Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and Side

For one person, living is cheaper in Side: $1,153 a month against $1,574 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Side
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Side Living Index

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Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,574

/mo nomad

Side

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,153

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgrade and in Side

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

A single person spends $1,574 per month in Belgrade vs $1,153 in Side, rent included.

Belgrade $1,574
Side $1,153

A couple spends around $2,376 per month in Belgrade vs $1,793 in Side, rent included.

Belgrade $2,376
Side $1,793

A family of three spends $3,178 per month in Belgrade vs $2,432 in Side, rent included.

Belgrade $3,178
Side $2,432

Belgrade costs about 36% more than Side, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Belgrade sits 16% above the global median, while Side is 15% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.44 RSD 1,401

$10.25 ₺507

31.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.8 RSD 6,029

$30.35 ₺1,502

90.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.23 RSD 1,380

$9.86 ₺488

34.18%

Cappuccino

$3.10 RSD 323

$3.63 ₺179

-14.60%

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

$2.73 RSD 285

$2.20 ₺109

24.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 RSD 241

$0.39 ₺19.35

492.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.54 RSD 369

$4.10 ₺203

-13.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 RSD 430

$5.92 ₺293

-30.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 RSD 151

$1.05 ₺52.2

38.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 RSD 123

$0.96 ₺47.29

22.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.61 RSD 272

$2.62 ₺130

-0.38%

Eggs

$2.78 RSD 289

$2.22 ₺110

25.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.23 RSD 1,171

$13.36 ₺661

-15.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.72 RSD 701

$6.05 ₺299

11.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 RSD 1,586

$26.37 ₺1,305

-42.28%

Apples (1kg)

$1.59 RSD 166

$1.54 ₺76.1

3.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 RSD 191

$2.39 ₺118

-23.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 RSD 191

$1.44 ₺71.4

27.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.10 RSD 324

$1.23 ₺60.8

152.03%

Potato (1kg)

$0.95 RSD 98.8

$0.78 ₺38.78

21.79%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 RSD 75.1

$0.75 ₺36.99

-4.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 RSD 77.8

$1.81 ₺89.7

-58.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 RSD 72.4

$0.76 ₺37.73

-9.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.76 RSD 496

$2.80 ₺138

70.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.43 RSD 878

$13.96 ₺691

-39.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RSD 97.8

$1.76 ₺87.1

-46.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 RSD 159

$3.13 ₺155

-51.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 ₺31.41

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 RSD 312

$1.23 ₺61.0

143.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 RSD 106

$1.03 ₺51.1

-0.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.54 RSD 1,828

$6.88 ₺341

154.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 RSD 193

$1.53 ₺75.9

20.92%

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

$30.5K RSD 3.2M

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-27.45%

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

$23.7K RSD 2.5M

$38.0K ₺1.9M

-37.58%

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

$219 RSD 22.9K

$76.1 ₺3,765

188.40%

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

$24.82 RSD 2,588

$10.50 ₺520

136.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.79 RSD 3,731

$23.39 ₺1,158

53.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.37 RSD 4,313

$57.1 ₺2,826

-27.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.96 RSD 2,394

Cinema Ticket

$8.32 RSD 867

$7.93 ₺393

4.92%

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

$423 RSD 44.1K

$499 ₺24.7K

-15.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K RSD 1.2M

$9,527 ₺471.7K

19.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 RSD 11.6K

$44.49 ₺2,203

150.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.48 RSD 4,950

$59.1 ₺2,926

-19.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 RSD 12.1K

$154 ₺7,612

-24.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$158 RSD 16.4K

$121 ₺5,967

30.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$823 RSD 85.8K

$478 ₺23.6K

72.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$560 RSD 58.3K

$308 ₺15.2K

81.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,485 RSD 154.8K

$763 ₺37.8K

94.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$969 RSD 101.1K

$562 ₺27.8K

72.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,489 RSD 572.2K

$1,548 ₺76.7K

254.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,193 RSD 332.8K

$913 ₺45.2K

249.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,214 RSD 126.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.61

38.25

-87.95%

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

Last update for Belgrade: October 19, 2026

Last update for Side: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belgrade

$560 35.6%

Side

$308 26.7% 45% $252

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belgrade

$280 17.8%

Side

$110 9.5% 60.7% $170

Groceries & Markets

Belgrade

$243 15.4%

Side

$286 24.8% 17.8% $43

Eating Out

Belgrade

$231 14.7%

Side

$198 17.2% 14.2% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Belgrade

$195 12.4%

Side

$170 14.7% 12.6% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Belgrade

$58 3.7%

Side

$73 6.3% 25.8% $15

Getting Around

Belgrade

$8.1 * 0.5%

Side

$8.9 * 0.8% 10.5% $0.8

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 $478 in Side. 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 $30.00 in Side. Groceries tell a different story – $243 in Belgrade vs $286 in Side – so Belgrade wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🇹🇷 Side

🕒 Local time

23:17 11:17 PM

00:17 12:17 AM

1 h ahead of Belgrade

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,197,714 Capital

12,500

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to RSD – Serbian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇸 Serbian Dinar (din)

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to RSD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Belgrade Side 1,280 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Belgrade
Side

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 Side: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,574 in Belgrade, $1,153 in Side – roughly 36% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,360 per month in Belgrade and $1,730 in Side. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Side, 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 $30.00 in Side. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 18% cheaper in Belgrade – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Side, where all-in costs run around $1,153, than in Belgrade at $1,574. In Side it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Side – 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 Side. 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.