Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and Serbia Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and Serbia

Name: Serbia
Address: RS

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,718 in Italy versus $1,077 in Serbia.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,621 in Italy versus $1,582 in Serbia.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,524 in Italy versus $2,086 in Serbia.

Living in Italy is roughly 60% more expensive than in Serbia on average.

Italy (29% above) and Serbia (19% below) straddle the global median.

Internal cost variation is higher in Italy: monthly costs span $1,176 to $2,467, compared to $863–$1,508 in Serbia. City choice carries more weight in Italy.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.58 €15.38

$10.05 RSD 1,029

74.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.5 €72.1

$49.81 RSD 5,096

65.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.72 €10.25

$10.67 RSD 1,092

9.84%

Cappuccino

$1.92 €1.68

$2.37 RSD 243

-18.99%

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

$2.99 €2.62

$2.14 RSD 219

39.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.19

$1.69 RSD 173

-19.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.76 €5.04

$2.90 RSD 297

98.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.22 €4.57

$3.49 RSD 357

49.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 €1.48

$1.49 RSD 152

13.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 €2.04

$0.81 RSD 83.3

187.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.05 €2.67

$2.63 RSD 269

15.97%

Eggs

$3.99 €3.49

$2.78 RSD 285

43.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.68 €14.59

$10.41 RSD 1,065

60.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.57 €11.00

$7.24 RSD 740

73.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.53 €17.96

$12.53 RSD 1,282

63.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 €2.24

$1.31 RSD 134

95.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 €1.93

$1.84 RSD 188

19.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.68 €2.34

$1.79 RSD 183

49.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.37 €2.95

$2.38 RSD 244

41.60%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.78

$1.06 RSD 108

92.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 €1.65

$0.89 RSD 91.2

111.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.29

$0.77 RSD 78.6

90.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.47

$0.67 RSD 68.6

-19.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.00 €6.12

$4.45 RSD 455

57.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.09 €6.20

$6.59 RSD 674

7.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 €1.58

$0.80 RSD 81.7

125.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 €2.19

$1.72 RSD 176

45.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 €1.71

$0.76 RSD 78.2

157.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.58 €36.38

$19.58 RSD 2,003

112.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.80 €5.08

$1.94 RSD 198

198.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 €1.40

$0.87 RSD 88.6

83.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.07 €30.68

$11.78 RSD 1,205

197.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.86

$1.80 RSD 184

18.33%

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

$32.6K €28.5K

$31.0K RSD 3.2M

4.94%

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

$33.8K €29.6K

$27.2K RSD 2.8M

24.12%

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

$225 €197

$191 RSD 19.5K

17.91%

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

$13.14 €11.50

$20.24 RSD 2,071

-35.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.19 €27.29

$31.32 RSD 3,204

-0.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 €50.0

$34.99 RSD 3,579

63.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.85 €22.61

$18.56 RSD 1,899

39.28%

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 €9.05

$7.06 RSD 723

46.46%

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

$564 €493

$360 RSD 36.8K

56.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.3K €9,047

$8,253 RSD 844.3K

25.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.9 €80.4

$95.9 RSD 9,813

-4.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.54 €35.47

$42.71 RSD 4,370

-5.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.2 €85.9

$112 RSD 11.4K

-12.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €116

$122 RSD 12.5K

8.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$855 €748

$595 RSD 60.9K

43.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$663 €580

$428 RSD 43.8K

55.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,522 €1,332

$1,034 RSD 105.8K

47.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,089 €953

$743 RSD 76.0K

46.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,747 €3,278

$3,107 RSD 317.9K

20.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,299 €2,011

$2,133 RSD 218.2K

7.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,897 €1,659

$934 RSD 95.5K

103.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.41

6.95

-36.55%

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

Last update for Italy: July 11, 2026

Last update for Serbia: July 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $742 in Italy, $376 in Serbia. Capital cities: $1,328 in Rome vs $876 in Belgrade.

National salary averages: $1,912 in Italy, $770 in Serbia. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 97% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 111% more in Italy.

Public transport is 91% more expensive in Italy.

Salaries are 148% higher in Italy, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Italy.

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

Italy vs Serbia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,822 per month in Italy and $1,186 in Serbia, there's a 54% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is simply cheaper in Serbia: lower food prices, cheaper commutes, smaller household bills. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent in Italy is consistently higher than in Serbia across the board, especially in major cities. Housing is usually the single biggest driver of the overall cost difference between the two countries.

In Serbia, $1,500 covers most cities easily; in Italy it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: Serbia wins on affordability; Italy may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.