Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Serbia

Name: Serbia
Address: RS

For one person, living is cheaper in Serbia: $1,221 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Serbia
Learn more

Serbia Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,221

/mo nomad

😐 Solo nomad: Istanbul is 20.1% more expensive than Serbia without rent, and 25% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Istanbul is 16.1% more expensive than Serbia without rent, and 28.7% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$9.39 RSD 978

26.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,714

$46.79 RSD 4,874

17.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$11.51 RSD 1,199

-20.59%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$2.36 RSD 246

79.66%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$2.31 RSD 241

-24.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$1.73 RSD 180

-68.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$2.92 RSD 305

60.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$3.26 RSD 340

83.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$1.31 RSD 137

-3.82%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.81

$0.93 RSD 96.8

2.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.15 RSD 224

7.44%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$2.61 RSD 272

-5.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$9.93 RSD 1,034

6.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$6.61 RSD 689

-15.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$13.18 RSD 1,373

60.93%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$1.41 RSD 147

36.88%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.84 RSD 192

24.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.66 RSD 173

-22.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$2.40 RSD 250

-23.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.86

$0.96 RSD 99.8

-30.21%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$0.72 RSD 75.2

-18.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$0.72 RSD 75.5

84.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.10

$0.65 RSD 67.3

-9.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$4.44 RSD 463

-46.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$6.70 RSD 698

101.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$0.85 RSD 89.1

184.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$1.51 RSD 157

134.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

$0.78 RSD 81.6

6.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

$14.18 RSD 1,477

368.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$1.88 RSD 196

-28.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

$0.97 RSD 101

-12.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$9.64 RSD 1,004

12.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$1.86 RSD 194

-20.97%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$30.6K RSD 3.2M

68.49%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$24.4K RSD 2.5M

81.89%

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

$188 RSD 19.6K

-52.64%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$20.98 RSD 2,185

-44.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$28.90 RSD 3,010

-44.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,805

$33.57 RSD 3,497

130.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

$14.32 RSD 1,492

58.24%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$6.54 RSD 682

27.52%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$331 RSD 34.5K

194.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$8,606 RSD 896.5K

199.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$95.9 RSD 9,989

-45.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,929

$41.55 RSD 4,329

-5.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

$110 RSD 11.5K

-6.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,759

$127 RSD 13.2K

-23.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$503 RSD 52.4K

97.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$349 RSD 36.4K

80.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$816 RSD 85.0K

148.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$615 RSD 64.1K

87.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$2,915 RSD 303.6K

8.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$2,003 RSD 208.7K

-8.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$940 RSD 98.0K

27.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

4.86

745.47%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Serbia: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Serbia

$349 28.7% 44.5% $280

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Serbia

$216 17.8% 18.1% $48

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Serbia

$175 14.4% 19.6% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Serbia

$168 13.8% 28.4% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Serbia

$238 19.6% 104% $121

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Serbia

$47 3.8% 50.3% $47

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Serbia

$24 2% 68.1% $51

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇷🇸 Serbia

🕒 Local time

13:37 1:37 PM

12:37 12:37 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

6,647,003

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

1,000 RSD = 9.6 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.57 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.2 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 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 = 8.57 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Serbia 810 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Serbia

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

Istanbul vs other spots: cost of living compared

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