Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and Thika

For one person, living is cheaper in Thika: $518 a month against $1,574 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Thika
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Thika Living Index

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Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,574

/mo nomad

Thika

🇰🇪 Kenya

$518

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgrade and in Thika

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

A single person spends $1,574 per month in Belgrade vs $518 in Thika, rent included.

Belgrade $1,574
Thika $518

A couple spends around $2,376 per month in Belgrade vs $883 in Thika, rent included.

Belgrade $2,376
Thika $883

A family of three spends $3,178 per month in Belgrade vs $1,249 in Thika, rent included.

Belgrade $3,178
Thika $1,249

Belgrade costs about 204% more than Thika, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Belgrade sits 16% above the global median, while Thika is 62% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.44 RSD 1,401

$3.52 KES 457

281.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.8 RSD 6,029

$34.21 KES 4,435

69.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.23 RSD 1,380

$6.43 KES 834

105.75%

Cappuccino

$3.10 RSD 323

$1.95 KES 253

58.97%

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

$2.73 RSD 285

$0.33 KES 42.15

727.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 RSD 241

$0.61 KES 78.8

278.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.54 RSD 369

$1.87 KES 243

89.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 RSD 430

$2.06 KES 267

100.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 RSD 151

$0.73 KES 95.1

98.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 RSD 123

$0.44 KES 56.8

168.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.61 RSD 272

$1.16 KES 150

125.00%

Eggs

$2.78 RSD 289

$1.35 KES 175

105.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.23 RSD 1,171

$10.81 KES 1,402

3.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.72 RSD 701

$6.58 KES 853

2.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 RSD 1,586

$4.12 KES 534

269.42%

Apples (1kg)

$1.59 RSD 166

$1.57 KES 204

1.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 RSD 191

$0.64 KES 82.5

187.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 RSD 191

$0.80 KES 104

128.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.10 RSD 324

$1.10 KES 143

181.82%

Potato (1kg)

$0.95 RSD 98.8

$0.41 KES 52.9

131.71%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 RSD 75.1

$0.44 KES 56.8

63.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 RSD 77.8

$0.69 KES 89.5

8.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 RSD 72.4

$0.37 KES 48.31

86.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.76 RSD 496

$2.71 KES 352

75.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.43 RSD 878

$5.71 KES 740

47.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RSD 97.8

$1.78 KES 230

-47.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 RSD 159

$1.90 KES 246

-19.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 RSD 312

$1.56 KES 202

91.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 RSD 106

$0.96 KES 125

6.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.54 RSD 1,828

$2.82 KES 366

521.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 RSD 193

$1.41 KES 183

31.21%

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

$30.5K RSD 3.2M

$21.7K KES 2.8M

40.60%

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

$23.7K RSD 2.5M

$20.0K KES 2.6M

18.59%

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

$219 RSD 22.9K

$34.37 KES 4,456

538.14%

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

$24.82 RSD 2,588

$14.94 KES 1,936

66.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.79 RSD 3,731

$35.20 KES 4,564

1.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.37 RSD 4,313

$46.96 KES 6,088

-11.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.96 RSD 2,394

Cinema Ticket

$8.32 RSD 867

$7.63 KES 990

9.04%

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

$423 RSD 44.1K

$53.7 KES 6,956

688.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K RSD 1.2M

$3,537 KES 458.6K

222.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 RSD 11.6K

$27.81 KES 3,605

300.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.48 RSD 4,950

$29.36 KES 3,806

61.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 RSD 12.1K

$69.9 KES 9,061

65.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$158 RSD 16.4K

$19.37 KES 2,512

714.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$823 RSD 85.8K

$98.7 KES 12.8K

733.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$560 RSD 58.3K

$57.5 KES 7,450

873.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,485 RSD 154.8K

$273 KES 35.3K

444.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$969 RSD 101.1K

$178 KES 23.0K

446.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,489 RSD 572.2K

$610 KES 79.1K

799.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,193 RSD 332.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,214 RSD 126.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.61

14.71

-68.66%

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

Last update for Belgrade: October 19, 2026

Last update for Thika: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belgrade

$560 35.6%

Thika

$57 11.1% 89.7% $502

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belgrade

$280 17.8%

Thika

$85 16.3% 69.8% $195

Groceries & Markets

Belgrade

$243 15.4%

Thika

$153 29.6% 36.9% $90

Eating Out

Belgrade

$231 14.7%

Thika

$88 17% 61.8% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Belgrade

$195 12.4%

Thika

$66 12.7% 66.1% $129

Sport & Entertainment

Belgrade

$58 3.7%

Thika

$62 12% 7.3% $4.2

Getting Around

Belgrade

$8.1 * 0.5%

Thika

$6.4 * 1.2% 21.3% $1.7

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 $98.7 in Thika. 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 $34.00 in Thika. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $243 vs $153 – making Thika the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🇰🇪 Thika

🕒 Local time

01:25 1:25 AM

02:25 2:25 AM

1 h ahead of Belgrade

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,197,714 Capital

83,000

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KES, 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).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.71 USD). 1 EUR = 146 KES (1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR).

USD to RSD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Belgrade Thika 5,360 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Belgrade
Thika

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 Thika: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,574 in Belgrade, $518 in Thika – roughly 204% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,360 per month in Belgrade and $777 in Thika. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 58% 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 Thika, where all-in costs run around $518, than in Belgrade at $1,574. In Thika it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Thika – 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 Thika. 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.