Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and Sulaymaniyah

For one person, living is cheaper in Sulaymaniyah: $773 a month against $1,538 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Sulaymaniyah
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Sulaymaniyah Living Index

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Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,538

/mo nomad

Sulaymaniyah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$773

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgrade and in Sulaymaniyah

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

A single person spends $1,538 per month in Belgrade vs $773 in Sulaymaniyah, rent included.

Belgrade $1,538
Sulaymaniyah $773

A couple spends around $2,321 per month in Belgrade vs $1,194 in Sulaymaniyah, rent included.

Belgrade $2,321
Sulaymaniyah $1,194

A family of three spends $3,105 per month in Belgrade vs $1,615 in Sulaymaniyah, rent included.

Belgrade $3,105
Sulaymaniyah $1,615

Belgrade costs about 99% more than Sulaymaniyah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Belgrade sits 15% above the global median, while Sulaymaniyah is 42% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.33 RSD 1,389

$5.07 IQD 7,660

162.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.4 RSD 6,085

$22.93 IQD 34.6K

154.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.58 RSD 1,414

$7.04 IQD 10.6K

92.90%

Cappuccino

$3.13 RSD 326

$2.88 IQD 4,344

8.68%

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

$2.77 RSD 288

$0.50 IQD 759

454.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 RSD 237

$0.25 IQD 378

808.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 RSD 390

$3.93 IQD 5,943

-4.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 RSD 456

$2.27 IQD 3,427

92.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 RSD 146

$1.28 IQD 1,935

9.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 RSD 122

$1.01 IQD 1,519

15.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 RSD 282

$1.86 IQD 2,812

45.70%

Eggs

$2.78 RSD 289

$1.77 IQD 2,672

57.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.36 RSD 1,184

$4.96 IQD 7,490

129.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.01 RSD 731

$4.22 IQD 6,382

66.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.72 RSD 1,638

$15.30 IQD 23.1K

2.75%

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 RSD 173

$1.28 IQD 1,935

29.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 RSD 188

$1.28 IQD 1,937

41.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 RSD 190

$1.15 IQD 1,737

59.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.13 RSD 326

$0.68 IQD 1,025

360.29%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 RSD 91.3

$0.56 IQD 847

57.14%

Onion (1kg)

$0.67 RSD 70.3

$0.73 IQD 1,096

-8.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.81 RSD 84.4

$0.73 IQD 1,101

10.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 RSD 70.9

$0.50 IQD 752

36.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.78 RSD 498

$2.28 IQD 3,444

109.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.54 RSD 889

$11.23 IQD 17.0K

-23.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RSD 97.7

$1.95 IQD 2,949

-51.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 RSD 150

$1.42 IQD 2,141

1.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 IQD 902

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.68 IQD 34.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 RSD 322

$2.22 IQD 3,361

39.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 RSD 107

$2.34 IQD 3,531

-56.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.18 RSD 1,789

$5.50 IQD 8,306

212.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 RSD 195

$0.69 IQD 1,045

171.01%

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

$30.7K RSD 3.2M

$20.9K IQD 31.5M

47.29%

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

$24.3K RSD 2.5M

$18.9K IQD 28.6M

28.12%

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

$218 RSD 22.7K

$100 IQD 151.7K

116.87%

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

$25.24 RSD 2,629

$11.49 IQD 17.4K

119.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.35 RSD 3,683

$28.04 IQD 42.4K

26.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.77 RSD 4,351

$39.70 IQD 60.0K

5.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.80 RSD 2,375

$20.09 IQD 30.4K

13.49%

Cinema Ticket

$8.47 RSD 882

$7.58 IQD 11.5K

11.74%

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

$426 RSD 44.4K

$173 IQD 261.0K

146.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K RSD 1.2M

$2,946 IQD 4.5M

286.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 RSD 11.6K

$18.91 IQD 28.6K

487.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.99 RSD 4,791

$25.19 IQD 38.1K

82.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 RSD 12.4K

$43.24 IQD 65.3K

175.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 RSD 16.0K

$38.64 IQD 58.4K

298.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$821 RSD 85.6K

$215 IQD 324.7K

282.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$561 RSD 58.4K

$175 IQD 264.2K

220.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,511 RSD 157.4K

$492 IQD 743.9K

207.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$942 RSD 98.1K

$363 IQD 548.8K

159.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,312 RSD 553.4K

$786 IQD 1.2M

575.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,165 RSD 329.7K

$630 IQD 952.4K

402.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,228 RSD 127.9K

$584 IQD 882.1K

110.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.61

5.77

-20.10%

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

Last update for Belgrade: October 3, 2026

Last update for Sulaymaniyah: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belgrade

$561 35.5%

Sulaymaniyah

$175 22.5% 68.8% $386

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belgrade

$278 17.6%

Sulaymaniyah

$140 18% 49.7% $138

Groceries & Markets

Belgrade

$246 15.6%

Sulaymaniyah

$188 24.2% 23.4% $58

Eating Out

Belgrade

$233 14.7%

Sulaymaniyah

$123 15.9% 47% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Belgrade

$194 12.3%

Sulaymaniyah

$57 7.3% 70.7% $137

Sport & Entertainment

Belgrade

$59 3.7%

Sulaymaniyah

$55 7.1% 6.6% $3.9

Getting Around

Belgrade

$8.2 * 0.5%

Sulaymaniyah

$39 5% 375% $31

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 $215 in Sulaymaniyah. 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 110% 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 $23.00 in Sulaymaniyah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $246 vs $188 – making Sulaymaniyah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🇮🇶 Sulaymaniyah

🕒 Local time

15:04 3:04 PM

16:04 4:04 PM

1 h ahead of Belgrade

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,197,714 Capital

823,199

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.6 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.57 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.91 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, 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 = 8.57 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,693 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.91 EUR).

USD to RSD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Belgrade Sulaymaniyah 2,350 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Belgrade
Sulaymaniyah

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 Sulaymaniyah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,538 in Belgrade, $773 in Sulaymaniyah – roughly 99% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,307 per month in Belgrade and $1,160 in Sulaymaniyah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sulaymaniyah, 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 $23.00 in Sulaymaniyah. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 31% 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 Sulaymaniyah, where all-in costs run around $773, than in Belgrade at $1,538. In Sulaymaniyah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sulaymaniyah – 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 Sulaymaniyah. 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.