Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kaunas and Belgrade

For one person, living costs are similar in Kaunas and in Belgrade: $1,477 and $1,538 a month, rent and utilities included.

Kaunas
🇱🇹 Lithuania
$1,477
/mo nomad
Belgrade
🇷🇸 Serbia
$1,538
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,477 per month in Kaunas vs $1,538 in Belgrade, rent included.

  • Kaunas $1,477
  • Belgrade $1,538

A couple spends around $2,241 per month in Kaunas vs $2,321 in Belgrade, rent included.

  • Kaunas $2,241
  • Belgrade $2,321

A family of three spends $3,005 per month in Kaunas vs $3,105 in Belgrade, rent included.

  • Kaunas $3,005
  • Belgrade $3,105

Kaunas is about 4% cheaper than Belgrade, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Kaunas and Belgrade sit above the global median – Kaunas by 10%, Belgrade by 15%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kaunas
Belgrade
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.80 €10.53
$13.33 RSD 1,389
-11.48%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$68.4 €61.1
$58.4 RSD 6,085
17.10%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.90 €8.84
$13.58 RSD 1,414
-27.10%
Cappuccino
$3.46 €3.08
$3.13 RSD 326
10.54%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.33 €2.97
$2.77 RSD 288
20.22%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.22 €2.87
$2.27 RSD 237
41.85%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.07 €4.52
$3.75 RSD 390
35.20%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.36 €3.89
$4.38 RSD 456
-0.46%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kaunas
Belgrade
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.57 €1.40
$1.40 RSD 146
12.14%
White Bread (500g)
$1.79 €1.59
$1.17 RSD 122
52.99%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.22 €1.98
$2.71 RSD 282
-18.08%
Eggs
$3.36 €3.00
$2.78 RSD 289
20.86%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.71 €13.13
$11.36 RSD 1,184
29.49%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.13 €7.25
$7.01 RSD 731
15.98%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.60 €12.14
$15.72 RSD 1,638
-13.49%
Apples (1kg)
$1.55 €1.38
$1.66 RSD 173
-6.63%
Banana (1kg)
$1.50 €1.34
$1.81 RSD 188
-17.13%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.17 €1.94
$1.83 RSD 190
18.58%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.33 €2.97
$3.13 RSD 326
6.39%
Potato (1kg)
$0.94 €0.84
$0.88 RSD 91.3
6.82%
Onion (1kg)
$0.98 €0.87
$0.67 RSD 70.3
46.27%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.83 €1.63
$0.81 RSD 84.4
125.93%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.96 €0.86
$0.68 RSD 70.9
41.18%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.14 €5.48
$4.78 RSD 498
28.45%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.19 €9.10
$8.54 RSD 889
19.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.55
$0.94 RSD 97.7
85.11%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.11 €1.89
$1.44 RSD 150
46.53%
🚌 Getting Around
Kaunas
Belgrade
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.09 €0.98
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$31.96 €28.52
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.14 €1.02
$3.09 RSD 322
-63.11%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.87 €0.77
$1.02 RSD 107
-14.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$15.71 €14.02
$17.18 RSD 1,789
-8.56%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.91 €1.71
$1.87 RSD 195
2.14%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.9K €24.0K
$30.7K RSD 3.2M
-12.50%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.8K €25.7K
$24.3K RSD 2.5M
18.75%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kaunas
Belgrade
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$203 €181
$218 RSD 22.7K
-6.88%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.06 €14.34
$25.24 RSD 2,629
-36.37%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$15.30 €13.65
$35.35 RSD 3,683
-56.72%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kaunas
Belgrade
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$32.92 €29.38
$41.77 RSD 4,351
-21.19%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.67 €25.59
$22.80 RSD 2,375
25.75%
Cinema Ticket
$11.99 €10.70
$8.47 RSD 882
41.56%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kaunas
Belgrade
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$682 €609
$426 RSD 44.4K
59.98%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,760 €7,818
$11.4K RSD 1.2M
-23.15%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kaunas
Belgrade
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$85.7 €76.5
$111 RSD 11.6K
-22.85%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.43 €36.08
$45.99 RSD 4,791
-12.09%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$121 €108
$119 RSD 12.4K
1.55%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$164 €146
$154 RSD 16.0K
6.40%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kaunas
Belgrade
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$627 €560
$821 RSD 85.6K
-23.67%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$438 €391
$561 RSD 58.4K
-21.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$929 €829
$1,511 RSD 157.4K
-38.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$657 €586
$942 RSD 98.1K
-30.27%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,679 €3,283
$5,312 RSD 553.4K
-30.75%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,386 €2,130
$3,165 RSD 329.7K
-24.60%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kaunas
Belgrade
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,696 €1,513
$1,228 RSD 127.9K
38.10%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.05
4.61
-12.15%

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

Last update for Kaunas: October 6, 2026

Last update for Belgrade: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Kaunas
$438
Belgrade
$561 28.1% $123
Groceries & Markets
Kaunas
$280
Belgrade
$246 12.2% $34
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kaunas
$234
Belgrade
$278 18.9% $44
Eating Out
Kaunas
$226
Belgrade
$233 3% $6.8
Clothing & Footwear
Kaunas
$185
Belgrade
$194 4.7% $8.7
Sport & Entertainment
Kaunas
$57
Belgrade
$59 3.2% $1.8
Getting Around
Kaunas
$42
Belgrade
$8.2 * 80.4% $34

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $627 in Kaunas versus $821 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 38% higher in Kaunas, 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 $68.0 in Kaunas versus $58.0 in Belgrade. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $280 vs $246 – making Belgrade the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇱🇹 Kaunas
🇷🇸 Belgrade
🕒 Local time
06:58 6:58 AM
05:58 5:58 AM
1 h behind Kaunas
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
315,993
1,197,714 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.6 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.56 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Kaunas Belgrade 1,150 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Kaunas
  • 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
Kaunas vs Belgrade: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Kaunas and in Belgrade compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,477 in Kaunas, $1,538 in Belgrade – roughly 4% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Kaunas compared to Belgrade?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,215 per month in Kaunas and $2,307 in Belgrade. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Kaunas and Belgrade?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Kaunas, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Kaunas and $58.0 in Belgrade. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Interestingly, groceries are about 14% cheaper in Belgrade – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.
Which city is more doable on $1,000 per month?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kaunas, where all-in costs run around $1,477, than in Belgrade at $1,538. In Kaunas it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Kaunas and Belgrade?
It depends on your priorities. Kaunas has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,477 in Kaunas to $1,538 in Belgrade. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Kaunas or Belgrade safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Kaunas and Belgrade?
If budget matters most, go with Kaunas. 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.

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