Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Craiova and Belgrade

For one person, living is cheaper in Craiova: $1,187 a month against $1,538 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Craiova
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Craiova Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Belgrade
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Belgrade Living Index

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Craiova

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,187

/mo nomad

Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,538

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,187 per month in Craiova vs $1,538 in Belgrade, rent included.

Craiova $1,187
Belgrade $1,538

A couple spends around $1,763 per month in Craiova vs $2,321 in Belgrade, rent included.

Craiova $1,763
Belgrade $2,321

A family of three spends $2,338 per month in Craiova vs $3,105 in Belgrade, rent included.

Craiova $2,338
Belgrade $3,105

Craiova is about 23% cheaper than Belgrade, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Craiova sits 11% below the global median, while Belgrade is 15% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.53 RON 35.62

$13.33 RSD 1,389

-43.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.41 RON 196

$58.4 RSD 6,085

-29.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.20 RON 34.05

$13.58 RSD 1,414

-46.98%

Cappuccino

$2.62 RON 12.40

$3.13 RSD 326

-16.29%

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

$2.21 RON 10.44

$2.77 RSD 288

-20.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 RON 8.51

$2.27 RSD 237

-20.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 RON 11.14

$3.75 RSD 390

-37.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 RON 16.35

$4.38 RSD 456

-21.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 RON 6.26

$1.40 RSD 146

-5.71%

White Bread (500g)

$0.87 RON 4.09

$1.17 RSD 122

-25.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 RON 6.54

$2.71 RSD 282

-49.08%

Eggs

$3.41 RON 16.12

$2.78 RSD 289

22.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.11 RON 33.61

$11.36 RSD 1,184

-37.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.46 RON 30.57

$7.01 RSD 731

-7.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.35 RON 53.7

$15.72 RSD 1,638

-27.80%

Apples (1kg)

$1.04 RON 4.90

$1.66 RSD 173

-37.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 RON 6.82

$1.81 RSD 188

-20.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.46 RON 6.90

$1.83 RSD 190

-20.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 RON 8.66

$3.13 RSD 326

-41.53%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.64

$0.88 RSD 91.3

-12.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.84 RON 4.00

$0.67 RSD 70.3

25.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 RON 3.24

$0.81 RSD 84.4

-14.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 RON 3.56

$0.68 RSD 70.9

10.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.36 RON 30.08

$4.78 RSD 498

33.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.27 RON 29.66

$8.54 RSD 889

-26.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 RON 5.66

$0.94 RSD 97.7

27.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 RON 6.96

$1.44 RSD 150

2.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 RON 3.87

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.32 RON 120

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.04

$3.09 RSD 322

-79.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.89

$1.02 RSD 107

-40.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.40 RON 30.25

$17.18 RSD 1,789

-62.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 RON 9.09

$1.87 RSD 195

2.67%

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

$28.0K RON 132.6K

$30.7K RSD 3.2M

-8.84%

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

$26.2K RON 124.0K

$24.3K RSD 2.5M

8.04%

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

$214 RON 1,011

$218 RSD 22.7K

-1.79%

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

$9.61 RON 45.43

$25.24 RSD 2,629

-61.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.51 RON 54.5

$35.35 RSD 3,683

-67.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.51 RON 211

$41.77 RSD 4,351

6.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.43 RON 101

$22.80 RSD 2,375

-6.01%

Cinema Ticket

$7.46 RON 35.30

$8.47 RSD 882

-11.92%

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

$421 RON 1,992

$426 RSD 44.4K

-1.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,039 RON 38.0K

$11.4K RSD 1.2M

-29.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.1 RON 298

$111 RSD 11.6K

-43.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.9 RON 241

$45.99 RSD 4,791

10.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.9 RON 392

$119 RSD 12.4K

-30.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 RON 481

$154 RSD 16.0K

-33.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$503 RON 2,379

$821 RSD 85.6K

-38.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$391 RON 1,851

$561 RSD 58.4K

-30.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$874 RON 4,132

$1,511 RSD 157.4K

-42.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$602 RON 2,845

$942 RSD 98.1K

-36.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,655 RON 12.6K

$5,312 RSD 553.4K

-50.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,024 RON 9,575

$3,165 RSD 329.7K

-36.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$941 RON 4,449

$1,228 RSD 127.9K

-23.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.84

4.61

48.37%

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

Last update for Craiova: October 3, 2026

Last update for Belgrade: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Craiova

$391 32.7%

Belgrade

$561 35.5% 43.3% $169

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Craiova

$235 19.7%

Belgrade

$278 17.6% 18.5% $43

Groceries & Markets

Craiova

$195 16.3%

Belgrade

$246 15.6% 26.3% $51

Eating Out

Craiova

$148 12.4%

Belgrade

$233 14.7% 57.2% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Craiova

$134 11.2%

Belgrade

$194 12.3% 44.1% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Craiova

$59 5%

Belgrade

$59 3.7% 1.2% $0.7

Getting Around

Craiova

$32 2.7%

Belgrade

$8.2 * 0.5% 74.6% $24

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $503 in Craiova versus $821 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 31% 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 $41.00 in Craiova versus $58.0 in Belgrade. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $195 vs $246 – making Craiova the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Craiova

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🕒 Local time

09:26 9:26 AM

08:26 8:26 AM

1 h behind Craiova

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

269,506

1,197,714 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

1,000 RSD = 9.6 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.56 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.3 RON (1 RON = 0.189 EUR).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.6 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.56 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

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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

Craiova vs Belgrade: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,187 in Craiova, $1,538 in Belgrade – roughly 30% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,780 per month in Craiova and $2,307 in Belgrade. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Craiova, 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 $41.00 in Craiova 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 26% 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 Craiova, where all-in costs run around $1,187, than in Belgrade at $1,538. In Craiova it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Craiova – 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 Craiova. 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.