Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cricova and Belgrade

For one person, living is cheaper in Cricova: $1,022 a month against $1,554 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Cricova
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Cricova Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Belgrade
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Belgrade Living Index

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Cricova

🇲🇩 Moldova

$1,022

/mo nomad

Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,554

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,022 per month in Cricova vs $1,554 in Belgrade, rent included.

Cricova $1,022
Belgrade $1,554

A couple spends around $1,858 per month in Cricova vs $2,337 in Belgrade, rent included.

Cricova $1,858
Belgrade $2,337

A family of three spends $2,693 per month in Cricova vs $3,121 in Belgrade, rent included.

Cricova $2,693
Belgrade $3,121

Cricova is about 34% cheaper than Belgrade, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cricova sits 24% below the global median, while Belgrade is 15% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.25 MDL 146

$13.15 RSD 1,371

-37.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.53 MDL 489

$57.5 RSD 5,999

-52.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.30 MDL 183

$13.38 RSD 1,394

-23.02%

Cappuccino

$1.08 MDL 19.20

$3.10 RSD 323

-65.16%

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

$1.05 MDL 18.59

$2.82 RSD 294

-62.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 MDL 12.14

$2.22 RSD 231

-69.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.00 MDL 35.55

$3.47 RSD 362

-42.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 MDL 39.25

$3.96 RSD 412

-44.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 MDL 42.52

$1.38 RSD 144

73.19%

White Bread (500g)

$0.46 MDL 8.18

$1.13 RSD 118

-59.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.09 MDL 19.38

$2.66 RSD 277

-59.02%

Eggs

$1.25 MDL 22.22

$2.78 RSD 290

-55.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.90 MDL 123

$10.99 RSD 1,146

-37.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.59 MDL 81.5

$6.56 RSD 684

-30.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.35 MDL 219

$15.07 RSD 1,571

-18.05%

Apples (1kg)

$1.08 MDL 19.14

$1.66 RSD 173

-34.94%

Banana (1kg)

$0.86 MDL 15.21

$1.79 RSD 186

-51.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 MDL 18.33

$1.87 RSD 195

-44.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.09 MDL 19.29

$3.03 RSD 315

-64.03%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 MDL 13.44

$0.92 RSD 96.3

-17.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 MDL 19.36

$0.71 RSD 73.8

53.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 MDL 19.24

$0.74 RSD 77.6

45.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 MDL 19.37

$0.74 RSD 77.2

47.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.31 MDL 58.8

$4.61 RSD 481

-28.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.45 MDL 79.1

$8.81 RSD 918

-49.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 MDL 45.88

$0.89 RSD 92.7

189.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 MDL 75.9

$1.45 RSD 151

195.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MDL 9.48

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.39 MDL 398

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 MDL 19.57

$3.02 RSD 315

-63.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.26 MDL 4.63

$0.98 RSD 103

-73.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.53 MDL 116

$17.08 RSD 1,780

-61.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 MDL 23.12

$1.91 RSD 199

-31.94%

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

$29.2K MDL 517.9K

$31.0K RSD 3.2M

-5.92%

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

$23.8K MDL 422.4K

$24.7K RSD 2.6M

-3.55%

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

$235 MDL 4,176

$220 RSD 23.0K

6.67%

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

$7.70 MDL 137

$24.41 RSD 2,544

-68.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.02 MDL 196

$35.64 RSD 3,715

-69.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.5 MDL 1,003

$41.20 RSD 4,295

37.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.20 MDL 199

$22.60 RSD 2,356

-50.44%

Cinema Ticket

$7.42 MDL 132

$8.59 RSD 896

-13.62%

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

$111 MDL 1,972

$424 RSD 44.2K

-73.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,220 MDL 92.7K

$11.0K RSD 1.1M

-52.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 MDL 998

$111 RSD 11.5K

-49.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.60 MDL 490

$47.28 RSD 4,929

-41.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.5 MDL 1,464

$113 RSD 11.8K

-27.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 MDL 2,021

$157 RSD 16.3K

-27.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$884 MDL 15.7K

$805 RSD 83.9K

9.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$222 MDL 3,943

$546 RSD 56.9K

-59.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,373 MDL 24.4K

$1,452 RSD 151.4K

-5.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 MDL 19.7K

$931 RSD 97.0K

19.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,775 MDL 49.3K

$5,368 RSD 559.6K

-48.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,943 MDL 34.5K

$3,155 RSD 328.9K

-38.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$562 MDL 9,989

$1,237 RSD 128.9K

-54.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.61

51.84%

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

Last update for Cricova: October 13, 2026

Last update for Belgrade: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cricova

$254 24.8%

Belgrade

$280 18.1% 10.5% $27

Accommodation & Living

Cricova

$222 21.7%

Belgrade

$546 35.2% 146% $324

Groceries & Markets

Cricova

$191 18.7%

Belgrade

$241 15.5% 26% $50

Eating Out

Cricova

$131 12.8%

Belgrade

$228 14.7% 73.7% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Cricova

$126 12.3%

Belgrade

$192 12.4% 52.7% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Cricova

$71 7%

Belgrade

$58 3.8% 18.2% $13

Getting Around

Cricova

$27 2.6%

Belgrade

$7.9 * 0.5% 70.5% $19

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $884 in Cricova 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.

Salaries run about 120% 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 $28.00 in Cricova versus $58.0 in Belgrade. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $191 vs $241 – making Cricova the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇩 Cricova

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🕒 Local time

06:23 6:23 AM

05:23 5:23 AM

1 h behind Cricova

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,642

1,197,714 Capital

💱 Currency

Moldovan Leu MDL L

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

100 MDL = 5.63 USD

100 MDL = 5.01 EUR

1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, USD, EUR to MDL – Moldovan Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇩 Moldovan Leu (L)

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 17.76 MDL (100 MDL = 5.63 USD). 1 EUR = 19.97 MDL (100 MDL = 5.01 EUR).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR).

USD to MDL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cricova Belgrade 700 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Cricova
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

Cricova vs Belgrade: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,022 in Cricova, $1,554 in Belgrade – roughly 52% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,533 per month in Cricova 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 Cricova, 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 $28.00 in Cricova 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Cricova, where all-in costs run around $1,022, than in Belgrade at $1,554. In Cricova it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cricova – 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 Cricova. 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.