Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between East London and Belgrade

For one person, living is cheaper in East London: $978 a month against $1,541 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

East London, South Africa
Belgrade, Serbia
East London
🇿🇦 South Africa
$978
/mo nomad
Belgrade
🇷🇸 Serbia
$1,541
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $978 per month in East London vs $1,541 in Belgrade, rent included.

  • East London $978
  • Belgrade $1,541

A couple spends around $1,499 per month in East London vs $2,351 in Belgrade, rent included.

  • East London $1,499
  • Belgrade $2,351

A family of three spends $2,020 per month in East London vs $3,161 in Belgrade, rent included.

  • East London $2,020
  • Belgrade $3,161

East London is about 37% cheaper than Belgrade, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

East London sits 28% below the global median, while Belgrade is 14% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
East London
Belgrade
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.97 R 132
$13.43 RSD 1,406
-40.66%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$33.73 R 558
$58.0 RSD 6,071
-41.83%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.09 R 84.2
$13.30 RSD 1,392
-61.73%
Cappuccino
$2.05 R 33.84
$3.05 RSD 319
-32.79%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.01 R 16.63
$2.82 RSD 295
-64.18%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.72 R 11.98
$2.28 RSD 239
-68.42%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.65 R 43.81
$3.66 RSD 383
-27.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.11 R 51.3
$4.18 RSD 437
-25.60%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
East London
Belgrade
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.12 R 18.48
$1.41 RSD 148
-20.57%
White Bread (500g)
$0.91 R 15.03
$1.16 RSD 122
-21.55%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.46 R 24.07
$2.53 RSD 264
-42.29%
Eggs
$2.35 R 38.80
$2.80 RSD 293
-16.07%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.42 R 139
$10.93 RSD 1,144
-22.96%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.20 R 86.0
$6.80 RSD 712
-23.53%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.93 R 131
$15.40 RSD 1,613
-48.51%
Apples (1kg)
$1.74 R 28.80
$1.63 RSD 170
6.75%
Banana (1kg)
$1.52 R 25.07
$1.75 RSD 183
-13.14%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.62 R 26.74
$1.78 RSD 187
-8.99%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.57 R 26.02
$3.04 RSD 318
-48.36%
Potato (1kg)
$1.69 R 27.86
$0.97 RSD 102
74.23%
Onion (1kg)
$1.42 R 23.54
$0.65 RSD 68.1
118.46%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.23 R 20.38
$0.74 RSD 77.6
66.22%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.01 R 16.73
$0.72 RSD 75.8
40.28%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.95 R 48.79
$4.53 RSD 474
-34.88%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.88 R 80.7
$8.25 RSD 863
-40.85%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.05 R 17.31
$0.86 RSD 90.3
22.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.97 R 16.01
$1.43 RSD 149
-32.17%
🚌 Getting Around
East London
Belgrade
Difference
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.18 R 19.54
$3.10 RSD 325
-61.94%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.50 R 8.20
$0.98 RSD 102
-48.98%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.61 R 142
$17.10 RSD 1,790
-49.65%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.46 R 24.13
$1.87 RSD 196
-21.93%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.3K R 583.5K
$30.9K RSD 3.2M
14.28%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.4K R 485.4K
$24.1K RSD 2.5M
22.01%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
East London
Belgrade
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$123 R 2,037
$215 RSD 22.5K
-42.60%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$30.34 R 502
$25.55 RSD 2,675
18.75%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$45.33 R 749
$35.40 RSD 3,706
28.05%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
East London
Belgrade
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$39.33 R 650
$40.62 RSD 4,252
-3.18%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$22.74 RSD 2,381
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.04 R 83.3
$7.99 RSD 837
-36.92%
🧸 Childcare & Education
East London
Belgrade
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$175 R 2,891
$453 RSD 47.5K
-61.42%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,508 R 91.0K
$12.4K RSD 1.3M
-55.46%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
East London
Belgrade
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$56.1 R 927
$112 RSD 11.7K
-49.79%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.59 R 539
$47.56 RSD 4,979
-31.48%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$73.5 R 1,215
$114 RSD 11.9K
-35.31%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$94.8 R 1,567
$147 RSD 15.4K
-35.42%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
East London
Belgrade
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$238 R 3,928
$829 RSD 86.8K
-71.34%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$296 R 4,884
$540 RSD 56.6K
-45.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$603 R 9,971
$1,508 RSD 157.9K
-59.99%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$566 R 9,354
$975 RSD 102.0K
-41.94%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$481 R 7,944
$5,059 RSD 529.6K
-90.50%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$833 R 13.8K
$3,171 RSD 332.0K
-73.75%
💵 Salaries & Financials
East London
Belgrade
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,442 R 23.8K
$1,276 RSD 133.6K
13.05%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.33
4.5
151.78%

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

Last update for East London: November 2, 2026

Last update for Belgrade: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
East London
$295
Belgrade
$540 82.9% $245
Monthly Utilities & Internet
East London
$199
Belgrade
$276 38.6% $77
Groceries & Markets
East London
$185
Belgrade
$241 30.3% $56
Eating Out
East London
$130
Belgrade
$231 77.7% $101
Clothing & Footwear
East London
$116
Belgrade
$189 63.3% $73
Sport & Entertainment
East London
$49
Belgrade
$57 14.6% $7.2
Getting Around
East London
$3.7 *
Belgrade
$8 * 118% $4.3

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $238 in East London versus $829 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 13% higher in East London, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in East London versus $58 in Belgrade. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $185 vs $241 – making East London the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇿🇦 East London
🇷🇸 Belgrade
🕒 Local time
18:53 6:53 PM
17:53 5:53 PM
1 h behind East London
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
267,007
1,197,714 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.53 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.05 USD). 1 EUR = 18.56 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 105 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.55 USD). 1 EUR = 118 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.5 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • East London Belgrade 8,690 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • East London
  • 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
East London vs Belgrade: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in East London and in Belgrade compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $978 in East London, $1,541 in Belgrade – East London comes out roughly 37% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in East London compared to Belgrade?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,467 per month in East London and $2,312 in Belgrade. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between East London and Belgrade?
Rent is clearly cheaper in East London, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $238 there versus $829 in Belgrade.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in East London and $58 in Belgrade. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 30% more in Belgrade, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in East London, where all-in costs run around $978, than in Belgrade at $1,541. In East London it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Where should families live: East London or Belgrade?
Families tend to lean toward East London – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

East London vs other spots: cost of living compared

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