Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and Saint Petersburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Saint Petersburg: $1,290 a month against $1,538 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 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
63

Cost of Living Index in Saint Petersburg
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Saint Petersburg Living Index

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Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,538

/mo nomad

Saint Petersburg

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,290

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgrade and in Saint Petersburg

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

A single person spends $1,538 per month in Belgrade vs $1,290 in Saint Petersburg, rent included.

Belgrade $1,538
Saint Petersburg $1,290

A couple spends around $2,321 per month in Belgrade vs $2,084 in Saint Petersburg, rent included.

Belgrade $2,321
Saint Petersburg $2,084

A family of three spends $3,105 per month in Belgrade vs $2,878 in Saint Petersburg, rent included.

Belgrade $3,105
Saint Petersburg $2,878

Belgrade costs about 19% more than Saint Petersburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Belgrade sits 15% above the global median, while Saint Petersburg is 4% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.33 RSD 1,389

$11.34 ₽965

17.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.4 RSD 6,085

$41.45 ₽3,527

40.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.58 RSD 1,414

$6.40 ₽544

112.19%

Cappuccino

$3.13 RSD 326

$2.98 ₽254

5.03%

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

$2.77 RSD 288

$1.48 ₽126

87.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 RSD 237

$0.66 ₽55.9

243.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 RSD 390

$2.57 ₽219

45.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 RSD 456

$3.57 ₽304

22.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 RSD 146

$1.10 ₽93.4

27.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 RSD 122

$0.91 ₽77.3

28.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 RSD 282

$1.59 ₽135

70.44%

Eggs

$2.78 RSD 289

$1.69 ₽144

64.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.36 RSD 1,184

$12.04 ₽1,024

-5.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.01 RSD 731

$6.51 ₽554

7.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.72 RSD 1,638

$12.08 ₽1,028

30.13%

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 RSD 173

$1.65 ₽141

0.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 RSD 188

$1.58 ₽134

14.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 RSD 190

$1.63 ₽138

12.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.13 RSD 326

$2.99 ₽254

4.68%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 RSD 91.3

$0.84 ₽71.1

4.76%

Onion (1kg)

$0.67 RSD 70.3

$0.60 ₽51.4

11.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.81 RSD 84.4

$1.27 ₽108

-36.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 RSD 70.9

$0.79 ₽67.1

-13.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.78 RSD 498

$2.99 ₽254

59.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.54 RSD 889

$8.39 ₽714

1.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RSD 97.7

$1.17 ₽99.8

-19.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 RSD 150

$1.99 ₽169

-27.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 ₽86.4

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.1 ₽4,522

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 RSD 322

$2.97 ₽253

4.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 RSD 107

$0.61 ₽51.7

67.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.18 RSD 1,789

$8.51 ₽724

101.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 RSD 195

$0.86 ₽73.0

117.44%

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

$30.7K RSD 3.2M

$35.4K ₽3.0M

-13.05%

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

$24.3K RSD 2.5M

$32.3K ₽2.8M

-24.96%

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

$218 RSD 22.7K

$146 ₽12.5K

48.68%

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

$25.24 RSD 2,629

$7.26 ₽617

247.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.35 RSD 3,683

$8.69 ₽740

306.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.77 RSD 4,351

$39.62 ₽3,371

5.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.80 RSD 2,375

$42.35 ₽3,603

-46.16%

Cinema Ticket

$8.47 RSD 882

$7.17 ₽610

18.13%

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

$426 RSD 44.4K

$542 ₽46.1K

-21.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K RSD 1.2M

$17.0K ₽1.4M

-32.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 RSD 11.6K

$91.5 ₽7,781

21.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.99 RSD 4,791

$50.4 ₽4,291

-8.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 RSD 12.4K

$137 ₽11.6K

-12.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 RSD 16.0K

$123 ₽10.5K

25.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$821 RSD 85.6K

$748 ₽63.7K

9.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$561 RSD 58.4K

$443 ₽37.7K

26.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,511 RSD 157.4K

$1,570 ₽133.6K

-3.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$942 RSD 98.1K

$898 ₽76.4K

4.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,312 RSD 553.4K

$4,262 ₽362.6K

24.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,165 RSD 329.7K

$2,721 ₽231.5K

16.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,228 RSD 127.9K

$1,128 ₽96.0K

8.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.61

19.81

-76.73%

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

Last update for Belgrade: October 3, 2026

Last update for Saint Petersburg: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belgrade

$561 35.5%

Saint Petersburg

$443 34.1% 21% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belgrade

$278 17.6%

Saint Petersburg

$162 12.5% 41.7% $116

Groceries & Markets

Belgrade

$246 15.6%

Saint Petersburg

$222 17.1% 9.8% $24

Eating Out

Belgrade

$233 14.7%

Saint Petersburg

$174 13.4% 25.1% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Belgrade

$194 12.3%

Saint Petersburg

$181 13.9% 6.7% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Belgrade

$59 3.7%

Saint Petersburg

$54 4.2% 8.1% $4.8

Getting Around

Belgrade

$8.2 * 0.5%

Saint Petersburg

$63 4.9% 670% $55

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 $748 in Saint Petersburg. 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 9% 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 $41.00 in Saint Petersburg. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $246 vs $222 – making Saint Petersburg the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🇷🇺 Saint Petersburg

🕒 Local time

12:48 12:48 PM

13:48 1:48 PM

1 h ahead of Belgrade

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,197,714 Capital

5,597,763

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.6 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.57 EUR

100 RUB = 1.18 USD

100 RUB = 1.05 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR 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 = 8.57 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 85.09 RUB (100 RUB = 1.18 USD). 1 EUR = 95.35 RUB (100 RUB = 1.05 EUR).

USD to RSD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Belgrade Saint Petersburg 1,810 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Belgrade
Saint Petersburg

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 Saint Petersburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,538 in Belgrade, $1,290 in Saint Petersburg – roughly 19% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,307 per month in Belgrade and $1,935 in Saint Petersburg. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Saint Petersburg, 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 $41.00 in Saint Petersburg. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 11% 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 Saint Petersburg, where all-in costs run around $1,290, than in Belgrade at $1,538. In Saint Petersburg it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Saint Petersburg has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,290 in Saint Petersburg to $1,538 in Belgrade. 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 Saint Petersburg. 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.