Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Carei and Belgrade

For one person, living is cheaper in Carei: $982 a month against $1,554 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Carei
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Carei Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Belgrade
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Belgrade Living Index

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Carei

🇷🇴 Romania

$982

/mo nomad

Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,554

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Carei 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 Carei and in Belgrade actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $982 per month in Carei vs $1,554 in Belgrade, rent included.

Carei $982
Belgrade $1,554

A couple spends around $1,492 per month in Carei vs $2,337 in Belgrade, rent included.

Carei $1,492
Belgrade $2,337

A family of three spends $2,001 per month in Carei vs $3,121 in Belgrade, rent included.

Carei $2,001
Belgrade $3,121

Carei is about 37% cheaper than Belgrade, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Carei sits 27% below the global median, while Belgrade is 15% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.03 RON 42.71

$13.15 RSD 1,371

-31.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.88 RON 189

$57.5 RSD 5,999

-30.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.16 RON 33.87

$13.38 RSD 1,394

-46.49%

Cappuccino

$2.31 RON 10.91

$3.10 RSD 323

-25.48%

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

$1.93 RON 9.11

$2.82 RSD 294

-31.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 RON 7.18

$2.22 RSD 231

-31.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.07 RON 9.77

$3.47 RSD 362

-40.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 RON 12.02

$3.96 RSD 412

-35.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 RON 6.49

$1.38 RSD 144

-0.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.15 RON 5.43

$1.13 RSD 118

1.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 RON 6.65

$2.66 RSD 277

-46.99%

Eggs

$2.92 RON 13.83

$2.78 RSD 290

5.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.68 RON 36.34

$10.99 RSD 1,146

-30.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.16 RON 29.17

$6.56 RSD 684

-6.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.69 RON 45.84

$15.07 RSD 1,571

-35.70%

Apples (1kg)

$1.10 RON 5.21

$1.66 RSD 173

-33.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 RON 6.87

$1.79 RSD 186

-18.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.43 RON 6.75

$1.87 RSD 195

-23.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 RON 9.63

$3.03 RSD 315

-32.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.77

$0.92 RSD 96.3

-13.04%

Onion (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.74

$0.71 RSD 73.8

11.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.10

$0.74 RSD 77.6

17.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 RON 3.84

$0.74 RSD 77.2

9.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.78 RON 27.37

$4.61 RSD 481

25.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.38 RON 30.17

$8.81 RSD 918

-27.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 RON 5.04

$0.89 RSD 92.7

20.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 RON 7.53

$1.45 RSD 151

9.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 RON 3.56

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.70 RON 103

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.71 RON 3.34

$3.02 RSD 315

-76.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 RON 3.33

$0.98 RSD 103

-28.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.98 RON 33.00

$17.08 RSD 1,780

-59.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 RON 8.59

$1.91 RSD 199

-5.24%

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

$28.5K RON 134.7K

$31.0K RSD 3.2M

-8.14%

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

$25.5K RON 120.6K

$24.7K RSD 2.6M

3.39%

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

$138 RON 653

$220 RSD 23.0K

-37.39%

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

$7.84 RON 37.11

$24.41 RSD 2,544

-67.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.05 RON 38.09

$35.64 RSD 3,715

-77.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.36 RON 177

$41.20 RSD 4,295

-9.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.18 RON 95.5

$22.60 RSD 2,356

-10.71%

Cinema Ticket

$6.98 RON 33.04

$8.59 RSD 896

-18.74%

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

$417 RON 1,971

$424 RSD 44.2K

-1.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,823 RON 32.3K

$11.0K RSD 1.1M

-37.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.4 RON 286

$111 RSD 11.5K

-45.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.63 RON 169

$47.28 RSD 4,929

-24.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.1 RON 360

$113 RSD 11.8K

-32.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.2 RON 394

$157 RSD 16.3K

-46.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$384 RON 1,815

$805 RSD 83.9K

-52.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$289 RON 1,367

$546 RSD 56.9K

-47.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$600 RON 2,839

$1,452 RSD 151.4K

-58.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$931 RSD 97.0K

-51.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,878 RON 8,885

$5,368 RSD 559.6K

-65.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,331 RON 6,297

$3,155 RSD 328.9K

-57.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,237 RSD 128.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.97

4.61

51.19%

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

Last update for Carei: October 11, 2026

Last update for Belgrade: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Carei

$289 29.4%

Belgrade

$546 35.2% 89.1% $257

Groceries & Markets

Carei

$194 19.8%

Belgrade

$241 15.5% 24% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Carei

$154 15.7%

Belgrade

$280 18.1% 82.2% $127

Eating Out

Carei

$151 15.3%

Belgrade

$228 14.7% 51.4% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Carei

$115 11.7%

Belgrade

$192 12.4% 67.4% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Carei

$51 5.2%

Belgrade

$58 3.8% 13.8% $7.1

Getting Around

Carei

$29 3%

Belgrade

$7.9 * 0.5% 72.6% $21

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $384 in Carei versus $805 in Belgrade. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Carei versus $58.0 in Belgrade. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $194 vs $241 – making Carei the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Carei

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🕒 Local time

22:23 10:23 PM

21:23 9:23 PM

1 h behind Carei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,911

1,197,714 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Carei Belgrade 350 km

From you

Carei
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

Carei vs Belgrade: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $982 in Carei, $1,554 in Belgrade – roughly 58% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,474 per month in Carei and $2,331 in Belgrade. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Carei, 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 $40.00 in Carei and $58.0 in Belgrade. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 24% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Carei, where all-in costs run around $982, than in Belgrade at $1,554. In Carei it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Carei – 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 Carei. 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.