Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hawassa and Belgrade

For one person, living is cheaper in Hawassa: $834 a month against $1,554 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Hawassa
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Hawassa Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Belgrade
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Belgrade Living Index

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Hawassa

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$834

/mo nomad

Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,554

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $834 per month in Hawassa vs $1,554 in Belgrade, rent included.

Hawassa $834
Belgrade $1,554

A couple spends around $1,199 per month in Hawassa vs $2,337 in Belgrade, rent included.

Hawassa $1,199
Belgrade $2,337

A family of three spends $1,564 per month in Hawassa vs $3,121 in Belgrade, rent included.

Hawassa $1,564
Belgrade $3,121

Hawassa is about 46% cheaper than Belgrade, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Hawassa sits 38% below the global median, while Belgrade is 15% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.90 ETB 625

$13.15 RSD 1,371

-70.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.11 ETB 6,758

$57.5 RSD 5,999

-26.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.56 ETB 1,054

$13.38 RSD 1,394

-50.97%

Cappuccino

$0.95 ETB 153

$3.10 RSD 323

-69.35%

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

$0.63 ETB 102

$2.82 RSD 294

-77.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 ETB 110

$2.22 RSD 231

-68.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.83 ETB 133

$3.47 RSD 362

-76.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 ETB 370

$3.96 RSD 412

-41.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 ETB 172

$1.38 RSD 144

-22.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 ETB 188

$1.13 RSD 118

3.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ETB 163

$2.66 RSD 277

-62.03%

Eggs

$1.58 ETB 253

$2.78 RSD 290

-43.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.40 ETB 1,188

$10.99 RSD 1,146

-32.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.07 ETB 1,616

$6.56 RSD 684

53.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.09 ETB 1,458

$15.07 RSD 1,571

-39.68%

Apples (1kg)

$5.35 ETB 859

$1.66 RSD 173

222.29%

Banana (1kg)

$0.68 ETB 109

$1.79 RSD 186

-62.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.13 ETB 341

$1.87 RSD 195

13.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.66 ETB 106

$3.03 RSD 315

-78.22%

Potato (1kg)

$0.50 ETB 80.5

$0.92 RSD 96.3

-45.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 ETB 169

$0.71 RSD 73.8

49.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 ETB 110

$0.74 RSD 77.6

-6.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ETB 91.3

$0.74 RSD 77.2

-22.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.18 ETB 1,312

$4.61 RSD 481

77.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.55 ETB 891

$8.81 RSD 918

-37.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 ETB 106

$0.89 RSD 92.7

-25.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 ETB 206

$1.45 RSD 151

-11.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.31 ETB 210

$3.02 RSD 315

-56.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ETB 42.86

$0.98 RSD 103

-72.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.03 ETB 326

$17.08 RSD 1,780

-88.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 ETB 147

$1.91 RSD 199

-51.83%

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

$54.6K ETB 8.8M

$31.0K RSD 3.2M

76.17%

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

$56.4K ETB 9.0M

$24.7K RSD 2.6M

128.56%

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

$202 ETB 32.5K

$220 RSD 23.0K

-8.28%

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

$7.21 ETB 1,158

$24.41 RSD 2,544

-70.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$213 ETB 34.2K

$35.64 RSD 3,715

498.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.20 RSD 4,295

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.60 RSD 2,356

Cinema Ticket

$3.84 ETB 616

$8.59 RSD 896

-55.30%

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

$136 ETB 21.9K

$424 RSD 44.2K

-67.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K ETB 4.9M

$11.0K RSD 1.1M

175.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.37 ETB 5,356

$111 RSD 11.5K

-69.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.7 ETB 11.3K

$47.28 RSD 4,929

49.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.6 ETB 12.6K

$113 RSD 11.8K

-30.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.6 ETB 13.4K

$157 RSD 16.3K

-46.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 RSD 83.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$546 RSD 56.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,452 RSD 151.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$931 RSD 97.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,368 RSD 559.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$494 ETB 79.3K

$3,155 RSD 328.9K

-84.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,237 RSD 128.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.5

4.61

301.30%

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

Last update for Hawassa: October 10, 2026

Last update for Belgrade: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hawassa

$423 50.6%

Belgrade

$280 18.1% 33.6% $142

Groceries & Markets

Hawassa

$205 24.6%

Belgrade

$241 15.5% 17.1% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Hawassa

$120 14.4%

Belgrade

$192 12.4% 60.6% $73

Eating Out

Hawassa

$76 9.2%

Belgrade

$228 14.7% 199% $152

Sport & Entertainment

Hawassa

$7.7 * 0.9%

Belgrade

$58 3.8% 661% $51

Getting Around

Hawassa

$2.6 * 0.3%

Belgrade

$7.9 * 0.5% 201% $5.3

Accommodation & Living

Hawassa

- * 0%

Belgrade

$546 35.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42.00 in Hawassa versus $58.0 in Belgrade. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $205 vs $241 – making Hawassa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇹 Hawassa

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🕒 Local time

07:56 7:56 AM

06:56 6:56 AM

1 h behind Hawassa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

160,000

1,197,714 Capital

💱 Currency

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ETB = 6.23 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR

1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, USD, EUR to ETB – Ethiopian Birr Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇹 Ethiopian Birr (Br)

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 160 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.23 USD). 1 EUR = 180 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR).

USD to ETB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hawassa Belgrade 4,550 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Hawassa
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

Hawassa vs Belgrade: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $834 in Hawassa, $1,554 in Belgrade – roughly 86% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,252 per month in Hawassa and $2,331 in Belgrade. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42.00 in Hawassa 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 17% 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 Hawassa, where all-in costs run around $834, than in Belgrade at $1,554. In Hawassa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Hawassa – 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 Hawassa. 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.