Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Joensuu and Belgrade

For one person, living is cheaper in Belgrade: $1,554 a month against $1,899 in Joensuu, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

92

Cost of Living Index in Joensuu
Learn more

Joensuu Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Belgrade
Learn more

Belgrade Living Index

Jump to prices

Joensuu

🇫🇮 Finland

$1,899

/mo nomad

Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,554

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,899 per month in Joensuu vs $1,554 in Belgrade, rent included.

Joensuu $1,899
Belgrade $1,554

A couple spends around $2,833 per month in Joensuu vs $2,337 in Belgrade, rent included.

Joensuu $2,833
Belgrade $2,337

A family of three spends $3,767 per month in Joensuu vs $3,121 in Belgrade, rent included.

Joensuu $3,767
Belgrade $3,121

Joensuu costs about 22% more than Belgrade, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Joensuu and Belgrade sit above the global median – Joensuu by 41%, Belgrade by 15%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.49 €13.78

$13.15 RSD 1,371

17.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.9 €58.6

$57.5 RSD 5,999

14.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.55 €10.27

$13.38 RSD 1,394

-13.68%

Cappuccino

$3.62 €3.22

$3.10 RSD 323

16.77%

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

$1.31 €1.17

$2.82 RSD 294

-53.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 €1.60

$2.22 RSD 231

-18.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.23 €7.32

$3.47 RSD 362

137.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.45 €7.51

$3.96 RSD 412

113.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.38 RSD 144

4.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 €2.29

$1.13 RSD 118

128.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.75 €2.45

$2.66 RSD 277

3.38%

Eggs

$2.76 €2.46

$2.78 RSD 290

-0.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.97 €7.09

$10.99 RSD 1,146

-27.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.95 €11.52

$6.56 RSD 684

97.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.88 €21.24

$15.07 RSD 1,571

58.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 €2.30

$1.66 RSD 173

56.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 €1.72

$1.79 RSD 186

8.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.87 RSD 195

16.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.94 €3.50

$3.03 RSD 315

30.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$0.92 RSD 96.3

66.30%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.71 RSD 73.8

204.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.50 €1.33

$0.74 RSD 77.6

102.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$0.74 RSD 77.2

85.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.73 €10.43

$4.61 RSD 481

154.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.26 €11.80

$8.81 RSD 918

50.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 €1.94

$0.89 RSD 92.7

146.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 €3.00

$1.45 RSD 151

132.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.06 €2.72

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.5 €66.3

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.67 €5.93

$3.02 RSD 315

120.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.98 RSD 103

37.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$64.6 €57.5

$17.08 RSD 1,780

278.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.91 RSD 199

7.85%

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

$35.7K €31.8K

$31.0K RSD 3.2M

15.20%

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

$36.3K €32.3K

$24.7K RSD 2.6M

47.12%

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

$191 €170

$220 RSD 23.0K

-13.44%

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

$23.71 €21.09

$24.41 RSD 2,544

-2.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.44 €28.86

$35.64 RSD 3,715

-8.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.6 €46.76

$41.20 RSD 4,295

27.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.57 €22.75

$22.60 RSD 2,356

13.14%

Cinema Ticket

$16.19 €14.40

$8.59 RSD 896

88.47%

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

$268 €239

$424 RSD 44.2K

-36.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K RSD 1.1M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$136 €121

$111 RSD 11.5K

22.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.58 €35.20

$47.28 RSD 4,929

-16.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.8 €80.8

$113 RSD 11.8K

-19.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 €129

$157 RSD 16.3K

-7.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$739 €657

$805 RSD 83.9K

-8.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$658 €586

$546 RSD 56.9K

20.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$1,452 RSD 151.4K

-12.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$998 €888

$931 RSD 97.0K

7.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,050 €1,823

$5,368 RSD 559.6K

-61.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,752 €1,558

$3,155 RSD 328.9K

-44.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,000 €3,558

$1,237 RSD 128.9K

223.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

4.61

-30.80%

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

Last update for Joensuu: October 10, 2026

Last update for Belgrade: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Joensuu

$658 34.7%

Belgrade

$546 35.2% 17.1% $112

Groceries & Markets

Joensuu

$351 18.5%

Belgrade

$241 15.5% 31.5% $111

Eating Out

Joensuu

$273 14.4%

Belgrade

$228 14.7% 16.4% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Joensuu

$247 13%

Belgrade

$280 18.1% 13.6% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Joensuu

$185 9.8%

Belgrade

$192 12.4% 3.9% $7.2

Getting Around

Joensuu

$100 5.3%

Belgrade

$7.9 * 0.5% 92.1% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Joensuu

$85 4.5%

Belgrade

$58 3.8% 31.3% $27

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $739 in Joensuu versus $805 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 223% higher in Joensuu, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Joensuu versus $58.0 in Belgrade. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $351 vs $241 – making Belgrade the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇮 Joensuu

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🕒 Local time

10:10 10:10 AM

09:10 9:10 AM

1 h behind Joensuu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,060

1,197,714 Capital

💱 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Joensuu Belgrade 2,070 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Joensuu
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

Joensuu vs Belgrade: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,899 in Joensuu, $1,554 in Belgrade – roughly 22% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,849 per month in Joensuu and $2,331 in Belgrade. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Belgrade, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Joensuu 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 46% more in Joensuu, 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 Belgrade, where all-in costs run around $1,554, than in Joensuu at $1,899. In Belgrade it covers expenses comfortably, while in Joensuu it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Belgrade – 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 Belgrade. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Joensuu makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.