Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and Shumen

For one person, living is cheaper in Shumen: $906 a month against $1,554 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Shumen
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Shumen Living Index

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Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,554

/mo nomad

Shumen

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$906

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgrade and in Shumen

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

A single person spends $1,554 per month in Belgrade vs $906 in Shumen, rent included.

Belgrade $1,554
Shumen $906

A couple spends around $2,337 per month in Belgrade vs $1,409 in Shumen, rent included.

Belgrade $2,337
Shumen $1,409

A family of three spends $3,121 per month in Belgrade vs $1,912 in Shumen, rent included.

Belgrade $3,121
Shumen $1,912

Belgrade costs about 72% more than Shumen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Belgrade sits 15% above the global median, while Shumen is 33% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.15 RSD 1,371

$9.24 BGN 16.07

42.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.5 RSD 5,999

$33.55 BGN 58.4

71.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.38 RSD 1,394

$8.87 BGN 15.44

50.85%

Cappuccino

$3.10 RSD 323

$1.73 BGN 3.01

79.19%

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

$2.82 RSD 294

$1.48 BGN 2.58

90.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 RSD 231

$1.00 BGN 1.75

122.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.47 RSD 362

$2.92 BGN 5.08

18.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 RSD 412

$2.83 BGN 4.93

39.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 RSD 144

$1.81 BGN 3.15

-23.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 RSD 118

$1.03 BGN 1.79

9.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 RSD 277

$2.43 BGN 4.22

9.47%

Eggs

$2.78 RSD 290

$2.88 BGN 5.02

-3.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.99 RSD 1,146

$8.90 BGN 15.49

23.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.56 RSD 684

$5.08 BGN 8.85

29.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.07 RSD 1,571

$8.75 BGN 15.23

72.23%

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 RSD 173

$1.50 BGN 2.62

10.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 RSD 186

$2.06 BGN 3.58

-13.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 RSD 195

$2.18 BGN 3.80

-14.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.03 RSD 315

$2.27 BGN 3.95

33.48%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 RSD 96.3

$2.04 BGN 3.54

-54.90%

Onion (1kg)

$0.71 RSD 73.8

$1.31 BGN 2.28

-45.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 RSD 77.6

$0.83 BGN 1.44

-10.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 RSD 77.2

$0.75 BGN 1.30

-1.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.61 RSD 481

$3.68 BGN 6.41

25.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.81 RSD 918

$7.18 BGN 12.50

22.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 RSD 92.7

$0.95 BGN 1.66

-6.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 RSD 151

$1.40 BGN 2.44

3.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 BGN 1.64

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.92 BGN 45.10

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 RSD 315

$1.75 BGN 3.04

72.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 RSD 103

$0.48 BGN 0.84

104.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.08 RSD 1,780

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 RSD 199

$1.52 BGN 2.64

25.66%

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

$31.0K RSD 3.2M

$30.3K BGN 52.8K

2.21%

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

$24.7K RSD 2.6M

$22.2K BGN 38.6K

11.27%

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

$220 RSD 23.0K

$133 BGN 231

66.10%

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

$24.41 RSD 2,544

$17.28 BGN 30.07

41.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.64 RSD 3,715

$17.28 BGN 30.06

106.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.20 RSD 4,295

$38.57 BGN 67.1

6.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.60 RSD 2,356

$11.34 BGN 19.72

99.29%

Cinema Ticket

$8.59 RSD 896

$6.79 BGN 11.82

26.51%

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

$424 RSD 44.2K

$570 BGN 991

-25.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K RSD 1.1M

$10.2K BGN 17.8K

7.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 RSD 11.5K

$48.34 BGN 84.1

128.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.28 RSD 4,929

$51.3 BGN 89.2

-7.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 RSD 11.8K

$94.1 BGN 164

20.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$157 RSD 16.3K

$60.2 BGN 105

160.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 RSD 83.9K

$262 BGN 455

207.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$546 RSD 56.9K

$176 BGN 306

210.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,452 RSD 151.4K

$430 BGN 748

237.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$931 RSD 97.0K

$326 BGN 567

185.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,368 RSD 559.6K

$1,263 BGN 2,197

325.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,155 RSD 328.9K

$986 BGN 1,716

219.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,237 RSD 128.9K

$1,004 BGN 1,747

23.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.61

3.25

41.85%

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

Last update for Belgrade: October 12, 2026

Last update for Shumen: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belgrade

$546 35.2%

Shumen

$176 19.4% 67.8% $370

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belgrade

$280 18.1%

Shumen

$167 18.5% 40.4% $113

Groceries & Markets

Belgrade

$241 15.5%

Shumen

$211 23.3% 12.3% $30

Eating Out

Belgrade

$228 14.7%

Shumen

$151 16.7% 33.5% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Belgrade

$192 12.4%

Shumen

$114 12.6% 40.6% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Belgrade

$58 3.8%

Shumen

$52 5.8% 10.7% $6.2

Getting Around

Belgrade

$7.9 * 0.5%

Shumen

$34 3.7% 326% $26

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 $262 in Shumen. 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 23% 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 $34.00 in Shumen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $241 vs $211 – making Shumen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🇧🇬 Shumen

🕒 Local time

21:23 9:23 PM

22:23 10:23 PM

1 h ahead of Belgrade

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,197,714 Capital

85,504

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to RSD – Serbian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇸 Serbian Dinar (din)

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).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

USD to RSD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Belgrade Shumen 540 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Belgrade
Shumen

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 Shumen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,554 in Belgrade, $906 in Shumen – roughly 72% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,331 per month in Belgrade and $1,359 in Shumen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shumen, 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 $34.00 in Shumen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 14% 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 Shumen, where all-in costs run around $906, than in Belgrade at $1,554. In Shumen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Shumen – 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 Shumen. 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.