Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and Sliven

For one person, living is cheaper in Sliven: $774 a month against $1,554 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Sliven
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Sliven Living Index

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Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,554

/mo nomad

Sliven

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$774

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgrade and in Sliven

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

A single person spends $1,554 per month in Belgrade vs $774 in Sliven, rent included.

Belgrade $1,554
Sliven $774

A couple spends around $2,337 per month in Belgrade vs $1,228 in Sliven, rent included.

Belgrade $2,337
Sliven $1,228

A family of three spends $3,121 per month in Belgrade vs $1,681 in Sliven, rent included.

Belgrade $3,121
Sliven $1,681

Belgrade costs about 101% more than Sliven, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Belgrade sits 15% above the global median, while Sliven is 43% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.15 RSD 1,371

$11.63 BGN 20.24

13.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.5 RSD 5,999

$33.58 BGN 58.4

71.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.38 RSD 1,394

$10.13 BGN 17.63

32.08%

Cappuccino

$3.10 RSD 323

$1.85 BGN 3.23

67.57%

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

$2.82 RSD 294

$1.23 BGN 2.15

129.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 RSD 231

$0.93 BGN 1.63

138.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.47 RSD 362

$1.73 BGN 3.01

100.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 RSD 412

$2.25 BGN 3.91

76.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 RSD 144

$1.52 BGN 2.64

-9.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 RSD 118

$0.81 BGN 1.41

39.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 RSD 277

$2.66 BGN 4.64

Eggs

$2.78 RSD 290

$2.11 BGN 3.67

31.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.99 RSD 1,146

$7.97 BGN 13.86

37.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.56 RSD 684

$5.54 BGN 9.64

18.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.07 RSD 1,571

$6.72 BGN 11.69

124.26%

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 RSD 173

$1.45 BGN 2.53

14.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 RSD 186

$1.60 BGN 2.78

11.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 RSD 195

$1.39 BGN 2.42

34.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.03 RSD 315

$2.18 BGN 3.79

38.99%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 RSD 96.3

$0.50 BGN 0.88

84.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.71 RSD 73.8

$0.83 BGN 1.44

-14.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 RSD 77.6

$1.06 BGN 1.84

-30.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 RSD 77.2

$0.50 BGN 0.86

48.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.61 RSD 481

$3.55 BGN 6.18

29.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.81 RSD 918

$6.08 BGN 10.58

44.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 RSD 92.7

$1.05 BGN 1.82

-15.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 RSD 151

$1.22 BGN 2.13

18.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 BGN 1.14

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.36 BGN 61.5

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 RSD 315

$1.11 BGN 1.93

172.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 RSD 103

$0.58 BGN 1.00

68.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.08 RSD 1,780

$8.31 BGN 14.46

105.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 RSD 199

$1.53 BGN 2.66

24.84%

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

$31.0K RSD 3.2M

$30.5K BGN 53.0K

1.70%

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

$24.7K RSD 2.6M

$21.9K BGN 38.1K

12.74%

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

$220 RSD 23.0K

$84.8 BGN 148

159.81%

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

$24.41 RSD 2,544

$20.02 BGN 34.83

21.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.64 RSD 3,715

$9.07 BGN 15.79

292.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.20 RSD 4,295

$23.19 BGN 40.35

77.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.60 RSD 2,356

Cinema Ticket

$8.59 RSD 896

$5.62 BGN 9.79

52.85%

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

$424 RSD 44.2K

$500 BGN 869

-15.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K RSD 1.1M

$6,332 BGN 11.0K

73.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 RSD 11.5K

$56.2 BGN 97.8

96.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.28 RSD 4,929

$22.74 BGN 39.57

107.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 RSD 11.8K

$67.2 BGN 117

68.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$157 RSD 16.3K

$62.1 BGN 108

152.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 RSD 83.9K

$230 BGN 401

249.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$546 RSD 56.9K

$142 BGN 248

283.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,452 RSD 151.4K

$328 BGN 570

343.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$931 RSD 97.0K

$259 BGN 451

258.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,368 RSD 559.6K

$1,121 BGN 1,951

378.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,155 RSD 328.9K

$918 BGN 1,596

243.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,237 RSD 128.9K

$1,335 BGN 2,323

-7.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.61

2.85

61.75%

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

Last update for Belgrade: October 12, 2026

Last update for Sliven: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belgrade

$546 35.2%

Sliven

$142 18.4% 74% $404

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belgrade

$280 18.1%

Sliven

$114 14.7% 59.4% $167

Groceries & Markets

Belgrade

$241 15.5%

Sliven

$181 23.3% 24.9% $60

Eating Out

Belgrade

$228 14.7%

Sliven

$168 21.6% 26.5% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Belgrade

$192 12.4%

Sliven

$94 12.1% 51.3% $99

Sport & Entertainment

Belgrade

$58 3.8%

Sliven

$34 4.5% 41% $24

Getting Around

Belgrade

$7.9 * 0.5%

Sliven

$42 5.4% 429% $34

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 $230 in Sliven. 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 8% higher in Sliven, 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 $34.00 in Sliven. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $241 vs $181 – making Sliven the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🇧🇬 Sliven

🕒 Local time

01:04 1:04 AM

02:04 2:04 AM

1 h ahead of Belgrade

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,197,714 Capital

95,806

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Belgrade Sliven 530 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Belgrade
Sliven

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 Sliven: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,554 in Belgrade, $774 in Sliven – roughly 101% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,331 per month in Belgrade and $1,162 in Sliven. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 33% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Sliven, where all-in costs run around $774, than in Belgrade at $1,554. In Sliven it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sliven – 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 Sliven. 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.