Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karaj and Belgrade

For one person, living is cheaper in Karaj: $816 a month against $1,554 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Karaj
Learn more

Karaj Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Belgrade
Learn more

Belgrade Living Index

Jump to prices

Karaj

🇮🇷 Iran

$816

/mo nomad

Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,554

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $816 per month in Karaj vs $1,554 in Belgrade, rent included.

Karaj $816
Belgrade $1,554

A couple spends around $1,054 per month in Karaj vs $2,337 in Belgrade, rent included.

Karaj $1,054
Belgrade $2,337

A family of three spends $1,292 per month in Karaj vs $3,121 in Belgrade, rent included.

Karaj $1,292
Belgrade $3,121

Karaj is about 47% cheaper than Belgrade, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Karaj sits 40% below the global median, while Belgrade is 15% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.79 $3.79

$13.15 RSD 1,371

-71.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.25 $17.25

$57.5 RSD 5,999

-70.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 $3.92

$13.38 RSD 1,394

-70.70%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.48 $0.48

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.12 $1.12

Cappuccino

$1.11 $1.11

$3.10 RSD 323

-64.19%

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

$0.46 $0.46

$2.82 RSD 294

-83.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 $1.66

$2.22 RSD 231

-25.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.47 RSD 362

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 RSD 412

Milk (1 liter)

$0.70 $0.70

$1.38 RSD 144

-49.28%

White Bread (500g)

$0.51 $0.51

$1.13 RSD 118

-54.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.07 $2.07

$2.66 RSD 277

-22.18%

Eggs

$1.08 $1.08

$2.78 RSD 290

-61.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.31 $4.31

$10.99 RSD 1,146

-60.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 $3.30

$6.56 RSD 684

-49.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.38 $10.38

$15.07 RSD 1,571

-31.12%

Apples (1kg)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.66 RSD 173

-48.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.79 RSD 186

-6.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.75 $0.75

$1.87 RSD 195

-59.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.49 $0.49

$3.03 RSD 315

-83.83%

Potato (1kg)

$0.46 $0.46

$0.92 RSD 96.3

-50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.47 $0.47

$0.71 RSD 73.8

-33.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.57 $0.57

$0.74 RSD 77.6

-22.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.19 $0.19

$0.74 RSD 77.2

-74.32%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.76 $0.76

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 $0.52

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 $1.34

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.52 $2.52

$4.61 RSD 481

-45.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.81 RSD 918

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 RSD 92.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 RSD 151

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.19 $0.19

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.23 $13.23

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.31 $0.31

$3.02 RSD 315

-89.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 $0.29

$0.98 RSD 103

-70.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.66 $2.66

$17.08 RSD 1,780

-84.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.08 $0.08

$1.91 RSD 199

-95.81%

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

$49.4K $49.4K

$31.0K RSD 3.2M

59.38%

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

$44.9K $44.9K

$24.7K RSD 2.6M

82.16%

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

$12.86 $12.86

$220 RSD 23.0K

-94.17%

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

$1.58 $1.58

$24.41 RSD 2,544

-93.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$3.69 $3.69

$35.64 RSD 3,715

-89.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.06 $23.06

$41.20 RSD 4,295

-44.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.06 $10.06

$22.60 RSD 2,356

-55.49%

Cinema Ticket

$1.12 $1.12

$8.59 RSD 896

-86.96%

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

$108 $108

$424 RSD 44.2K

-74.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$817 $817

$11.0K RSD 1.1M

-92.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.45 $25.45

$111 RSD 11.5K

-76.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.36 $28.36

$47.28 RSD 4,929

-40.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.8 $95.8

$113 RSD 11.8K

-15.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.5 $74.5

$157 RSD 16.3K

-52.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$291 $291

$805 RSD 83.9K

-63.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$480 $480

$546 RSD 56.9K

-12.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$829 $829

$1,452 RSD 151.4K

-42.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$467 $467

$931 RSD 97.0K

-49.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,249 $1,249

$5,368 RSD 559.6K

-76.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$528 $528

$3,155 RSD 328.9K

-83.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$245 $245

$1,237 RSD 128.9K

-80.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.61

398.92%

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

Last update for Karaj: October 11, 2026

Last update for Belgrade: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Karaj

$480 58.8%

Belgrade

$546 35.2% 13.8% $66

Groceries & Markets

Karaj

$112 13.7%

Belgrade

$241 15.5% 115% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Karaj

$101 12.4%

Belgrade

$192 12.4% 90.8% $92

Eating Out

Karaj

$64 7.8%

Belgrade

$228 14.7% 257% $164

Sport & Entertainment

Karaj

$25 3.1%

Belgrade

$58 3.8% 131% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karaj

$18 2.2%

Belgrade

$280 18.1% 1447% $262

Getting Around

Karaj

$16 1.9%

Belgrade

$7.9 * 0.5% 49.5% $7.8

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $291 in Karaj 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 406% higher in Belgrade, 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 $17.00 in Karaj versus $58.0 in Belgrade. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $112 vs $241 – making Karaj the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇷 Karaj

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🕒 Local time

07:38 7:38 AM

06:08 6:08 AM

1 h 30 min behind Karaj

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,712,000

1,197,714 Capital

💱 Currency

USD USD

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, EUR to USD – USD Converter

🇷🇸 Serbian Dinar (din)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

USD exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

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).

RSD to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Karaj Belgrade 2,760 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Karaj
Belgrade

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Karaj vs Belgrade: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $816 in Karaj, $1,554 in Belgrade – roughly 90% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,224 per month in Karaj 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 Karaj, 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 $17.00 in Karaj 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 115% more in Belgrade, 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 Karaj, where all-in costs run around $816, than in Belgrade at $1,554. In Karaj it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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