Living Index

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Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,574

/mo nomad

Ruse

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$990

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgrade and in Ruse

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

A single person spends $1,574 per month in Belgrade vs $990 in Ruse, rent included.

Belgrade $1,574
Ruse $990

A couple spends around $2,376 per month in Belgrade vs $1,470 in Ruse, rent included.

Belgrade $2,376
Ruse $1,470

A family of three spends $3,178 per month in Belgrade vs $1,949 in Ruse, rent included.

Belgrade $3,178
Ruse $1,949

Belgrade costs about 59% more than Ruse, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Belgrade sits 16% above the global median, while Ruse is 27% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.44 RSD 1,401

$9.07 BGN 15.77

48.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.8 RSD 6,029

$34.26 BGN 59.6

68.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.23 RSD 1,380

$9.55 BGN 16.62

38.53%

Cappuccino

$3.10 RSD 323

$1.68 BGN 2.93

84.52%

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

$2.73 RSD 285

$1.48 BGN 2.58

84.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 RSD 241

$0.83 BGN 1.45

178.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.54 RSD 369

$1.76 BGN 3.07

101.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 RSD 430

$2.80 BGN 4.88

47.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 RSD 151

$1.75 BGN 3.04

-17.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 RSD 123

$1.01 BGN 1.76

16.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.61 RSD 272

$2.28 BGN 3.96

14.47%

Eggs

$2.78 RSD 289

$2.55 BGN 4.43

9.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.23 RSD 1,171

$8.93 BGN 15.54

25.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.72 RSD 701

$7.77 BGN 13.52

-13.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 RSD 1,586

$14.42 BGN 25.10

5.55%

Apples (1kg)

$1.59 RSD 166

$1.40 BGN 2.44

13.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 RSD 191

$1.85 BGN 3.21

-0.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 RSD 191

$2.01 BGN 3.50

-8.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.10 RSD 324

$2.02 BGN 3.52

53.47%

Potato (1kg)

$0.95 RSD 98.8

$1.08 BGN 1.87

-12.04%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 RSD 75.1

$1.06 BGN 1.84

-32.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 RSD 77.8

$1.21 BGN 2.11

-38.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 RSD 72.4

$0.66 BGN 1.15

4.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.76 RSD 496

$3.40 BGN 5.91

40.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.43 RSD 878

$6.12 BGN 10.66

37.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RSD 97.8

$1.13 BGN 1.97

-16.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 RSD 159

$1.17 BGN 2.04

30.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.84 BGN 1.46

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.93 BGN 27.71

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 RSD 312

$1.25 BGN 2.17

139.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 RSD 106

$0.61 BGN 1.06

67.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.54 RSD 1,828

$10.22 BGN 17.79

71.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 RSD 193

$1.51 BGN 2.63

22.52%

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

$30.5K RSD 3.2M

$30.2K BGN 52.5K

1.00%

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

$23.7K RSD 2.5M

$22.6K BGN 39.3K

5.03%

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

$219 RSD 22.9K

$104 BGN 182

110.23%

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

$24.82 RSD 2,588

$17.91 BGN 31.17

38.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.79 RSD 3,731

$12.89 BGN 22.44

177.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.37 RSD 4,313

$31.68 BGN 55.1

30.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.96 RSD 2,394

$8.80 BGN 15.32

160.91%

Cinema Ticket

$8.32 RSD 867

$5.60 BGN 9.74

48.57%

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

$423 RSD 44.1K

$518 BGN 902

-18.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K RSD 1.2M

$5,381 BGN 9,363

112.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 RSD 11.6K

$50.9 BGN 88.6

118.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.48 RSD 4,950

$28.15 BGN 48.99

68.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 RSD 12.1K

$72.0 BGN 125

61.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$158 RSD 16.4K

$87.2 BGN 152

80.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$823 RSD 85.8K

$348 BGN 606

136.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$560 RSD 58.3K

$305 BGN 531

83.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,485 RSD 154.8K

$526 BGN 914

182.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$969 RSD 101.1K

$409 BGN 712

136.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,489 RSD 572.2K

$1,660 BGN 2,889

230.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,193 RSD 332.8K

$1,210 BGN 2,105

163.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,214 RSD 126.5K

$966 BGN 1,681

25.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.61

3.1

48.71%

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

Last update for Belgrade: October 19, 2026

Last update for Ruse: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belgrade

$560 35.6%

Ruse

$305 30.9% 45.4% $254

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belgrade

$280 17.8%

Ruse

$135 13.7% 51.7% $145

Groceries & Markets

Belgrade

$243 15.4%

Ruse

$230 23.3% 5.1% $12

Eating Out

Belgrade

$231 14.7%

Ruse

$145 14.7% 37.1% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Belgrade

$195 12.4%

Ruse

$107 10.8% 44.9% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Belgrade

$58 3.7%

Ruse

$43 4.3% 26.1% $15

Getting Around

Belgrade

$8.1 * 0.5%

Ruse

$24 2.4% 192% $16

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $823 in Belgrade versus $348 in Ruse. 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 26% 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 $58.0 in Belgrade versus $34.00 in Ruse. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $243 vs $230 – making Ruse the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🇧🇬 Ruse

🕒 Local time

18:51 6:51 PM

19:51 7:51 PM

1 h ahead of Belgrade

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,197,714 Capital

159,798

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to RSD – Serbian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇸 Serbian Dinar (din)

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

USD to RSD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Belgrade Ruse 450 km

From you

Belgrade
Ruse

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 Ruse: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,574 in Belgrade, $990 in Ruse – roughly 59% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,360 per month in Belgrade and $1,485 in Ruse. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ruse, 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 $34.00 in Ruse. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 5% more in Belgrade, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ruse, where all-in costs run around $990, than in Belgrade at $1,574. In Ruse it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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