Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karlovac and Novi Sad

For one person, living is cheaper in Karlovac: $1,222 a month against $1,374 in Novi Sad, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Karlovac
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Karlovac Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Novi Sad
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Novi Sad Living Index

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Karlovac

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,222

/mo nomad

Novi Sad

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,374

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karlovac and in Novi Sad

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,222 in Karlovac versus $1,374 in Novi Sad.

Karlovac $1,222
Novi Sad $1,374

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,813 in Karlovac versus $2,104 in Novi Sad.

Karlovac $1,813
Novi Sad $2,104

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,404 in Karlovac versus $2,833 in Novi Sad.

Karlovac $2,404
Novi Sad $2,833

Living in Karlovac costs roughly 11% less than in Novi Sad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Karlovac is 9% below, Novi Sad is 2% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.05 €9.83

$9.79 RSD 1,020

12.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.01 €39.15

$50.2 RSD 5,232

-12.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.86 €6.99

$11.82 RSD 1,232

-33.50%

Cappuccino

$1.98 €1.76

$2.68 RSD 280

-26.12%

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

$2.43 €2.16

$2.31 RSD 241

5.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 €1.42

$1.90 RSD 198

-15.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.51 €2.23

$2.90 RSD 303

-13.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 €2.25

$3.73 RSD 388

-32.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 €1.00

$1.37 RSD 143

-17.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 €1.03

$1.01 RSD 105

14.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 €1.38

$2.63 RSD 274

-41.06%

Eggs

$3.14 €2.79

$2.66 RSD 278

18.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.27 €8.25

$13.53 RSD 1,410

-31.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.70 €8.62

$7.27 RSD 757

33.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.01 €10.68

$14.26 RSD 1,486

-15.78%

Apples (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.68 RSD 175

17.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.91 RSD 199

-2.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.61 RSD 167

14.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$2.53 RSD 264

-19.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.05 RSD 110

37.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 €0.95

$0.64 RSD 67.2

67.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.01 RSD 105

66.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 €1.03

$0.65 RSD 68.3

78.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.42 €4.82

$4.75 RSD 496

14.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.81 €6.06

$7.42 RSD 773

-8.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 €1.44

$0.87 RSD 91.1

86.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.29 RSD 238

-4.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.37 €2.99

$0.93 RSD 97.0

262.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.13 RSD 2,516

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.56 €4.94

$2.34 RSD 244

137.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 €1.01

$0.92 RSD 96.2

22.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.60 RSD 1,105

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.90 RSD 198

-7.89%

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

$25.9K €23.0K

$30.5K RSD 3.2M

-14.98%

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

$24.7K €22.0K

$26.0K RSD 2.7M

-4.89%

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

$178 €159

$222 RSD 23.1K

-19.50%

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

$26.88 €23.91

$20.42 RSD 2,129

31.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.18 €34.85

$33.10 RSD 3,450

18.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.71 €33.55

$36.99 RSD 3,856

1.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$11.28 RSD 1,176

65.60%

Cinema Ticket

$6.65 €5.91

$7.39 RSD 771

-10.01%

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

$421 €375

$371 RSD 38.7K

13.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,713 €5,971

$7,484 RSD 780.2K

-10.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.9 €78.2

$118 RSD 12.3K

-25.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.9 €45.28

$44.22 RSD 4,610

15.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.6 €77.9

$137 RSD 14.3K

-36.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.3 €68.7

$127 RSD 13.3K

-39.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$487 €433

$489 RSD 51.0K

-0.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$350 €311

$392 RSD 40.8K

-10.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$714 €635

$951 RSD 99.2K

-25.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$521 €463

$739 RSD 77.0K

-29.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,765 €2,460

$3,442 RSD 358.9K

-19.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,459 €2,188

$2,629 RSD 274.1K

-6.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,392 €1,238

$1,218 RSD 127.0K

14.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.72

5.21

-28.60%

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

Last update for Karlovac: October 11, 2026

Last update for Novi Sad: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Karlovac

$350 28.7%

Novi Sad

$392 28.5% 11.9% $42

Groceries & Markets

Karlovac

$246 20.1%

Novi Sad

$244 17.7% 0.8% $2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karlovac

$244 20%

Novi Sad

$275 20% 12.5% $31

Eating Out

Karlovac

$169 13.9%

Novi Sad

$185 13.5% 9.1% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Karlovac

$137 11.2%

Novi Sad

$192 14% 40.6% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Karlovac

$51 4.2%

Novi Sad

$52 3.8% 1.5% $0.8

Getting Around

Karlovac

$25 * 2%

Novi Sad

$35 2.5% 41.1% $10

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $487 in Karlovac and $489 in Novi Sad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Karlovac pays 14% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $44.00 in Karlovac vs $50.0 in Novi Sad. Groceries flip the comparison at $246 vs $244, with Novi Sad cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇭🇷 Karlovac

🇷🇸 Novi Sad

🕒 Local time

02:16 2:16 AM

Same time as Karlovac

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

41,869

260,438

💱 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

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Between locations

Karlovac Novi Sad 340 km

From you

Karlovac
Novi Sad

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

Karlovac vs Novi Sad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karlovac is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and leisure. The 12% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 14% higher in Karlovac, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $487 in Karlovac versus $489 in Novi Sad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Novi Sad pay roughly 1% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,222 per month in Karlovac versus $1,374 in Novi Sad – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,222 in Karlovac versus $1,374 in Novi Sad, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Karlovac but tight or insufficient in Novi Sad. The gap between the two cities makes Karlovac the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Karlovac and Novi Sad are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Karlovac gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Novi Sad. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.