Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and Stara Zagora

For one person, living is cheaper in Stara Zagora: $864 a month against $1,538 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 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
42

Cost of Living Index in Stara Zagora
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Stara Zagora Living Index

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Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,538

/mo nomad

Stara Zagora

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$864

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgrade and in Stara Zagora

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

A single person spends $1,538 per month in Belgrade vs $864 in Stara Zagora, rent included.

Belgrade $1,538
Stara Zagora $864

A couple spends around $2,321 per month in Belgrade vs $1,394 in Stara Zagora, rent included.

Belgrade $2,321
Stara Zagora $1,394

A family of three spends $3,105 per month in Belgrade vs $1,924 in Stara Zagora, rent included.

Belgrade $3,105
Stara Zagora $1,924

Belgrade costs about 78% more than Stara Zagora, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Belgrade sits 15% above the global median, while Stara Zagora is 36% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.33 RSD 1,389

$10.36 BGN 18.13

28.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.4 RSD 6,085

$50.8 BGN 88.8

15.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.58 RSD 1,414

$8.79 BGN 15.38

54.49%

Cappuccino

$3.13 RSD 326

$2.33 BGN 4.08

34.33%

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

$2.77 RSD 288

$1.51 BGN 2.65

83.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 RSD 237

$0.88 BGN 1.54

157.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 RSD 390

$2.30 BGN 4.02

63.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 RSD 456

$2.00 BGN 3.49

119.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 RSD 146

$1.79 BGN 3.13

-21.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 RSD 122

$0.88 BGN 1.54

32.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 RSD 282

$1.45 BGN 2.54

86.90%

Eggs

$2.78 RSD 289

$2.37 BGN 4.14

17.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.36 RSD 1,184

$9.27 BGN 16.22

22.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.01 RSD 731

$6.62 BGN 11.58

5.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.72 RSD 1,638

$8.59 BGN 15.04

83.00%

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 RSD 173

$1.32 BGN 2.31

25.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 RSD 188

$1.71 BGN 3.00

5.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 RSD 190

$1.76 BGN 3.08

3.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.13 RSD 326

$1.98 BGN 3.46

58.08%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 RSD 91.3

$1.01 BGN 1.77

-12.87%

Onion (1kg)

$0.67 RSD 70.3

$0.76 BGN 1.33

-11.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.81 RSD 84.4

$0.54 BGN 0.95

50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 RSD 70.9

$0.64 BGN 1.11

6.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.78 RSD 498

$3.79 BGN 6.64

26.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.54 RSD 889

$5.04 BGN 8.82

69.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RSD 97.7

$1.14 BGN 2.00

-17.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 RSD 150

$1.71 BGN 2.99

-15.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 BGN 1.55

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.61 BGN 32.56

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 RSD 322

$1.31 BGN 2.29

135.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 RSD 107

$0.64 BGN 1.12

59.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.18 RSD 1,789

$11.52 BGN 20.16

49.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 RSD 195

$1.60 BGN 2.81

16.88%

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

$30.7K RSD 3.2M

$30.6K BGN 53.6K

0.41%

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

$24.3K RSD 2.5M

$22.3K BGN 39.1K

8.59%

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

$218 RSD 22.7K

$93.2 BGN 163

133.48%

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

$25.24 RSD 2,629

$14.82 BGN 25.93

70.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.35 RSD 3,683

$12.33 BGN 21.57

186.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.77 RSD 4,351

$26.49 BGN 46.36

57.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.80 RSD 2,375

$21.22 BGN 37.14

7.45%

Cinema Ticket

$8.47 RSD 882

$8.66 BGN 15.16

-2.19%

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

$426 RSD 44.4K

$234 BGN 410

82.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K RSD 1.2M

$2,272 BGN 3,975

401.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 RSD 11.6K

$31.04 BGN 54.3

258.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.99 RSD 4,791

$19.21 BGN 33.62

139.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 RSD 12.4K

$63.9 BGN 112

86.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 RSD 16.0K

$51.7 BGN 90.5

197.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$821 RSD 85.6K

$298 BGN 522

175.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$561 RSD 58.4K

$250 BGN 438

123.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,511 RSD 157.4K

$494 BGN 865

205.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$942 RSD 98.1K

$395 BGN 692

138.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,312 RSD 553.4K

$1,449 BGN 2,536

266.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,165 RSD 329.7K

$1,064 BGN 1,861

197.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,228 RSD 127.9K

$1,058 BGN 1,852

16.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.61

2.99

54.18%

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

Last update for Belgrade: October 3, 2026

Last update for Stara Zagora: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belgrade

$561 35.5%

Stara Zagora

$250 28.7% 55.3% $310

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belgrade

$278 17.6%

Stara Zagora

$120 13.8% 56.7% $158

Groceries & Markets

Belgrade

$246 15.6%

Stara Zagora

$196 22.4% 20.4% $50

Eating Out

Belgrade

$233 14.7%

Stara Zagora

$162 18.6% 30.3% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Belgrade

$194 12.3%

Stara Zagora

$75 8.5% 61.5% $119

Sport & Entertainment

Belgrade

$59 3.7%

Stara Zagora

$44 5% 25.4% $15

Getting Around

Belgrade

$8.2 * 0.5%

Stara Zagora

$27 3.1% 225% $18

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $821 in Belgrade versus $298 in Stara Zagora. 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 16% 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 $51.0 in Stara Zagora. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $246 vs $196 – making Stara Zagora the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🇧🇬 Stara Zagora

🕒 Local time

08:09 8:09 AM

09:09 9:09 AM

1 h ahead of Belgrade

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,197,714 Capital

149,266

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.6 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.56 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.6 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.56 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.509 EUR).

USD to RSD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Belgrade Stara Zagora 490 km

From you

Belgrade
Stara Zagora

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 Stara Zagora: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,538 in Belgrade, $864 in Stara Zagora – roughly 78% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,307 per month in Belgrade and $1,296 in Stara Zagora. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Stara Zagora, 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 $51.0 in Stara Zagora. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 26% 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 Stara Zagora, where all-in costs run around $864, than in Belgrade at $1,538. In Stara Zagora it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Stara Zagora – 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 Stara Zagora. 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.