Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and Sal

For one person, living is cheaper in Sal: $857 a month against $1,538 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Belgrade
Learn more

Belgrade Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Sal
Learn more

Sal Living Index

Jump to prices

Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,538

/mo nomad

Sal

🇨🇻 Cape Verde

$857

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgrade and in Sal

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

A single person spends $1,538 per month in Belgrade vs $857 in Sal, rent included.

Belgrade $1,538
Sal $857

A couple spends around $2,321 per month in Belgrade vs $1,347 in Sal, rent included.

Belgrade $2,321
Sal $1,347

A family of three spends $3,105 per month in Belgrade vs $1,836 in Sal, rent included.

Belgrade $3,105
Sal $1,836

Belgrade costs about 79% more than Sal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Belgrade sits 15% above the global median, while Sal is 36% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.33 RSD 1,389

$5.71 CVE 562

133.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.4 RSD 6,085

$46.45 CVE 4,573

25.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.58 RSD 1,414

$11.40 CVE 1,123

19.12%

Cappuccino

$3.13 RSD 326

$2.27 CVE 224

37.89%

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

$2.77 RSD 288

$2.69 CVE 265

2.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 RSD 237

$1.15 CVE 113

97.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 RSD 390

$4.50 CVE 443

-16.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 RSD 456

$3.14 CVE 309

39.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 RSD 146

$1.61 CVE 159

-13.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 RSD 122

$2.21 CVE 218

-47.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 RSD 282

$1.21 CVE 119

123.97%

Eggs

$2.78 RSD 289

$2.98 CVE 293

-6.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.36 RSD 1,184

$9.52 CVE 937

19.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.01 RSD 731

$7.63 CVE 751

-8.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.72 RSD 1,638

$16.54 CVE 1,629

-4.96%

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 RSD 173

$3.27 CVE 322

-49.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 RSD 188

$2.42 CVE 238

-25.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 RSD 190

$3.26 CVE 321

-43.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.13 RSD 326

$4.03 CVE 397

-22.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 RSD 91.3

$1.74 CVE 172

-49.43%

Onion (1kg)

$0.67 RSD 70.3

$1.89 CVE 187

-64.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.81 RSD 84.4

$1.57 CVE 155

-48.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 RSD 70.9

$1.16 CVE 114

-41.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.78 RSD 498

$4.54 CVE 447

5.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.54 RSD 889

$6.82 CVE 671

25.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RSD 97.7

$4.01 CVE 395

-76.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 RSD 150

$1.86 CVE 183

-22.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.05 CVE 103

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 RSD 322

$2.09 CVE 206

47.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 RSD 107

$3.17 CVE 312

-67.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.18 RSD 1,789

$12.72 CVE 1,252

35.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 RSD 195

$1.34 CVE 132

39.55%

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

$30.7K RSD 3.2M

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

$24.3K RSD 2.5M

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

$218 RSD 22.7K

$62.3 CVE 6,135

249.33%

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

$25.24 RSD 2,629

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.35 RSD 3,683

$50.3 CVE 4,948

-29.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.77 RSD 4,351

$28.27 CVE 2,783

47.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.80 RSD 2,375

Cinema Ticket

$8.47 RSD 882

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

$426 RSD 44.4K

$115 CVE 11.3K

270.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K RSD 1.2M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 RSD 11.6K

$30.89 CVE 3,041

259.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.99 RSD 4,791

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 RSD 12.4K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 RSD 16.0K

$144 CVE 14.2K

6.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$821 RSD 85.6K

$260 CVE 25.6K

216.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$561 RSD 58.4K

$172 CVE 17.0K

225.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,511 RSD 157.4K

$304 CVE 29.9K

397.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$942 RSD 98.1K

$208 CVE 20.5K

352.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,312 RSD 553.4K

$672 CVE 66.1K

690.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,165 RSD 329.7K

$341 CVE 33.6K

828.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,228 RSD 127.9K

$254 CVE 25.0K

383.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.61

5.25

-12.19%

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

Last update for Belgrade: October 3, 2026

Last update for Sal: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belgrade

$561 35.5%

Sal

$172 19.9% 69.3% $388

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belgrade

$278 17.6%

Sal

$113 * 13% 59.5% $166

Groceries & Markets

Belgrade

$246 15.6%

Sal

$302 34.8% 22.7% $56

Eating Out

Belgrade

$233 14.7%

Sal

$151 17.4% 35% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Belgrade

$194 12.3%

Sal

$79 * 9.1% 59.4% $115

Sport & Entertainment

Belgrade

$59 3.7%

Sal

$28 * 3.3% 51.8% $30

Getting Around

Belgrade

$8.2 * 0.5%

Sal

$22 * 2.6% 169% $14

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 $260 in Sal. 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 383% 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 $46.00 in Sal. Groceries tell a different story – $246 in Belgrade vs $302 in Sal – so Belgrade wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🇨🇻 Sal

🕒 Local time

07:03 7:03 AM

04:03 4:03 AM

3 h behind Belgrade

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,197,714 Capital

1,288

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

Cabo Verdean Escudo CVE $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.6 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.56 EUR

1,000 CVE = 10.16 USD

1,000 CVE = 9.06 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CVE, 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 = 8.56 EUR).

Cabo Verdean Escudo exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 98.45 CVE (100 CVE = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 110 CVE (1,000 CVE = 9.06 EUR).

USD to RSD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Belgrade Sal 5,100 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Belgrade
Sal

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 Sal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,538 in Belgrade, $857 in Sal – roughly 79% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,307 per month in Belgrade and $1,286 in Sal. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sal, 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 $46.00 in Sal. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 23% cheaper in Belgrade – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sal, where all-in costs run around $857, than in Belgrade at $1,538. In Sal it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sal – 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 Sal. 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.