Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and Tulcea

For one person, living is cheaper in Tulcea: $983 a month against $1,554 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Belgrade
Learn more

Belgrade Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Tulcea
Learn more

Tulcea Living Index

Jump to prices

Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,554

/mo nomad

Tulcea

🇷🇴 Romania

$983

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgrade and in Tulcea

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

A single person spends $1,554 per month in Belgrade vs $983 in Tulcea, rent included.

Belgrade $1,554
Tulcea $983

A couple spends around $2,337 per month in Belgrade vs $1,558 in Tulcea, rent included.

Belgrade $2,337
Tulcea $1,558

A family of three spends $3,121 per month in Belgrade vs $2,132 in Tulcea, rent included.

Belgrade $3,121
Tulcea $2,132

Belgrade costs about 58% more than Tulcea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Belgrade sits 15% above the global median, while Tulcea is 27% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.15 RSD 1,371

$11.48 RON 54.3

14.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.5 RSD 5,999

$46.41 RON 220

23.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.38 RSD 1,394

$7.59 RON 35.90

76.28%

Cappuccino

$3.10 RSD 323

$2.06 RON 9.77

50.49%

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

$2.82 RSD 294

$2.12 RON 10.03

33.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 RSD 231

$1.08 RON 5.12

105.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.47 RSD 362

$2.14 RON 10.14

62.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 RSD 412

$2.07 RON 9.82

91.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 RSD 144

$1.62 RON 7.65

-14.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 RSD 118

$1.02 RON 4.84

10.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 RSD 277

$1.45 RON 6.84

83.45%

Eggs

$2.78 RSD 290

$3.04 RON 14.40

-8.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.99 RSD 1,146

$7.65 RON 36.20

43.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.56 RSD 684

$6.87 RON 32.48

-4.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.07 RSD 1,571

$9.52 RON 45.06

58.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 RSD 173

$1.33 RON 6.31

24.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 RSD 186

$1.65 RON 7.81

8.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 RSD 195

$1.43 RON 6.74

30.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.03 RSD 315

$1.95 RON 9.21

55.38%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 RSD 96.3

$0.74 RON 3.50

24.32%

Onion (1kg)

$0.71 RSD 73.8

$0.71 RON 3.36

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 RSD 77.6

$0.69 RON 3.27

7.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 RSD 77.2

$0.75 RON 3.55

-1.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.61 RSD 481

$6.29 RON 29.76

-26.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.81 RSD 918

$6.36 RON 30.09

38.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 RSD 92.7

$0.92 RON 4.34

-3.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 RSD 151

$1.38 RON 6.53

5.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.06 RON 5.03

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.85 RON 84.5

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 RSD 315

$0.62 RON 2.93

387.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 RSD 103

$0.64 RON 3.04

53.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.08 RSD 1,780

$6.45 RON 30.51

164.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 RSD 199

$1.69 RON 8.02

13.02%

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

$31.0K RSD 3.2M

$28.3K RON 133.8K

9.58%

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

$24.7K RSD 2.6M

$25.0K RON 118.2K

-1.25%

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

$220 RSD 23.0K

$132 RON 625

66.98%

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

$24.41 RSD 2,544

$7.86 RON 37.19

210.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.64 RSD 3,715

$8.82 RON 41.73

304.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.20 RSD 4,295

$31.42 RON 149

31.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.60 RSD 2,356

$16.85 RON 79.7

34.12%

Cinema Ticket

$8.59 RSD 896

$8.48 RON 40.11

1.30%

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

$424 RSD 44.2K

$319 RON 1,510

32.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K RSD 1.1M

$3,075 RON 14.6K

256.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 RSD 11.5K

$52.8 RON 250

109.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.28 RSD 4,929

$31.21 RON 148

51.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 RSD 11.8K

$90.4 RON 428

25.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$157 RSD 16.3K

$96.2 RON 455

62.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 RSD 83.9K

$349 RON 1,652

130.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$546 RSD 56.9K

$274 RON 1,296

99.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,452 RSD 151.4K

$592 RON 2,800

145.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$931 RSD 97.0K

$502 RON 2,374

85.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,368 RSD 559.6K

$1,022 RON 4,836

425.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,155 RSD 328.9K

$864 RON 4,089

265.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,237 RSD 128.9K

$646 RON 3,055

91.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.61

6.85

-32.70%

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

Last update for Belgrade: October 12, 2026

Last update for Tulcea: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belgrade

$546 35.2%

Tulcea

$274 27.9% 49.8% $272

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belgrade

$280 18.1%

Tulcea

$149 15.1% 47% $132

Groceries & Markets

Belgrade

$241 15.5%

Tulcea

$198 20.1% 17.8% $43

Eating Out

Belgrade

$228 14.7%

Tulcea

$167 17% 26.7% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Belgrade

$192 12.4%

Tulcea

$122 12.4% 36.7% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Belgrade

$58 3.8%

Tulcea

$48 4.9% 17.2% $10

Getting Around

Belgrade

$7.9 * 0.5%

Tulcea

$26 2.6% 227% $18

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 $349 in Tulcea. 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 92% 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 $46.00 in Tulcea. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $241 vs $198 – making Tulcea the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🇷🇴 Tulcea

🕒 Local time

11:32 11:32 AM

12:32 12:32 PM

1 h ahead of Belgrade

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,197,714 Capital

73,707

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, 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).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to RSD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Belgrade Tulcea 660 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Belgrade
Tulcea

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 Tulcea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,554 in Belgrade, $983 in Tulcea – roughly 58% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,331 per month in Belgrade and $1,475 in Tulcea. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tulcea, 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 $46.00 in Tulcea. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 22% 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 Tulcea, where all-in costs run around $983, than in Belgrade at $1,554. In Tulcea it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tulcea – 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 Tulcea. 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.