Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Belgrade

For one person, living is cheaper in Belgrade: $1,538 a month against $2,854 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $15,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Belgrade
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Belgrade Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,538

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,854 per month in Dubai vs $1,538 in Belgrade, rent included.

Dubai $2,854
Belgrade $1,538

A couple spends around $4,321 per month in Dubai vs $2,321 in Belgrade, rent included.

Dubai $4,321
Belgrade $2,321

A family of three spends $5,788 per month in Dubai vs $3,105 in Belgrade, rent included.

Dubai $5,788
Belgrade $3,105

Dubai costs about 86% more than Belgrade, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Dubai and Belgrade sit above the global median – Dubai by 113%, Belgrade by 15%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.04 AED 47.89

$13.33 RSD 1,392

-2.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.4 AED 299

$58.4 RSD 6,099

39.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.32 AED 34.25

$13.58 RSD 1,417

-31.37%

Cappuccino

$5.97 AED 21.93

$3.13 RSD 327

90.73%

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

$1.63 AED 5.98

$2.77 RSD 289

-41.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 AED 2.99

$2.27 RSD 237

-64.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.65 AED 50.1

$3.75 RSD 391

264.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.38 AED 49.15

$4.38 RSD 457

205.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 AED 6.64

$1.40 RSD 146

29.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 AED 5.78

$1.17 RSD 122

34.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 AED 9.16

$2.71 RSD 283

-8.12%

Eggs

$3.28 AED 12.04

$2.78 RSD 290

17.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.67 AED 46.52

$11.36 RSD 1,186

11.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.75 AED 35.80

$7.01 RSD 732

39.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.18 AED 48.39

$15.72 RSD 1,641

-16.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 AED 9.57

$1.66 RSD 173

57.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 AED 7.09

$1.81 RSD 189

6.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 AED 7.05

$1.83 RSD 191

4.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 AED 5.00

$3.13 RSD 327

-56.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 AED 4.29

$0.88 RSD 91.5

32.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$0.67 RSD 70.5

50.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 AED 5.56

$0.81 RSD 84.6

86.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 AED 2.29

$0.68 RSD 71.1

-8.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.85 AED 21.50

$4.78 RSD 500

22.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.14 AED 59.3

$8.54 RSD 891

88.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 AED 9.74

$0.94 RSD 97.9

181.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 AED 10.82

$1.44 RSD 151

104.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 AED 6.03

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.6 AED 270

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 AED 11.66

$3.09 RSD 323

2.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.63

$1.02 RSD 107

-30.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.23

$17.18 RSD 1,793

-53.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 AED 3.64

$1.87 RSD 196

-47.06%

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

$27.4K AED 100.5K

$30.7K RSD 3.2M

-10.97%

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

$22.5K AED 82.8K

$24.3K RSD 2.5M

-7.12%

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

$250 AED 920

$218 RSD 22.7K

15.04%

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

$54.2 AED 199

$25.24 RSD 2,635

114.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.8 AED 337

$35.35 RSD 3,691

159.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$98.6 AED 362

$41.77 RSD 4,361

136.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.61 AED 156

$22.80 RSD 2,380

86.89%

Cinema Ticket

$16.03 AED 58.9

$8.47 RSD 884

89.26%

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

$843 AED 3,098

$426 RSD 44.5K

97.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$11.4K RSD 1.2M

60.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 AED 250

$111 RSD 11.6K

-38.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 212

$45.99 RSD 4,802

25.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 AED 370

$119 RSD 12.4K

-15.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 AED 371

$154 RSD 16.1K

-34.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,380 AED 8,741

$821 RSD 85.8K

189.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 AED 5,531

$561 RSD 58.5K

168.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,437 AED 16.3K

$1,511 RSD 157.8K

193.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,010 AED 11.1K

$942 RSD 98.3K

219.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,121 AED 26.2K

$5,312 RSD 554.6K

34.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,135 AED 15.2K

$3,165 RSD 330.4K

30.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,391 AED 12.5K

$1,228 RSD 128.2K

176.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

4.61

-1.52%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 5, 2026

Last update for Belgrade: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5%

Belgrade

$561 35.5% 62.8% $945

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$396 13.8%

Belgrade

$278 17.6% 29.8% $118

Eating Out

Dubai

$309 10.8%

Belgrade

$233 14.7% 24.6% $76

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$293 10.2%

Belgrade

$246 15.6% 15.9% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Belgrade

$194 12.3% 31.3% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$131 4.6%

Belgrade

$59 3.7% 55.1% $72

Getting Around

Dubai

$87 3%

Belgrade

$8.2 * 0.5% 90.6% $79

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,380 in Dubai 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 176% higher in Dubai, 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 $81.0 in Dubai versus $58.0 in Belgrade. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $293 vs $246 – making Belgrade the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🕒 Local time

05:39 5:39 AM

03:39 3:39 AM

2 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

1,197,714 Capital

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

1,000 RSD = 9.58 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.54 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.243 EUR).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.58 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.54 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dubai Belgrade 3,810 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
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

Dubai vs Belgrade: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,854 in Dubai, $1,538 in Belgrade – roughly 86% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,281 per month in Dubai 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 Belgrade, 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 $81.0 in Dubai 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 19% more in Dubai, 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 Belgrade, where all-in costs run around $1,538, than in Dubai at $2,854. In Belgrade it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dubai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Dubai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,538 in Belgrade to $2,854 in Dubai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Dubai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.