Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and Varna

For one person, living is cheaper in Varna: $1,411 a month against $1,538 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Belgrade
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Belgrade Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Varna
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Varna Living Index

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Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,538

/mo nomad

Varna

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,411

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgrade and in Varna

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

A single person spends $1,538 per month in Belgrade vs $1,411 in Varna, rent included.

Belgrade $1,538
Varna $1,411

A couple spends around $2,321 per month in Belgrade vs $2,231 in Varna, rent included.

Belgrade $2,321
Varna $2,231

A family of three spends $3,105 per month in Belgrade vs $3,050 in Varna, rent included.

Belgrade $3,105
Varna $3,050

Belgrade costs about 9% more than Varna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Belgrade and Varna sit above the global median – Belgrade by 15%, Varna by 5%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.33 RSD 1,392

$12.63 BGN 22.11

5.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.4 RSD 6,099

$60.3 BGN 106

-3.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.58 RSD 1,417

$10.49 BGN 18.36

29.46%

Cappuccino

$3.13 RSD 327

$2.93 BGN 5.12

6.83%

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

$2.77 RSD 289

$1.95 BGN 3.42

42.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 RSD 237

$1.60 BGN 2.79

41.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 RSD 391

$2.90 BGN 5.07

29.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 RSD 457

$3.55 BGN 6.21

23.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 RSD 146

$1.98 BGN 3.46

-29.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 RSD 122

$1.24 BGN 2.18

-5.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 RSD 283

$2.67 BGN 4.68

1.50%

Eggs

$2.78 RSD 290

$3.46 BGN 6.06

-19.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.36 RSD 1,186

$11.47 BGN 20.08

-0.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.01 RSD 732

$9.37 BGN 16.40

-25.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.72 RSD 1,641

$13.95 BGN 24.41

12.69%

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 RSD 173

$1.93 BGN 3.39

-13.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 RSD 189

$2.09 BGN 3.66

-13.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 RSD 191

$2.14 BGN 3.75

-14.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.13 RSD 327

$2.87 BGN 5.03

9.06%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 RSD 91.5

$1.26 BGN 2.21

-30.16%

Onion (1kg)

$0.67 RSD 70.5

$1.04 BGN 1.81

-35.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.81 RSD 84.6

$1.05 BGN 1.85

-22.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 RSD 71.1

$0.78 BGN 1.36

-12.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.78 RSD 500

$3.92 BGN 6.86

21.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.54 RSD 891

$8.58 BGN 15.01

-0.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RSD 97.9

$1.21 BGN 2.12

-22.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 RSD 151

$1.90 BGN 3.32

-24.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 BGN 1.63

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.12 BGN 51.0

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 RSD 323

$1.54 BGN 2.70

100.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 RSD 107

$0.85 BGN 1.49

20.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.18 RSD 1,793

$12.18 BGN 21.32

41.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 RSD 196

$1.75 BGN 3.06

6.86%

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

$30.7K RSD 3.2M

$29.6K BGN 51.8K

3.82%

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

$24.3K RSD 2.5M

$25.9K BGN 45.2K

-6.13%

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

$218 RSD 22.7K

$173 BGN 302

25.94%

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

$25.24 RSD 2,635

$21.09 BGN 36.91

19.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.35 RSD 3,691

$16.09 BGN 28.17

119.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.77 RSD 4,361

$51.4 BGN 89.9

-18.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.80 RSD 2,380

$19.87 BGN 34.78

14.75%

Cinema Ticket

$8.47 RSD 884

$8.75 BGN 15.31

-3.20%

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

$426 RSD 44.5K

$508 BGN 890

-16.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K RSD 1.2M

$6,188 BGN 10.8K

84.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 RSD 11.6K

$65.1 BGN 114

70.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.99 RSD 4,802

$33.76 BGN 59.1

36.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 RSD 12.4K

$98.3 BGN 172

21.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 RSD 16.1K

$101 BGN 177

51.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$821 RSD 85.8K

$636 BGN 1,112

29.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$561 RSD 58.5K

$471 BGN 825

18.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,511 RSD 157.8K

$1,348 BGN 2,358

12.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$942 RSD 98.3K

$918 BGN 1,606

2.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,312 RSD 554.6K

$3,051 BGN 5,339

74.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,165 RSD 330.4K

$2,166 BGN 3,791

46.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,228 RSD 128.2K

$1,263 BGN 2,211

-2.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.61

2.85

61.75%

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

Last update for Belgrade: October 3, 2026

Last update for Varna: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belgrade

$561 35.5%

Varna

$471 33.7% 15.9% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belgrade

$278 17.6%

Varna

$210 15% 24.5% $68

Groceries & Markets

Belgrade

$246 15.6%

Varna

$271 19.4% 10.3% $25

Eating Out

Belgrade

$233 14.7%

Varna

$203 14.6% 12.5% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Belgrade

$194 12.3%

Varna

$134 9.6% 30.6% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Belgrade

$59 3.7%

Varna

$69 4.9% 17.3% $10

Getting Around

Belgrade

$8.2 * 0.5%

Varna

$39 2.8% 371% $30

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 $636 in Varna. 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 3% higher in Varna, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $58.0 in Belgrade versus $60.0 in Varna. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $246 vs $271 – making Belgrade the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🇧🇬 Varna

🕒 Local time

03:53 3:53 AM

04:53 4:53 AM

1 h ahead of Belgrade

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,197,714 Capital

348,058

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.58 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.54 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 = 9.58 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.54 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 Varna 620 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Belgrade
Varna

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 Varna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,538 in Belgrade, $1,411 in Varna – roughly 9% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,307 per month in Belgrade and $2,117 in Varna. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Varna, 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 $60.0 in Varna. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 10% cheaper in Belgrade – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Varna, where all-in costs run around $1,411, than in Belgrade at $1,538. In Varna it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Varna has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,411 in Varna to $1,538 in Belgrade. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Varna. 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.