Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and Shakhty

For one person, living is cheaper in Shakhty: $973 a month against $1,574 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 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
51

Cost of Living Index in Shakhty
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Shakhty Living Index

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Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,574

/mo nomad

Shakhty

🇷🇺 Russia

$973

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgrade and in Shakhty

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

A single person spends $1,574 per month in Belgrade vs $973 in Shakhty, rent included.

Belgrade $1,574
Shakhty $973

A couple spends around $2,376 per month in Belgrade vs $1,539 in Shakhty, rent included.

Belgrade $2,376
Shakhty $1,539

A family of three spends $3,178 per month in Belgrade vs $2,105 in Shakhty, rent included.

Belgrade $3,178
Shakhty $2,105

Belgrade costs about 62% more than Shakhty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Belgrade sits 16% above the global median, while Shakhty is 28% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.44 RSD 1,401

$9.92 ₽828

35.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.8 RSD 6,029

$37.22 ₽3,106

55.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.23 RSD 1,380

$5.74 ₽479

130.49%

Cappuccino

$3.10 RSD 323

$2.40 ₽201

29.17%

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

$2.73 RSD 285

$1.16 ₽96.5

135.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 RSD 241

$0.57 ₽47.83

305.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.54 RSD 369

$1.61 ₽134

119.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 RSD 430

$2.63 ₽220

57.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 RSD 151

$1.19 ₽99.1

21.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 RSD 123

$0.80 ₽66.5

47.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.61 RSD 272

$1.50 ₽125

74.00%

Eggs

$2.78 RSD 289

$1.62 ₽135

71.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.23 RSD 1,171

$10.16 ₽848

10.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.72 RSD 701

$4.96 ₽414

35.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 RSD 1,586

$10.31 ₽861

47.62%

Apples (1kg)

$1.59 RSD 166

$1.69 ₽141

-5.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 RSD 191

$1.55 ₽130

18.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 RSD 191

$2.05 ₽171

-10.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.10 RSD 324

$3.05 ₽254

1.64%

Potato (1kg)

$0.95 RSD 98.8

$0.84 ₽70.3

13.10%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 RSD 75.1

$0.65 ₽53.9

10.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 RSD 77.8

$1.25 ₽105

-40.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 RSD 72.4

$0.73 ₽60.7

-5.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.76 RSD 496

$2.89 ₽241

64.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.43 RSD 878

$7.01 ₽585

20.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RSD 97.8

$0.95 ₽79.3

-1.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 RSD 159

$2.30 ₽192

-33.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 ₽48.93

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 RSD 312

$2.26 ₽189

32.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 RSD 106

$0.32 ₽26.88

218.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.54 RSD 1,828

$6.03 ₽504

190.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 RSD 193

$0.85 ₽70.5

117.65%

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

$30.5K RSD 3.2M

$59.1K ₽4.9M

-48.43%

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

$23.7K RSD 2.5M

$44.0K ₽3.7M

-46.15%

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

$219 RSD 22.9K

$105 ₽8,740

109.44%

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

$24.82 RSD 2,588

$6.49 ₽542

282.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.79 RSD 3,731

$7.40 ₽618

383.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.37 RSD 4,313

$32.98 ₽2,752

25.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.96 RSD 2,394

$26.70 ₽2,229

-14.01%

Cinema Ticket

$8.32 RSD 867

$5.53 ₽461

50.45%

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

$423 RSD 44.1K

$336 ₽28.1K

25.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K RSD 1.2M

$6,458 ₽539.0K

76.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 RSD 11.6K

$72.0 ₽6,010

54.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.48 RSD 4,950

$45.27 ₽3,779

4.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 RSD 12.1K

$109 ₽9,135

5.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$158 RSD 16.4K

$115 ₽9,611

36.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$823 RSD 85.8K

$496 ₽41.4K

65.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$560 RSD 58.3K

$304 ₽25.4K

83.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,485 RSD 154.8K

$776 ₽64.7K

91.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$969 RSD 101.1K

$559 ₽46.7K

73.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,489 RSD 572.2K

$2,448 ₽204.3K

124.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,193 RSD 332.8K

$1,378 ₽115.0K

131.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,214 RSD 126.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.61

21.45

-78.51%

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

Last update for Belgrade: October 19, 2026

Last update for Shakhty: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belgrade

$560 35.6%

Shakhty

$304 31.3% 45.6% $255

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belgrade

$280 17.8%

Shakhty

$119 12.2% 57.6% $161

Groceries & Markets

Belgrade

$243 15.4%

Shakhty

$201 20.6% 17.4% $42

Eating Out

Belgrade

$231 14.7%

Shakhty

$146 15% 36.8% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Belgrade

$195 12.4%

Shakhty

$154 15.8% 20.9% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Belgrade

$58 3.7%

Shakhty

$44 4.5% 24.1% $14

Getting Around

Belgrade

$8.1 * 0.5%

Shakhty

$6.2 * 0.6% 23.1% $1.9

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $823 in Belgrade versus $496 in Shakhty. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $58.0 in Belgrade versus $37.00 in Shakhty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $243 vs $201 – making Shakhty the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🇷🇺 Shakhty

🕒 Local time

03:27 3:27 AM

04:27 4:27 AM

1 h ahead of Belgrade

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,197,714 Capital

235,492

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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

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Highest

Between locations

Belgrade Shakhty 1,550 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Belgrade
Shakhty

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 Shakhty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,574 in Belgrade, $973 in Shakhty – roughly 62% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,360 per month in Belgrade and $1,460 in Shakhty. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shakhty, 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 $37.00 in Shakhty. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 21% 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 Shakhty, where all-in costs run around $973, than in Belgrade at $1,574. In Shakhty it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Shakhty – 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 Shakhty. 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.