Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and Zagreb

For one person, living is cheaper in Belgrade: $1,554 a month against $1,761 in Zagreb, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 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
85

Cost of Living Index in Zagreb
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Zagreb Living Index

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Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,554

/mo nomad

Zagreb

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,761

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgrade and in Zagreb

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

A single person spends $1,554 per month in Belgrade vs $1,761 in Zagreb, rent included.

Belgrade $1,554
Zagreb $1,761

A couple spends around $2,337 per month in Belgrade vs $2,604 in Zagreb, rent included.

Belgrade $2,337
Zagreb $2,604

A family of three spends $3,121 per month in Belgrade vs $3,447 in Zagreb, rent included.

Belgrade $3,121
Zagreb $3,447

Belgrade is about 12% cheaper than Zagreb, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Belgrade and Zagreb sit above the global median – Belgrade by 15%, Zagreb by 30%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.15 RSD 1,371

$12.50 €11.12

5.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.5 RSD 5,999

$63.6 €56.6

-9.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.38 RSD 1,394

$8.33 €7.41

60.62%

Cappuccino

$3.10 RSD 323

$2.51 €2.23

23.51%

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

$2.82 RSD 294

$3.00 €2.67

-6.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 RSD 231

$2.54 €2.26

-12.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.47 RSD 362

$3.27 €2.91

6.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 RSD 412

$4.36 €3.88

-9.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 RSD 144

$1.23 €1.09

12.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 RSD 118

$1.66 €1.48

-31.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 RSD 277

$2.72 €2.42

-2.21%

Eggs

$2.78 RSD 290

$3.87 €3.45

-28.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.99 RSD 1,146

$14.61 €12.99

-24.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.56 RSD 684

$11.95 €10.63

-45.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.07 RSD 1,571

$17.44 €15.51

-13.59%

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 RSD 173

$2.31 €2.05

-28.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 RSD 186

$1.78 €1.59

0.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 RSD 195

$2.11 €1.88

-11.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.03 RSD 315

$2.50 €2.22

21.20%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 RSD 96.3

$1.31 €1.17

-29.77%

Onion (1kg)

$0.71 RSD 73.8

$1.19 €1.06

-40.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 RSD 77.6

$1.17 €1.04

-36.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 RSD 77.2

$1.37 €1.22

-45.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.61 RSD 481

$5.78 €5.14

-20.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.81 RSD 918

$10.23 €9.10

-13.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 RSD 92.7

$1.61 €1.43

-44.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 RSD 151

$2.48 €2.20

-41.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 €0.51

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.5 €47.63

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 RSD 315

$2.19 €1.95

37.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 RSD 103

$1.42 €1.26

-30.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.08 RSD 1,780

$11.67 €10.38

46.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 RSD 199

$1.84 €1.64

3.80%

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

$31.0K RSD 3.2M

$27.6K €24.6K

12.13%

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

$24.7K RSD 2.6M

$27.2K €24.2K

-9.24%

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

$220 RSD 23.0K

$214 €190

3.03%

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

$24.41 RSD 2,544

$23.36 €20.77

4.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.64 RSD 3,715

$41.16 €36.61

-13.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.20 RSD 4,295

$51.1 €45.48

-19.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.60 RSD 2,356

$18.82 €16.74

20.09%

Cinema Ticket

$8.59 RSD 896

$9.13 €8.12

-5.91%

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

$424 RSD 44.2K

$501 €445

-15.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K RSD 1.1M

$9,878 €8,787

11.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 RSD 11.5K

$111 €98.3

0.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.28 RSD 4,929

$42.93 €38.19

10.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 RSD 11.8K

$98.0 €87.1

15.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$157 RSD 16.3K

$110 €98.3

41.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 RSD 83.9K

$868 €772

-7.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$546 RSD 56.9K

$668 €594

-18.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,452 RSD 151.4K

$1,463 €1,301

-0.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$931 RSD 97.0K

$1,039 €924

-10.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,368 RSD 559.6K

$5,031 €4,475

6.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,155 RSD 328.9K

$3,468 €3,085

-9.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,237 RSD 128.9K

$1,937 €1,723

-36.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.61

3.3

39.70%

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

Last update for Belgrade: October 12, 2026

Last update for Zagreb: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belgrade

$546 35.2%

Zagreb

$668 37.9% 22.3% $122

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belgrade

$280 18.1%

Zagreb

$278 15.8% 0.7% $2

Groceries & Markets

Belgrade

$241 15.5%

Zagreb

$315 17.9% 31.1% $75

Eating Out

Belgrade

$228 14.7%

Zagreb

$202 11.5% 11.2% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Belgrade

$192 12.4%

Zagreb

$163 9.3% 15.4% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Belgrade

$58 3.8%

Zagreb

$69 3.9% 18.8% $11

Getting Around

Belgrade

$7.9 * 0.5%

Zagreb

$65 3.7% 720% $57

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 $868 in Zagreb. 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 57% higher in Zagreb, 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 $64.0 in Zagreb. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $241 vs $315 – making Belgrade the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🇭🇷 Zagreb

🕒 Local time

16:29 4:29 PM

Same time as Belgrade

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,197,714 Capital

767,131 Capital

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to RSD – Serbian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇸 Serbian Dinar (din)

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to RSD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Belgrade Zagreb 370 km

From you

Belgrade
Zagreb

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 Zagreb: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,554 in Belgrade, $1,761 in Zagreb – roughly 13% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,331 per month in Belgrade and $2,642 in Zagreb. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Belgrade, 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 $64.0 in Zagreb. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 31% more in Zagreb, 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 Belgrade, where all-in costs run around $1,554, than in Zagreb at $1,761. In Belgrade it covers expenses comfortably, while in Zagreb it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Zagreb has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,554 in Belgrade to $1,761 in Zagreb. 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 Belgrade. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Zagreb makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.