Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and Zakho

For one person, living is cheaper in Zakho: $759 a month against $1,574 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Zakho
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Zakho Living Index

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Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,574

/mo nomad

Zakho

🇮🇶 Iraq

$759

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgrade and in Zakho

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

A single person spends $1,574 per month in Belgrade vs $759 in Zakho, rent included.

Belgrade $1,574
Zakho $759

A couple spends around $2,376 per month in Belgrade vs $1,210 in Zakho, rent included.

Belgrade $2,376
Zakho $1,210

A family of three spends $3,178 per month in Belgrade vs $1,661 in Zakho, rent included.

Belgrade $3,178
Zakho $1,661

Belgrade costs about 107% more than Zakho, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Belgrade sits 16% above the global median, while Zakho is 44% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.44 RSD 1,401

$6.52 IQD 9,855

106.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.8 RSD 6,029

$36.45 IQD 55.1K

58.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.23 RSD 1,380

$7.08 IQD 10.7K

86.86%

Cappuccino

$3.10 RSD 323

$3.38 IQD 5,101

-8.28%

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

$2.73 RSD 285

$0.90 IQD 1,356

203.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 RSD 241

$0.36 IQD 550

541.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.54 RSD 369

$5.36 IQD 8,101

-33.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 RSD 430

$4.06 IQD 6,130

1.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 RSD 151

$1.07 IQD 1,613

35.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 RSD 123

$0.67 IQD 1,019

76.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.61 RSD 272

$1.47 IQD 2,221

77.55%

Eggs

$2.78 RSD 289

$1.52 IQD 2,290

82.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.23 RSD 1,171

$7.21 IQD 10.9K

55.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.72 RSD 701

$4.32 IQD 6,524

55.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 RSD 1,586

$12.87 IQD 19.4K

18.26%

Apples (1kg)

$1.59 RSD 166

$0.97 IQD 1,463

63.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 RSD 191

$0.95 IQD 1,437

93.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 RSD 191

$1.02 IQD 1,543

79.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.10 RSD 324

$0.69 IQD 1,046

349.28%

Potato (1kg)

$0.95 RSD 98.8

$0.59 IQD 895

61.02%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 RSD 75.1

$0.58 IQD 874

24.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 RSD 77.8

$0.66 IQD 997

13.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 RSD 72.4

$0.51 IQD 777

35.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.76 RSD 496

$2.11 IQD 3,189

125.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.43 RSD 878

$10.84 IQD 16.4K

-22.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RSD 97.8

$1.45 IQD 2,197

-35.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 RSD 159

$1.84 IQD 2,782

-16.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.39 IQD 594

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.25 IQD 30.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 RSD 312

$1.64 IQD 2,474

82.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 RSD 106

$1.60 IQD 2,418

-36.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.54 RSD 1,828

$5.53 IQD 8,350

217.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 RSD 193

$0.57 IQD 863

224.56%

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

$30.5K RSD 3.2M

$16.7K IQD 25.3M

82.07%

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

$23.7K RSD 2.5M

$17.3K IQD 26.2M

36.66%

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

$219 RSD 22.9K

$113 IQD 170.8K

93.98%

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

$24.82 RSD 2,588

$11.83 IQD 17.9K

109.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.79 RSD 3,731

$24.03 IQD 36.3K

48.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.37 RSD 4,313

$37.45 IQD 56.6K

10.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.96 RSD 2,394

Cinema Ticket

$8.32 RSD 867

$9.95 IQD 15.0K

-16.38%

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

$423 RSD 44.1K

$313 IQD 473.3K

35.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K RSD 1.2M

$2,762 IQD 4.2M

313.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 RSD 11.6K

$26.29 IQD 39.7K

323.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.48 RSD 4,950

$19.70 IQD 29.8K

141.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 RSD 12.1K

$49.08 IQD 74.2K

136.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$158 RSD 16.4K

$40.75 IQD 61.6K

287.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$823 RSD 85.8K

$172 IQD 260.4K

377.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$560 RSD 58.3K

$132 IQD 199.9K

322.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,485 RSD 154.8K

$379 IQD 572.2K

292.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$969 RSD 101.1K

$308 IQD 466.0K

214.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,489 RSD 572.2K

$711 IQD 1.1M

672.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,193 RSD 332.8K

$576 IQD 870.1K

454.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,214 RSD 126.5K

$660 IQD 997.7K

83.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.61

2.53

82.21%

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

Last update for Belgrade: October 19, 2026

Last update for Zakho: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belgrade

$560 35.6%

Zakho

$132 17.4% 76.4% $427

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belgrade

$280 17.8%

Zakho

$149 19.6% 46.8% $131

Groceries & Markets

Belgrade

$243 15.4%

Zakho

$174 22.9% 28.5% $69

Eating Out

Belgrade

$231 14.7%

Zakho

$154 20.3% 33.2% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Belgrade

$195 12.4%

Zakho

$61 8.1% 68.6% $133

Sport & Entertainment

Belgrade

$58 3.7%

Zakho

$57 7.6% 1.1% $0.6

Getting Around

Belgrade

$8.1 * 0.5%

Zakho

$31 4.2% 289% $23

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 $172 in Zakho. 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 84% 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 $36.00 in Zakho. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $243 vs $174 – making Zakho the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🇮🇶 Zakho

🕒 Local time

00:38 12:38 AM

01:38 1:38 AM

1 h ahead of Belgrade

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,197,714 Capital

197,163

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, 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).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR).

USD to RSD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Belgrade Zakho 2,040 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Belgrade
Zakho

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 Zakho: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,574 in Belgrade, $759 in Zakho – roughly 107% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,360 per month in Belgrade and $1,138 in Zakho. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zakho, 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 $36.00 in Zakho. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 40% 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 Zakho, where all-in costs run around $759, than in Belgrade at $1,574. In Zakho it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zakho – 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 Zakho. 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.