Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and Serbia

Name: Serbia
Address: RS

For one person, living is cheaper in Serbia: $1,221 a month against $1,804 in Italy, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Italy
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Italy Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Serbia
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Serbia Living Index

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🇮🇹 Italy

$1,804

/mo nomad

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,221

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Italy and in Serbia

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Italy and in Serbia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,804 in Italy versus $1,221 in Serbia.

Italy $1,804
Serbia $1,221

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,778 in Italy versus $1,856 in Serbia.

Italy $2,778
Serbia $1,856

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,752 in Italy versus $2,490 in Serbia.

Italy $3,752
Serbia $2,490

Internal cost variation is higher in Italy: monthly costs span $1,035 to $2,560, compared to $759–$1,554 in Serbia. City choice carries more weight in Italy.

Living in Italy is roughly 48% more expensive than in Serbia on average.

Italy (34% above) and Serbia (10% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.89 €17.70

$9.51 RSD 991

109.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.0 €68.5

$47.40 RSD 4,941

62.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.00 €9.78

$11.51 RSD 1,200

-4.43%

Cappuccino

$1.99 €1.77

$2.29 RSD 239

-13.10%

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

$2.96 €2.63

$2.24 RSD 234

32.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.25

$1.76 RSD 183

-19.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.60 €4.98

$2.78 RSD 290

101.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.67 €5.05

$3.31 RSD 345

71.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 €1.43

$1.29 RSD 135

24.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.30 €2.05

$0.92 RSD 96.3

150.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.99 €2.66

$2.12 RSD 221

41.04%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$2.55 RSD 266

59.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.23 €15.33

$9.48 RSD 988

81.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.68 €11.28

$6.76 RSD 705

87.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.36 €18.11

$13.20 RSD 1,376

54.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.54 €2.26

$1.36 RSD 142

86.76%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.76 RSD 183

22.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.56 €2.28

$1.73 RSD 181

47.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.22 €2.86

$2.38 RSD 248

35.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 €1.70

$0.96 RSD 99.7

100.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 €1.64

$0.67 RSD 70.0

174.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 €1.34

$0.73 RSD 75.8

106.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.65 RSD 67.4

-15.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.81 €6.06

$4.49 RSD 469

51.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.03 €7.15

$6.57 RSD 685

22.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 €1.53

$0.80 RSD 83.4

115.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 €2.11

$1.54 RSD 161

53.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.88 €1.67

$0.79 RSD 82.0

137.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.31 €38.52

$14.29 RSD 1,490

203.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.57 €4.95

$1.91 RSD 199

191.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 €1.45

$0.98 RSD 102

66.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.78 €30.04

$9.30 RSD 970

263.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 €1.81

$1.87 RSD 195

9.09%

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

$35.6K €31.7K

$30.1K RSD 3.1M

18.55%

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

$35.4K €31.5K

$24.9K RSD 2.6M

41.97%

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

$222 €198

$188 RSD 19.6K

18.08%

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

$11.43 €10.17

$21.28 RSD 2,218

-46.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.65 €27.26

$29.51 RSD 3,077

3.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 €46.89

$33.59 RSD 3,502

56.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.82 €21.19

$14.04 RSD 1,463

69.66%

Cinema Ticket

$10.51 €9.35

$6.48 RSD 676

62.19%

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

$541 €481

$330 RSD 34.4K

64.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K €10.4K

$8,608 RSD 897.4K

36.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.0 €80.0

$96.1 RSD 10.0K

-6.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.08 €34.76

$42.21 RSD 4,400

-7.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €90.2

$108 RSD 11.2K

-5.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €117

$125 RSD 13.0K

5.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 €716

$487 RSD 50.8K

65.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$619 €550

$356 RSD 37.1K

73.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,388 €1,235

$815 RSD 85.0K

70.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,050 €934

$618 RSD 64.4K

70.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,623 €3,223

$2,844 RSD 296.5K

27.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,229 €1,983

$2,021 RSD 210.7K

10.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,889 €1,680

$939 RSD 97.9K

101.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.56

4.86

-26.75%

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

Last update for Italy: October 11, 2026

Last update for Serbia: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Italy

$619 34.3%

Serbia

$356 29.2% 42.5% $263

Groceries & Markets

Italy

$347 19.2%

Serbia

$214 17.5% 38.3% $133

Eating Out

Italy

$273 15.1%

Serbia

$175 14.3% 36% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Italy

$265 14.7%

Serbia

$239 19.6% 9.6% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Italy

$163 9%

Serbia

$167 13.7% 2.3% $3.7

Sport & Entertainment

Italy

$74 4.1%

Serbia

$47 3.8% 36.9% $27

Getting Around

Italy

$65 3.6%

Serbia

$24 2% 62.4% $40

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $721 in Italy, $327 in Serbia. Capital cities: $1,222 in Rome vs $805 in Belgrade.

National salary averages: $1,888 in Italy, $771 in Serbia. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 120% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 97% more in Italy.

Public transport is 273% more expensive in Italy.

Salaries are 145% higher in Italy, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Italy.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Italy

🇷🇸 Serbia

🕒 Local time

10:42 10:42 AM

Same time as Italy

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,850,717

6,647,003

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Italy Serbia 720 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Italy
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

Italy vs Serbia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,804 per month in Italy and $1,221 in Serbia, there's a 48% 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 cheaper in Serbia: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $721 in Italy and $327 in Serbia. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

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.