Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Belgrade

For one person, living is cheaper in Belgrade: $1,541 a month against $1,638 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Belgrade
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Belgrade Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,638

/mo nomad

Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,541

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Belgrade

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Budapest and in Belgrade actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,638 per month in Budapest vs $1,541 in Belgrade, rent included.

Budapest $1,638
Belgrade $1,541

A couple spends around $2,553 per month in Budapest vs $2,343 in Belgrade, rent included.

Budapest $2,553
Belgrade $2,343

A family of three spends $3,467 per month in Budapest vs $3,146 in Belgrade, rent included.

Budapest $3,467
Belgrade $3,146

Budapest costs about 6% more than Belgrade, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Budapest and Belgrade sit above the global median – Budapest by 20%, Belgrade by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.81 Ft 4,548

$13.09 RSD 1,373

5.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.5 Ft 20.2K

$56.1 RSD 5,887

9.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.16 Ft 3,345

$13.35 RSD 1,400

-23.90%

Cappuccino

$3.22 Ft 1,061

$3.10 RSD 325

3.87%

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

$2.06 Ft 679

$2.72 RSD 286

-24.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 Ft 604

$2.24 RSD 235

-18.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.60 Ft 1,187

$3.51 RSD 368

2.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 Ft 1,207

$4.06 RSD 426

-9.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 Ft 392

$1.39 RSD 146

-14.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 Ft 616

$1.12 RSD 117

66.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 779

$2.65 RSD 278

-10.57%

Eggs

$3.96 Ft 1,304

$2.69 RSD 282

47.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.16 Ft 3,677

$10.92 RSD 1,145

2.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.76 Ft 2,226

$6.52 RSD 684

3.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.35 Ft 4,727

$15.55 RSD 1,631

-7.72%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 Ft 595

$1.59 RSD 167

13.84%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 Ft 695

$1.83 RSD 192

15.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 Ft 769

$1.80 RSD 189

29.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.80 Ft 1,253

$3.10 RSD 325

22.58%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 327

$0.87 RSD 90.8

13.79%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 Ft 324

$0.66 RSD 68.8

48.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 Ft 511

$0.77 RSD 80.5

101.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 229

$0.69 RSD 72.3

1.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.79 Ft 2,567

$4.73 RSD 496

64.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 Ft 1,993

$8.61 RSD 903

-29.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 Ft 421

$0.94 RSD 98.8

36.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 Ft 671

$1.51 RSD 159

35.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 Ft 511

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.28 Ft 8,987

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,086

$3.02 RSD 316

9.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 Ft 433

$0.99 RSD 104

32.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.26 Ft 6,673

$17.07 RSD 1,791

18.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 599

$1.87 RSD 196

-2.67%

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

$28.7K Ft 9.5M

$31.0K RSD 3.3M

-7.42%

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

$33.1K Ft 10.9M

$23.4K RSD 2.5M

41.25%

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

$172 Ft 56.7K

$212 RSD 22.3K

-18.89%

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

$23.95 Ft 7,890

$24.87 RSD 2,609

-3.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.31 Ft 7,679

$34.64 RSD 3,633

-32.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.6 Ft 22.6K

$40.02 RSD 4,197

71.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.91 Ft 6,229

$22.70 RSD 2,381

-16.70%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 Ft 3,353

$8.02 RSD 841

26.93%

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

$600 Ft 197.8K

$439 RSD 46.0K

36.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.5M

$11.3K RSD 1.2M

48.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.0 Ft 32.6K

$111 RSD 11.6K

-10.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.25 Ft 14.2K

$47.02 RSD 4,932

-8.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 37.2K

$113 RSD 11.8K

0.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 Ft 38.6K

$152 RSD 15.9K

-22.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$836 Ft 275.4K

$806 RSD 84.5K

3.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$640 Ft 210.7K

$547 RSD 57.3K

17.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 Ft 526.5K

$1,551 RSD 162.6K

3.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 Ft 396.9K

$982 RSD 102.9K

22.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,625 Ft 1.9M

$5,342 RSD 560.3K

5.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,802 Ft 1.3M

$3,117 RSD 326.9K

21.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,671 Ft 550.6K

$1,217 RSD 127.6K

37.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

4.61

39.91%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 27, 2026

Last update for Belgrade: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$640 39.1%

Belgrade

$547 35.5% 14.5% $93

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Belgrade

$240 15.6% 7% $18

Eating Out

Budapest

$221 13.5%

Belgrade

$228 14.8% 3.2% $7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$219 13.4%

Belgrade

$272 17.6% 23.9% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.2%

Belgrade

$190 12.3% 13.5% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.4%

Belgrade

$56 3.6% 37% $33

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Belgrade

$8 * 0.5% 81.7% $35

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $836 in Budapest versus $806 in Belgrade. 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 37% higher in Budapest. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Budapest versus $56 in Belgrade. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $240 – making Belgrade the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🕒 Local time

15:00 3:00 PM

Same time as Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

1,197,714 Capital

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.04 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR

1,000 RSD = 9.53 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.57 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 329 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.04 USD). 1 EUR = 367 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 105 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.53 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.57 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budapest Belgrade 320 km

From you

Budapest
Belgrade

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

Budapest vs Belgrade: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,638 in Budapest, $1,541 in Belgrade – roughly 6% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,457 per month in Budapest and $2,311 in Belgrade. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $836 in Budapest and $806 in Belgrade. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Budapest and $56 in Belgrade. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 8% more in Budapest, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,638 in Budapest and $1,541 in Belgrade, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Belgrade – 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 Belgrade. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.