Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Belgrade

For one person, living is cheaper in Johannesburg: $1,406 a month against $1,541 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Belgrade
Learn more

Belgrade Living Index

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Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,406

/mo nomad

Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,541

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,406 per month in Johannesburg vs $1,541 in Belgrade, rent included.

Johannesburg $1,406
Belgrade $1,541

A couple spends around $2,195 per month in Johannesburg vs $2,351 in Belgrade, rent included.

Johannesburg $2,195
Belgrade $2,351

A family of three spends $2,983 per month in Johannesburg vs $3,161 in Belgrade, rent included.

Johannesburg $2,983
Belgrade $3,161

Johannesburg is about 9% cheaper than Belgrade, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Johannesburg and Belgrade sit above the global median – Johannesburg by 4%, Belgrade by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 R 196

$13.43 RSD 1,398

-11.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.83 R 739

$58.0 RSD 6,036

-22.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.40 R 122

$13.30 RSD 1,384

-44.36%

Cappuccino

$2.45 R 40.33

$3.05 RSD 317

-19.67%

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

$1.23 R 20.22

$2.82 RSD 293

-56.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 R 15.21

$2.28 RSD 238

-59.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.45 R 40.41

$3.66 RSD 381

-33.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 R 45.14

$4.18 RSD 435

-34.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 R 21.63

$1.41 RSD 147

-7.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 R 20.74

$1.16 RSD 121

8.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 R 28.37

$2.53 RSD 263

-32.02%

Eggs

$2.63 R 43.38

$2.80 RSD 292

-6.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.87 R 146

$10.93 RSD 1,137

-18.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.68 R 93.5

$6.80 RSD 708

-16.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.04 R 149

$15.40 RSD 1,603

-41.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.07 R 34.19

$1.63 RSD 170

26.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 R 31.41

$1.75 RSD 182

9.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$1.78 RSD 186

2.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 R 33.78

$3.04 RSD 316

-32.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.05

$0.97 RSD 101

75.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 R 29.75

$0.65 RSD 67.7

178.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 R 24.83

$0.74 RSD 77.2

104.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 R 20.69

$0.72 RSD 75.3

75.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.50 R 57.7

$4.53 RSD 471

-22.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.07 R 100

$8.25 RSD 858

-26.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 R 29.69

$0.86 RSD 89.8

109.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 R 38.02

$1.43 RSD 148

61.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.62 R 26.74

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.7 R 1,494

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.82 R 13.55

$3.10 RSD 323

-73.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R 15.11

$0.98 RSD 102

-6.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.30 R 236

$17.10 RSD 1,780

-16.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 R 25.00

$1.87 RSD 195

-18.72%

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

$35.4K R 583.4K

$30.9K RSD 3.2M

14.61%

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

$34.7K R 572.5K

$24.1K RSD 2.5M

44.36%

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

$228 R 3,754

$215 RSD 22.4K

6.08%

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

$38.51 R 635

$25.55 RSD 2,659

50.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.02 R 627

$35.40 RSD 3,685

7.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.33 R 582

$40.62 RSD 4,228

-13.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.47 R 271

$22.74 RSD 2,367

-27.57%

Cinema Ticket

$8.47 R 140

$7.99 RSD 832

6.01%

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

$247 R 4,070

$453 RSD 47.2K

-45.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,727 R 127.3K

$12.4K RSD 1.3M

-37.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.1 R 958

$112 RSD 11.6K

-47.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.29 R 730

$47.56 RSD 4,951

-6.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 R 1,856

$114 RSD 11.8K

-0.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 R 1,829

$147 RSD 15.3K

-24.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$526 R 8,662

$829 RSD 86.3K

-36.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$407 R 6,712

$540 RSD 56.2K

-24.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,091 R 18.0K

$1,508 RSD 157.0K

-27.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$900 R 14.8K

$975 RSD 101.5K

-7.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,029 R 17.0K

$5,059 RSD 526.6K

-79.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$748 R 12.3K

$3,171 RSD 330.1K

-76.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,750 R 28.8K

$1,276 RSD 132.8K

37.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.91

4.5

142.44%

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

Last update for Johannesburg: October 31, 2026

Last update for Belgrade: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Johannesburg

$407 29%

Belgrade

$540 35.1% 32.7% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Johannesburg

$304 21.6%

Belgrade

$276 17.9% 9.4% $29

Groceries & Markets

Johannesburg

$220 15.7%

Belgrade

$241 15.6% 9.3% $20

Eating Out

Johannesburg

$173 12.3%

Belgrade

$231 15% 33.5% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Johannesburg

$147 10.4%

Belgrade

$189 12.3% 28.7% $42

Getting Around

Johannesburg

$103 7.3%

Belgrade

$8 * 0.5% 92.2% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Johannesburg

$52 3.7%

Belgrade

$57 3.7% 8.3% $4.3

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $526 in Johannesburg versus $829 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 37% higher in Johannesburg, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45 in Johannesburg versus $58 in Belgrade. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $220 vs $241 – making Johannesburg the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🕒 Local time

15:19 3:19 PM

14:19 2:19 PM

1 h behind Johannesburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,434,827

1,197,714 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1,000 RSD = 9.61 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.55 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.51 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.61 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.55 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

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Between locations

Johannesburg Belgrade 7,930 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Johannesburg
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

Johannesburg vs Belgrade: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,406 in Johannesburg, $1,541 in Belgrade – Johannesburg comes out roughly 9% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,110 per month in Johannesburg and $2,312 in Belgrade. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Johannesburg, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $526 there versus $829 in Belgrade.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45 in Johannesburg and $58 in Belgrade. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 9% more in Belgrade, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,406 in Johannesburg and $1,541 in Belgrade. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Johannesburg – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.