Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and Shaab

For one person, living is cheaper in Shaab: $1,372 a month against $1,554 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Belgrade
🇷🇸 Serbia
$1,554
/mo nomad
Shaab
🇰🇼 Kuwait
$1,372
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgrade and in Shaab

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

A single person spends $1,554 per month in Belgrade vs $1,372 in Shaab, rent included.

  • Belgrade $1,554
  • Shaab $1,372

A couple spends around $2,337 per month in Belgrade vs $2,277 in Shaab, rent included.

  • Belgrade $2,337
  • Shaab $2,277

A family of three spends $3,121 per month in Belgrade vs $3,181 in Shaab, rent included.

  • Belgrade $3,121
  • Shaab $3,181

Belgrade costs about 13% more than Shaab, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Belgrade and Shaab sit above the global median – Belgrade by 15%, Shaab by 2%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Belgrade
Shaab
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.15 RSD 1,371
$12.78 KWD 3.94
2.90%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$57.5 RSD 5,999
$63.7 KWD 19.63
-9.70%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.38 RSD 1,394
$8.64 KWD 2.66
54.86%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$3.12 KWD 0.96
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$4.77 KWD 1.47
-
Cappuccino
$3.10 RSD 323
$5.08 KWD 1.56
-38.98%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.82 RSD 294
$0.74 KWD 0.23
281.08%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.22 RSD 231
$0.29 KWD 0.09
665.52%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.47 RSD 362
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.96 RSD 412
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Belgrade
Shaab
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.38 RSD 144
$1.62 KWD 0.50
-14.81%
White Bread (500g)
$1.13 RSD 118
$1.49 KWD 0.46
-24.16%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.66 RSD 277
$1.98 KWD 0.61
34.34%
Eggs
$2.78 RSD 290
$2.14 KWD 0.66
29.91%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.99 RSD 1,146
$4.40 KWD 1.35
149.77%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.56 RSD 684
$6.82 KWD 2.10
-3.81%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.07 RSD 1,571
$10.02 KWD 3.09
50.40%
Apples (1kg)
$1.66 RSD 173
$2.43 KWD 0.75
-31.69%
Banana (1kg)
$1.79 RSD 186
$1.85 KWD 0.57
-3.24%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 RSD 195
$1.78 KWD 0.55
5.06%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.03 RSD 315
$1.49 KWD 0.46
103.36%
Potato (1kg)
$0.92 RSD 96.3
$1.37 KWD 0.42
-32.85%
Onion (1kg)
$0.71 RSD 73.8
$1.41 KWD 0.43
-49.65%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.74 RSD 77.6
$2.32 KWD 0.72
-68.10%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.74 RSD 77.2
$0.58 KWD 0.18
27.59%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$3.19 KWD 0.98
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.01 KWD 0.31
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.40 KWD 0.43
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.61 RSD 481
$2.77 KWD 0.85
66.43%
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
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Belgrade
Shaab
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.71 KWD 0.22
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.02 RSD 315
$4.95 KWD 1.53
-38.99%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.98 RSD 103
$3.16 KWD 0.98
-68.99%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$17.08 RSD 1,780
$15.75 KWD 4.85
8.44%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.91 RSD 199
$0.35 KWD 0.11
445.71%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$31.0K RSD 3.2M
$21.0K KWD 6,472
47.57%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.7K RSD 2.6M
$19.9K KWD 6,119
24.18%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Belgrade
Shaab
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$220 RSD 23.0K
$65.4 KWD 20.14
237.14%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.41 RSD 2,544
$22.23 KWD 6.85
9.81%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$35.64 RSD 3,715
$29.79 KWD 9.18
19.64%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Belgrade
Shaab
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.20 RSD 4,295
$103 KWD 31.81
-60.09%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.60 RSD 2,356
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$8.59 RSD 896
$11.32 KWD 3.49
-24.12%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Belgrade
Shaab
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$424 RSD 44.2K
$298 KWD 91.8
42.22%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.0K RSD 1.1M
$9,213 KWD 2,838
19.10%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Belgrade
Shaab
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$111 RSD 11.5K
$37.41 KWD 11.53
195.67%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.28 RSD 4,929
$39.85 KWD 12.28
18.64%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$113 RSD 11.8K
$95.5 KWD 29.43
18.38%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$157 RSD 16.3K
$88.3 KWD 27.21
77.30%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Belgrade
Shaab
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$805 RSD 83.9K
$810 KWD 250
-0.64%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$546 RSD 56.9K
$608 KWD 187
-10.22%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,452 RSD 151.4K
$1,741 KWD 537
-16.59%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$931 RSD 97.0K
$1,310 KWD 404
-28.95%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,368 RSD 559.6K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,155 RSD 328.9K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Belgrade
Shaab
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,237 RSD 128.9K
$3,158 KWD 973
-60.84%
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 Shaab: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Belgrade
$546
Shaab
$608 11.4% $62
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Belgrade
$280
Shaab
$117 58.1% $163
Groceries & Markets
Belgrade
$241
Shaab
$186 22.7% $55
Eating Out
Belgrade
$228
Shaab
$193 15.2% $35
Clothing & Footwear
Belgrade
$192
Shaab
$118 38.9% $75
Sport & Entertainment
Belgrade
$58
Shaab
$126 116% $68
Getting Around
Belgrade
$7.9 *
Shaab
$24 * 197% $16

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 $810 in Shaab. 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 155% higher in Shaab, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $58.0 in Belgrade versus $64.0 in Shaab. Groceries tell a different story – $241 in Belgrade vs $186 in Shaab – so Shaab wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇷🇸 Belgrade
🇰🇼 Shaab
🕒 Local time
01:37 1:37 AM
02:37 2:37 AM
1 h ahead of Belgrade
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,197,714 Capital
164,212
💱 Currency
Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك
Exchange rates and currency converter

KWD, USD, EUR to RSD – Serbian Dinar Converter

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 17, 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.308 KWD (1 KWD = 3.25 USD). 1 EUR = 0.346 KWD (1 KWD = 2.89 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Belgrade Shaab 2,970 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Belgrade
  • Shaab

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 Shaab: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Belgrade and in Shaab compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,554 in Belgrade, $1,372 in Shaab – roughly 13% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.
What salary covers living expenses in Belgrade compared to Shaab?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,331 per month in Belgrade and $2,058 in Shaab. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Belgrade and Shaab?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Shaab, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $58.0 in Belgrade and $64.0 in Shaab. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 29% more in Belgrade, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Shaab, where all-in costs run around $1,372, than in Belgrade at $1,554. In Shaab it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Where should families live: Belgrade or Shaab?
Families tend to lean toward Shaab – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Is Belgrade or Shaab safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Belgrade and Shaab?
If budget matters most, go with Shaab. 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.

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