Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and Saransk

For one person, living is cheaper in Saransk: $1,092 a month against $1,554 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Saransk
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Saransk Living Index

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Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,554

/mo nomad

Saransk

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,092

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgrade and in Saransk

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

A single person spends $1,554 per month in Belgrade vs $1,092 in Saransk, rent included.

Belgrade $1,554
Saransk $1,092

A couple spends around $2,337 per month in Belgrade vs $1,736 in Saransk, rent included.

Belgrade $2,337
Saransk $1,736

A family of three spends $3,121 per month in Belgrade vs $2,380 in Saransk, rent included.

Belgrade $3,121
Saransk $2,380

Belgrade costs about 42% more than Saransk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Belgrade sits 15% above the global median, while Saransk is 19% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.15 RSD 1,371

$14.24 ₽1,189

-7.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.5 RSD 5,999

$52.6 ₽4,393

9.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.38 RSD 1,394

$7.06 ₽589

89.52%

Cappuccino

$3.10 RSD 323

$3.19 ₽266

-2.82%

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

$2.82 RSD 294

$1.76 ₽147

60.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 RSD 231

$0.70 ₽58.1

217.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.47 RSD 362

$1.87 ₽156

85.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 RSD 412

$3.71 ₽310

6.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 RSD 144

$1.20 ₽100

15.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 RSD 118

$0.82 ₽68.0

37.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 RSD 277

$1.40 ₽117

90.00%

Eggs

$2.78 RSD 290

$1.56 ₽130

78.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.99 RSD 1,146

$11.95 ₽997

-8.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.56 RSD 684

$4.87 ₽406

34.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.07 RSD 1,571

$13.28 ₽1,108

13.48%

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 RSD 173

$1.77 ₽148

-6.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 RSD 186

$1.66 ₽139

7.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 RSD 195

$1.70 ₽142

10.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.03 RSD 315

$3.48 ₽290

-12.93%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 RSD 96.3

$0.66 ₽55.0

39.39%

Onion (1kg)

$0.71 RSD 73.8

$0.60 ₽50.4

18.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 RSD 77.6

$1.29 ₽107

-42.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 RSD 77.2

$0.71 ₽59.0

4.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.61 RSD 481

$3.04 ₽254

51.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.81 RSD 918

$8.58 ₽716

2.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 RSD 92.7

$1.10 ₽91.5

-19.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 RSD 151

$2.39 ₽199

-39.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 ₽46.02

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 RSD 315

$2.12 ₽177

42.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 RSD 103

$0.41 ₽33.85

139.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.08 RSD 1,780

$7.13 ₽595

139.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 RSD 199

$0.81 ₽67.9

135.80%

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

$31.0K RSD 3.2M

$40.9K ₽3.4M

-24.21%

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

$24.7K RSD 2.6M

$32.8K ₽2.7M

-24.91%

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

$220 RSD 23.0K

$145 ₽12.1K

52.36%

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

$24.41 RSD 2,544

$6.86 ₽573

255.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.64 RSD 3,715

$7.73 ₽645

361.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.20 RSD 4,295

$30.73 ₽2,565

34.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.60 RSD 2,356

$22.61 ₽1,887

-0.04%

Cinema Ticket

$8.59 RSD 896

$7.28 ₽608

17.99%

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

$424 RSD 44.2K

$314 ₽26.2K

35.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K RSD 1.1M

$7,027 ₽586.5K

56.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 RSD 11.5K

$67.8 ₽5,657

63.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.28 RSD 4,929

$54.4 ₽4,538

-13.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 RSD 11.8K

$137 ₽11.5K

-17.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$157 RSD 16.3K

$81.2 ₽6,776

92.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 RSD 83.9K

$473 ₽39.4K

70.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$546 RSD 56.9K

$309 ₽25.8K

76.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,452 RSD 151.4K

$894 ₽74.6K

62.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$931 RSD 97.0K

$562 ₽46.9K

65.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,368 RSD 559.6K

$2,232 ₽186.3K

140.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,155 RSD 328.9K

$1,483 ₽123.8K

112.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,237 RSD 128.9K

$662 ₽55.3K

86.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.61

20.81

-77.85%

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

Last update for Belgrade: October 12, 2026

Last update for Saransk: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belgrade

$546 35.2%

Saransk

$309 28.3% 43.4% $237

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belgrade

$280 18.1%

Saransk

$159 14.6% 43.2% $121

Groceries & Markets

Belgrade

$241 15.5%

Saransk

$219 20.1% 8.9% $21

Eating Out

Belgrade

$228 14.7%

Saransk

$200 18.3% 12.3% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Belgrade

$192 12.4%

Saransk

$153 14% 20.3% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Belgrade

$58 3.8%

Saransk

$45 4.2% 22.4% $13

Getting Around

Belgrade

$7.9 * 0.5%

Saransk

$6.4 * 0.6% 20% $1.6

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 $473 in Saransk. 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 87% 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 $53.0 in Saransk. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $241 vs $219 – making Saransk the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🇷🇺 Saransk

🕒 Local time

04:01 4:01 AM

05:01 5:01 AM

1 h ahead of Belgrade

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,197,714 Capital

320,612

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

USD to RSD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Belgrade Saransk 2,050 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Belgrade
Saransk

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 Saransk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,554 in Belgrade, $1,092 in Saransk – roughly 42% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,331 per month in Belgrade and $1,638 in Saransk. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Saransk, 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 $53.0 in Saransk. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 10% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Saransk, where all-in costs run around $1,092, than in Belgrade at $1,554. In Saransk it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Saransk – 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 Saransk. 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.