Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and Salmiya

For one person, living costs are similar in Belgrade and in Salmiya: $1,554 and $1,624 a month, rent and utilities included.

76

Cost of Living Index in Belgrade
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Belgrade Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Salmiya
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Salmiya Living Index

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Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,554

/mo nomad

Salmiya

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,624

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgrade and in Salmiya

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

A single person spends $1,554 per month in Belgrade vs $1,624 in Salmiya, rent included.

Belgrade $1,554
Salmiya $1,624

A couple spends around $2,337 per month in Belgrade vs $2,422 in Salmiya, rent included.

Belgrade $2,337
Salmiya $2,422

A family of three spends $3,121 per month in Belgrade vs $3,219 in Salmiya, rent included.

Belgrade $3,121
Salmiya $3,219

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.15 RSD 1,371

$9.62 KWD 2.96

36.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.5 RSD 5,999

$49.01 KWD 15.10

17.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.38 RSD 1,394

$8.25 KWD 2.54

62.18%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 KWD 0.73

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 KWD 0.81

Cappuccino

$3.10 RSD 323

$4.98 KWD 1.54

-37.75%

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

$2.82 RSD 294

$0.45 KWD 0.14

526.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 RSD 231

$0.31 KWD 0.10

616.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.47 RSD 362

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 RSD 412

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 RSD 144

$1.57 KWD 0.48

-12.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 RSD 118

$0.68 KWD 0.21

66.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 RSD 277

$1.88 KWD 0.58

41.49%

Eggs

$2.78 RSD 290

$2.07 KWD 0.64

34.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.99 RSD 1,146

$4.25 KWD 1.31

158.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.56 RSD 684

$6.51 KWD 2.01

0.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.07 RSD 1,571

$10.30 KWD 3.17

46.31%

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 RSD 173

$2.48 KWD 0.76

-33.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 RSD 186

$1.92 KWD 0.59

-6.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 RSD 195

$1.74 KWD 0.54

7.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.03 RSD 315

$1.49 KWD 0.46

103.36%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 RSD 96.3

$1.32 KWD 0.41

-30.30%

Onion (1kg)

$0.71 RSD 73.8

$1.43 KWD 0.44

-50.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 RSD 77.6

$2.28 KWD 0.70

-67.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 RSD 77.2

$0.46 KWD 0.14

60.87%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.92 KWD 0.28

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 KWD 0.31

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 KWD 0.44

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.61 RSD 481

$2.80 KWD 0.86

64.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.81 RSD 918

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 RSD 92.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 RSD 151

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 KWD 0.35

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.50 KWD 14.94

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 RSD 315

$3.29 KWD 1.01

-8.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 RSD 103

$3.25 KWD 1.00

-69.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.08 RSD 1,780

$10.61 KWD 3.27

60.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 RSD 199

$0.33 KWD 0.10

478.79%

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

$31.0K RSD 3.2M

$19.6K KWD 6,040

58.12%

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

$24.7K RSD 2.6M

$20.1K KWD 6,199

22.59%

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

$220 RSD 23.0K

$48.28 KWD 14.87

356.55%

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

$24.41 RSD 2,544

$22.50 KWD 6.93

8.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.64 RSD 3,715

$29.85 KWD 9.20

19.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.20 RSD 4,295

$148 KWD 45.59

-72.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.60 RSD 2,356

$15.85 KWD 4.88

42.59%

Cinema Ticket

$8.59 RSD 896

$11.44 KWD 3.52

-24.91%

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

$424 RSD 44.2K

$302 KWD 92.9

40.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K RSD 1.1M

$7,555 KWD 2,328

45.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 RSD 11.5K

$37.52 KWD 11.56

194.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.28 RSD 4,929

$39.30 KWD 12.11

20.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 RSD 11.8K

$96.1 KWD 29.62

17.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$157 RSD 16.3K

$89.8 KWD 27.67

74.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 RSD 83.9K

$1,045 KWD 322

-22.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$546 RSD 56.9K

$823 KWD 254

-33.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,452 RSD 151.4K

$2,364 KWD 728

-38.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$931 RSD 97.0K

$1,319 KWD 406

-29.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,368 RSD 559.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,155 RSD 328.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,237 RSD 128.9K

$2,097 KWD 646

-41.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.61

6.53

-29.40%

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

Last update for Belgrade: October 12, 2026

Last update for Salmiya: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belgrade

$546 35.2%

Salmiya

$823 50.7% 50.8% $277

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belgrade

$280 18.1%

Salmiya

$101 6.2% 64.1% $180

Groceries & Markets

Belgrade

$241 15.5%

Salmiya

$174 10.7% 27.6% $66

Eating Out

Belgrade

$228 14.7%

Salmiya

$165 10.1% 27.8% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Belgrade

$192 12.4%

Salmiya

$118 7.3% 38.5% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Belgrade

$58 3.8%

Salmiya

$171 10.5% 193% $112

Getting Around

Belgrade

$7.9 * 0.5%

Salmiya

$73 4.5% 814% $65

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Belgrade versus $1,045 in Salmiya. 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 70% higher in Salmiya, 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 $49.00 in Salmiya. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $241 vs $174 – making Salmiya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🇰🇼 Salmiya

🕒 Local time

04:53 4:53 AM

05:53 5:53 AM

1 h ahead of Belgrade

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,197,714 Capital

309,960

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR

1 KWD = 3.25 USD

1 KWD = 2.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KWD, USD, EUR to RSD – Serbian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇸 Serbian Dinar (din)

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR).

Kuwaiti Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.308 KWD (1 KWD = 3.25 USD). 1 EUR = 0.346 KWD (1 KWD = 2.89 EUR).

USD to RSD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Belgrade Salmiya 2,970 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Belgrade
Salmiya

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 Salmiya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,554 in Belgrade, $1,624 in Salmiya – roughly 5% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,331 per month in Belgrade and $2,436 in Salmiya. 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 $49.00 in Salmiya. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 38% cheaper in Salmiya – 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 Belgrade, where all-in costs run around $1,554, than in Salmiya at $1,624. In Belgrade it covers expenses comfortably, while in Salmiya it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Belgrade – 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 Belgrade. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Salmiya makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.