Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and Soweto

For one person, living is cheaper in Soweto: $1,115 a month against $1,541 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Belgrade
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Belgrade Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Soweto
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Soweto Living Index

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Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,541

/mo nomad

Soweto

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,115

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgrade and in Soweto

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

A single person spends $1,541 per month in Belgrade vs $1,115 in Soweto, rent included.

Belgrade $1,541
Soweto $1,115

A couple spends around $2,351 per month in Belgrade vs $1,661 in Soweto, rent included.

Belgrade $2,351
Soweto $1,661

A family of three spends $3,161 per month in Belgrade vs $2,207 in Soweto, rent included.

Belgrade $3,161
Soweto $2,207

Belgrade costs about 38% more than Soweto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Belgrade sits 14% above the global median, while Soweto is 18% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.43 RSD 1,398

$8.77 R 144

53.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.0 RSD 6,036

$36.51 R 598

58.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.30 RSD 1,384

$5.33 R 87.3

149.53%

Cappuccino

$3.05 RSD 317

$2.17 R 35.60

40.55%

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

$2.82 RSD 293

$1.08 R 17.67

161.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 RSD 238

$0.85 R 13.87

168.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.66 RSD 381

$2.34 R 38.35

56.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 RSD 435

$2.68 R 43.85

55.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 RSD 147

$1.13 R 18.54

24.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 RSD 121

$1.09 R 17.87

6.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 RSD 263

$1.78 R 29.14

42.13%

Eggs

$2.80 RSD 292

$2.54 R 41.68

10.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.93 RSD 1,137

$8.26 R 135

32.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.80 RSD 708

$5.18 R 84.8

31.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.40 RSD 1,603

$7.22 R 118

113.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.63 RSD 170

$1.80 R 29.50

-9.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 RSD 182

$1.69 R 27.62

3.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 RSD 186

$1.80 R 29.45

-1.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.04 RSD 316

$1.63 R 26.75

86.50%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 RSD 101

$1.08 R 17.66

-10.19%

Onion (1kg)

$0.65 RSD 67.7

$1.16 R 19.08

-43.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 RSD 77.2

$1.21 R 19.88

-38.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 RSD 75.3

$1.32 R 21.57

-45.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.53 RSD 471

$3.32 R 54.3

36.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.25 RSD 858

$5.20 R 85.3

58.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 RSD 89.8

$1.58 R 25.90

-45.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 RSD 148

$1.88 R 30.85

-23.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.93 R 31.61

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.10 RSD 323

$0.31 R 5.14

900.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 RSD 102

$0.80 R 13.07

22.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.10 RSD 1,780

$14.69 R 241

16.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 RSD 195

$1.52 R 24.83

23.03%

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

$30.9K RSD 3.2M

$35.5K R 581.8K

-13.02%

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

$24.1K RSD 2.5M

$34.7K R 569.3K

-30.74%

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

$215 RSD 22.4K

$153 R 2,509

40.23%

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

$25.55 RSD 2,659

$36.76 R 602

-30.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.40 RSD 3,685

$37.23 R 610

-4.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.62 RSD 4,228

$35.03 R 574

15.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 RSD 2,367

$12.27 R 201

85.33%

Cinema Ticket

$7.99 RSD 832

$7.23 R 119

10.51%

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

$453 RSD 47.2K

$245 R 4,019

84.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K RSD 1.3M

$6,030 R 98.8K

105.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$112 RSD 11.6K

$52.2 R 855

113.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.56 RSD 4,951

$32.63 R 535

45.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 RSD 11.8K

$93.6 R 1,534

21.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 RSD 15.3K

$83.5 R 1,367

75.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$829 RSD 86.3K

$419 R 6,867

97.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$540 RSD 56.2K

$377 R 6,172

43.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,508 RSD 157.0K

$622 R 10.2K

142.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$975 RSD 101.5K

$635 R 10.4K

53.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,059 RSD 526.6K

$708 R 11.6K

614.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,171 RSD 330.1K

$732 R 12.0K

333.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,276 RSD 132.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

10.91

-58.75%

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

Last update for Belgrade: November 1, 2026

Last update for Soweto: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belgrade

$540 35.1%

Soweto

$377 33.8% 30.3% $164

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belgrade

$276 17.9%

Soweto

$227 20.4% 17.6% $49

Groceries & Markets

Belgrade

$241 15.6%

Soweto

$195 17.5% 19.1% $46

Eating Out

Belgrade

$231 15%

Soweto

$137 12.3% 40.7% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Belgrade

$189 12.3%

Soweto

$118 10.6% 37.6% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Belgrade

$57 3.7%

Soweto

$50 4.4% 12.5% $7.1

Getting Around

Belgrade

$8 * 0.5%

Soweto

$12 * 1.1% 50.4% $4

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $829 in Belgrade versus $419 in Soweto. 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 in Belgrade versus $37 in Soweto. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $241 vs $195 – making Soweto the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🇿🇦 Soweto

🕒 Local time

08:40 8:40 AM

09:40 9:40 AM

1 h ahead of Belgrade

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,197,714 Capital

1,270,000

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.61 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.55 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to RSD – Serbian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇸 Serbian Dinar (din)

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.61 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.55 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.38 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.4 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.43 EUR).

USD to RSD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Belgrade Soweto 7,940 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Belgrade
Soweto

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 Soweto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,541 in Belgrade, $1,115 in Soweto – Soweto comes out roughly 28% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,312 per month in Belgrade and $1,672 in Soweto. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Soweto, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $419 there versus $829 in Belgrade.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $58 in Belgrade and $37 in Soweto. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 24% more in Belgrade, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,541 in Belgrade and $1,115 in Soweto. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Soweto – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.