Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kostroma and Belgrade

For one person, living is cheaper in Kostroma: $1,228 a month against $1,554 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Kostroma
🇷🇺 Russia
$1,228
/mo nomad
Belgrade
🇷🇸 Serbia
$1,554
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,228 per month in Kostroma vs $1,554 in Belgrade, rent included.

  • Kostroma $1,228
  • Belgrade $1,554

A couple spends around $1,964 per month in Kostroma vs $2,337 in Belgrade, rent included.

  • Kostroma $1,964
  • Belgrade $2,337

A family of three spends $2,700 per month in Kostroma vs $3,121 in Belgrade, rent included.

  • Kostroma $2,700
  • Belgrade $3,121

Kostroma is about 21% cheaper than Belgrade, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Kostroma sits 9% below the global median, while Belgrade is 15% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kostroma
Belgrade
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.72 ₽978
$13.15 RSD 1,371
-10.87%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$59.2 ₽4,940
$57.5 RSD 5,999
2.87%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.31 ₽610
$13.38 RSD 1,394
-45.37%
Cappuccino
$3.69 ₽308
$3.10 RSD 323
19.03%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.58 ₽132
$2.82 RSD 294
-43.97%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 ₽74.0
$2.22 RSD 231
-59.91%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.75 ₽146
$3.47 RSD 362
-49.57%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.39 ₽449
$3.96 RSD 412
36.11%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kostroma
Belgrade
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.28 ₽107
$1.38 RSD 144
-7.25%
White Bread (500g)
$1.01 ₽84.0
$1.13 RSD 118
-10.62%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.66 ₽139
$2.66 RSD 277
-37.59%
Eggs
$1.96 ₽163
$2.78 RSD 290
-29.50%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.64 ₽1,222
$10.99 RSD 1,146
33.21%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.55 ₽547
$6.56 RSD 684
-0.15%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.95 ₽1,248
$15.07 RSD 1,571
-0.80%
Apples (1kg)
$2.07 ₽173
$1.66 RSD 173
24.70%
Banana (1kg)
$1.76 ₽147
$1.79 RSD 186
-1.68%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.03 ₽169
$1.87 RSD 195
8.56%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.08 ₽341
$3.03 RSD 315
34.65%
Potato (1kg)
$0.93 ₽77.3
$0.92 RSD 96.3
1.09%
Onion (1kg)
$0.75 ₽62.4
$0.71 RSD 73.8
5.63%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.63 ₽136
$0.74 RSD 77.6
120.27%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.92 ₽76.7
$0.74 RSD 77.2
24.32%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.54 ₽296
$4.61 RSD 481
-23.21%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.92 ₽995
$8.81 RSD 918
35.30%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.20 ₽100
$0.89 RSD 92.7
34.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.65 ₽221
$1.45 RSD 151
82.76%
🚌 Getting Around
Kostroma
Belgrade
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.49 ₽40.96
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.46 ₽289
$3.02 RSD 315
14.57%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.35 ₽29.46
$0.98 RSD 103
-64.29%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.76 ₽982
$17.08 RSD 1,780
-31.15%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.83 ₽69.2
$1.91 RSD 199
-56.54%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$39.5K ₽3.3M
$31.0K RSD 3.2M
27.36%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.1K ₽3.3M
$24.7K RSD 2.6M
58.60%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kostroma
Belgrade
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$188 ₽15.7K
$220 RSD 23.0K
-14.78%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.10 ₽759
$24.41 RSD 2,544
-62.72%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$9.89 ₽825
$35.64 RSD 3,715
-72.25%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kostroma
Belgrade
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$38.56 ₽3,218
$41.20 RSD 4,295
-6.41%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.29 ₽2,027
$22.60 RSD 2,356
7.48%
Cinema Ticket
$9.55 ₽797
$8.59 RSD 896
11.18%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kostroma
Belgrade
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$350 ₽29.2K
$424 RSD 44.2K
-17.48%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,197 ₽517.2K
$11.0K RSD 1.1M
-43.53%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kostroma
Belgrade
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$111 ₽9,247
$111 RSD 11.5K
0.16%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$66.2 ₽5,521
$47.28 RSD 4,929
39.91%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$147 ₽12.2K
$113 RSD 11.8K
29.57%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$180 ₽15.0K
$157 RSD 16.3K
14.92%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kostroma
Belgrade
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$515 ₽42.9K
$805 RSD 83.9K
-36.09%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$275 ₽23.0K
$546 RSD 56.9K
-49.63%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$811 ₽67.7K
$1,452 RSD 151.4K
-44.17%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$532 ₽44.4K
$931 RSD 97.0K
-42.80%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,209 ₽184.4K
$5,368 RSD 559.6K
-58.84%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,486 ₽124.0K
$3,155 RSD 328.9K
-52.90%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kostroma
Belgrade
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$737 ₽61.5K
$1,237 RSD 128.9K
-40.36%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
19.56
4.61
324.30%

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

Last update for Kostroma: October 12, 2026

Last update for Belgrade: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Kostroma
$275
Belgrade
$546 98.5% $271
Groceries & Markets
Kostroma
$265
Belgrade
$241 9.3% $25
Clothing & Footwear
Kostroma
$227
Belgrade
$192 15.1% $34
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kostroma
$207
Belgrade
$280 35.6% $74
Eating Out
Kostroma
$189
Belgrade
$228 20.4% $39
Sport & Entertainment
Kostroma
$58
Belgrade
$58 1.3% $0.7
Getting Around
Kostroma
$7.2 *
Belgrade
$7.9 * 10.4% $0.8

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $515 in Kostroma 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 68% 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 $59.0 in Kostroma versus $58.0 in Belgrade. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $265 vs $241 – making Belgrade the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇷🇺 Kostroma
🇷🇸 Belgrade
🕒 Local time
05:56 5:56 AM
04:56 4:56 AM
1 h behind Kostroma
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
277,393
1,197,714 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, USD, EUR to RUB – Russian Ruble Converter

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Kostroma Belgrade 2,010 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Kostroma
  • 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
Kostroma vs Belgrade: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Kostroma and in Belgrade compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,228 in Kostroma, $1,554 in Belgrade – roughly 27% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.
What salary covers living expenses in Kostroma compared to Belgrade?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,842 per month in Kostroma and $2,331 in Belgrade. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Kostroma and Belgrade?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Kostroma, 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 $59.0 in Kostroma 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 10% 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 Kostroma, where all-in costs run around $1,228, than in Belgrade at $1,554. In Kostroma it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Where should families live: Kostroma or Belgrade?
Families tend to lean toward Kostroma – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Is Kostroma 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 Kostroma and Belgrade?
If budget matters most, go with Kostroma. 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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