Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and Veliko Tarnovo

For one person, living is cheaper in Veliko Tarnovo: $1,006 a month against $1,554 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Veliko Tarnovo
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Veliko Tarnovo Living Index

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Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,554

/mo nomad

Veliko Tarnovo

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,006

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgrade and in Veliko Tarnovo

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

A single person spends $1,554 per month in Belgrade vs $1,006 in Veliko Tarnovo, rent included.

Belgrade $1,554
Veliko Tarnovo $1,006

A couple spends around $2,337 per month in Belgrade vs $1,574 in Veliko Tarnovo, rent included.

Belgrade $2,337
Veliko Tarnovo $1,574

A family of three spends $3,121 per month in Belgrade vs $2,141 in Veliko Tarnovo, rent included.

Belgrade $3,121
Veliko Tarnovo $2,141

Belgrade costs about 54% more than Veliko Tarnovo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Belgrade sits 15% above the global median, while Veliko Tarnovo is 25% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.15 RSD 1,373

$11.12 BGN 19.46

18.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.5 RSD 6,009

$39.76 BGN 69.6

44.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.38 RSD 1,397

$9.61 BGN 16.83

39.23%

Cappuccino

$3.10 RSD 323

$1.85 BGN 3.23

67.57%

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

$2.82 RSD 294

$1.31 BGN 2.30

115.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 RSD 232

$0.88 BGN 1.54

152.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.47 RSD 363

$2.03 BGN 3.55

70.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 RSD 413

$2.79 BGN 4.88

41.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 RSD 144

$1.86 BGN 3.25

-25.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 RSD 118

$1.05 BGN 1.85

7.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 RSD 278

$2.48 BGN 4.34

7.26%

Eggs

$2.78 RSD 290

$3.67 BGN 6.43

-24.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.99 RSD 1,148

$10.17 BGN 17.81

8.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.56 RSD 685

$8.00 BGN 14.00

-18.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.07 RSD 1,574

$12.43 BGN 21.76

21.24%

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 RSD 174

$1.60 BGN 2.80

3.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 RSD 187

$2.05 BGN 3.59

-12.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 RSD 196

$1.96 BGN 3.43

-4.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.03 RSD 316

$2.58 BGN 4.51

17.44%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 RSD 96.5

$1.09 BGN 1.91

-15.60%

Onion (1kg)

$0.71 RSD 74.0

$1.17 BGN 2.05

-39.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 RSD 77.7

$0.98 BGN 1.71

-24.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 RSD 77.3

$0.73 BGN 1.27

1.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.61 RSD 482

$4.10 BGN 7.17

12.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.81 RSD 920

$6.72 BGN 11.75

31.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 RSD 92.9

$1.21 BGN 2.11

-26.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 RSD 152

$1.61 BGN 2.81

-9.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 BGN 1.57

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.23 BGN 40.65

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 RSD 316

$1.16 BGN 2.03

160.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 RSD 103

$0.67 BGN 1.18

46.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.08 RSD 1,784

$11.18 BGN 19.57

52.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 RSD 199

$1.56 BGN 2.72

22.44%

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

$31.0K RSD 3.2M

$30.5K BGN 53.4K

1.58%

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

$24.7K RSD 2.6M

$30.6K BGN 53.6K

-19.44%

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

$220 RSD 23.0K

$95.9 BGN 168

129.96%

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

$24.41 RSD 2,549

$18.81 BGN 32.92

29.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.64 RSD 3,722

$15.86 BGN 27.75

124.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.20 RSD 4,303

$30.50 BGN 53.4

35.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.60 RSD 2,361

$19.69 BGN 34.46

14.78%

Cinema Ticket

$8.59 RSD 897

$6.91 BGN 12.08

24.31%

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

$424 RSD 44.3K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K RSD 1.1M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 RSD 11.6K

$46.95 BGN 82.2

135.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.28 RSD 4,938

$30.58 BGN 53.5

54.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 RSD 11.8K

$122 BGN 214

-7.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$157 RSD 16.4K

$93.1 BGN 163

68.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 RSD 84.1K

$351 BGN 614

129.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$546 RSD 57.0K

$260 BGN 456

109.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,452 RSD 151.7K

$572 BGN 1,000

154.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$931 RSD 97.2K

$420 BGN 735

121.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,368 RSD 560.6K

$2,407 BGN 4,211

123.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,155 RSD 329.5K

$1,364 BGN 2,387

131.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,237 RSD 129.1K

$952 BGN 1,666

29.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.61

2.74

68.25%

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

Last update for Belgrade: October 12, 2026

Last update for Veliko Tarnovo: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belgrade

$546 35.2%

Veliko Tarnovo

$260 25.9% 52.3% $286

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belgrade

$280 18.1%

Veliko Tarnovo

$131 13% 53.5% $150

Groceries & Markets

Belgrade

$241 15.5%

Veliko Tarnovo

$244 24.2% 1.2% $3

Eating Out

Belgrade

$228 14.7%

Veliko Tarnovo

$164 16.3% 27.8% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Belgrade

$192 12.4%

Veliko Tarnovo

$132 13.1% 31.5% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Belgrade

$58 3.8%

Veliko Tarnovo

$44 4.4% 24.1% $14

Getting Around

Belgrade

$7.9 * 0.5%

Veliko Tarnovo

$31 3.1% 295% $23

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 $351 in Veliko Tarnovo. 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 30% 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 $40.00 in Veliko Tarnovo. Groceries tell a different story – $241 in Belgrade vs $244 in Veliko Tarnovo – so Belgrade wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🇧🇬 Veliko Tarnovo

🕒 Local time

00:25 12:25 AM

01:25 1:25 AM

1 h ahead of Belgrade

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,197,714 Capital

71,150

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.58 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.55 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 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 14, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.58 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.55 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.51 EUR).

USD to RSD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Belgrade Veliko Tarnovo 460 km

From you

Belgrade
Veliko Tarnovo

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 Veliko Tarnovo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,554 in Belgrade, $1,006 in Veliko Tarnovo – roughly 54% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,331 per month in Belgrade and $1,509 in Veliko Tarnovo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Veliko Tarnovo, 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 $40.00 in Veliko Tarnovo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,554 in Belgrade and $1,006 in Veliko Tarnovo. That's a gap of about 54%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Veliko Tarnovo, where all-in costs run around $1,006, than in Belgrade at $1,554. In Veliko Tarnovo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Veliko Tarnovo has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,006 in Veliko Tarnovo to $1,554 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 Veliko Tarnovo. 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.