Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Makhachkala and Belgrade

For one person, living is cheaper in Makhachkala: $1,049 a month against $1,574 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Makhachkala
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Makhachkala Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Belgrade
Learn more

Belgrade Living Index

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Makhachkala

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,049

/mo nomad

Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,574

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,009 per month in Makhachkala vs $1,574 in Belgrade, rent included.

Makhachkala $1,009
Belgrade $1,574

A couple spends around $1,562 per month in Makhachkala vs $2,376 in Belgrade, rent included.

Makhachkala $1,562
Belgrade $2,376

A family of three spends $2,115 per month in Makhachkala vs $3,178 in Belgrade, rent included.

Makhachkala $2,115
Belgrade $3,178

Makhachkala is about 36% cheaper than Belgrade, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Makhachkala sits 25% below the global median, while Belgrade is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.80 ₽902

$13.44 RSD 1,401

-19.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.26 ₽3,026

$57.8 RSD 6,029

-37.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.40 ₽534

$13.23 RSD 1,380

-51.63%

Cappuccino

$3.05 ₽255

$3.10 RSD 323

-1.61%

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

$1.25 ₽104

$2.73 RSD 285

-54.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.51 ₽42.98

$2.31 RSD 241

-77.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.98 ₽165

$3.54 RSD 369

-44.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 ₽236

$4.13 RSD 430

-31.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 ₽93.1

$1.45 RSD 151

-22.76%

White Bread (500g)

$0.72 ₽60.3

$1.18 RSD 123

-38.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 ₽120

$2.61 RSD 272

-44.83%

Eggs

$1.63 ₽136

$2.78 RSD 289

-41.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.49 ₽959

$11.23 RSD 1,171

2.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.42 ₽453

$6.72 RSD 701

-19.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.18 ₽933

$15.22 RSD 1,586

-26.54%

Apples (1kg)

$1.79 ₽149

$1.59 RSD 166

12.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 ₽148

$1.84 RSD 191

-3.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 ₽153

$1.83 RSD 191

0.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 ₽225

$3.10 RSD 324

-13.23%

Potato (1kg)

$0.84 ₽69.8

$0.95 RSD 98.8

-11.58%

Onion (1kg)

$0.61 ₽51.2

$0.72 RSD 75.1

-15.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 ₽120

$0.75 RSD 77.8

92.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ₽59.2

$0.69 RSD 72.4

2.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.39 ₽283

$4.76 RSD 496

-28.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.84 ₽654

$8.43 RSD 878

-7.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 ₽87.1

$0.94 RSD 97.8

10.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 ₽149

$1.53 RSD 159

16.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 ₽39.20

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.12 ₽177

$2.99 RSD 312

-29.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 ₽28.11

$1.02 RSD 106

-66.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.02 ₽503

$17.54 RSD 1,828

-65.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.84 ₽70.3

$1.85 RSD 193

-54.59%

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

$57.5K ₽4.8M

$30.5K RSD 3.2M

88.78%

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

$37.4K ₽3.1M

$23.7K RSD 2.5M

57.77%

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

$121 ₽10.1K

$219 RSD 22.9K

-44.75%

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

$5.46 ₽455

$24.82 RSD 2,588

-78.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.46 ₽706

$35.79 RSD 3,731

-76.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.95 ₽3,001

$41.37 RSD 4,313

-13.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.54 ₽1,964

$22.96 RSD 2,394

2.53%

Cinema Ticket

$6.23 ₽520

$8.32 RSD 867

-25.12%

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

$343 ₽28.7K

$423 RSD 44.1K

-18.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,198 ₽517.3K

$11.4K RSD 1.2M

-45.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 ₽7,266

$111 RSD 11.6K

-21.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.4 ₽5,044

$47.48 RSD 4,950

27.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 ₽9,895

$116 RSD 12.1K

2.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 ₽9,073

$158 RSD 16.4K

-31.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$467 ₽39.0K

$823 RSD 85.8K

-43.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$317 ₽26.5K

$560 RSD 58.3K

-43.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$916 ₽76.4K

$1,485 RSD 154.8K

-38.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$571 ₽47.7K

$969 RSD 101.1K

-41.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,241 ₽187.0K

$5,489 RSD 572.2K

-59.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,521 ₽126.9K

$3,193 RSD 332.8K

-52.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$614 ₽51.3K

$1,214 RSD 126.5K

-49.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

21.45

4.61

365.29%

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

Last update for Makhachkala: October 18, 2026

Last update for Belgrade: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Makhachkala

$317 30.3%

Belgrade

$560 35.6% 76.3% $242

Groceries & Markets

Makhachkala

$209 19.9%

Belgrade

$243 15.4% 16.4% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Makhachkala

$169 16.1%

Belgrade

$195 12.4% 15.4% $26

Eating Out

Makhachkala

$165 15.7%

Belgrade

$231 14.7% 39.8% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Makhachkala

$135 12.9%

Belgrade

$280 17.8% 107% $145

Sport & Entertainment

Makhachkala

$48 4.6%

Belgrade

$58 3.7% 19.8% $9.6

Getting Around

Makhachkala

$5.7 * 0.5%

Belgrade

$8.1 * 0.5% 42.4% $2.4

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $460 in Makhachkala versus $823 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 95% 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 $32.00 in Makhachkala versus $58.0 in Belgrade. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $206 vs $243 – making Makhachkala the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Makhachkala

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🕒 Local time

12:56 12:56 PM

11:56 11:56 AM

1 h behind Makhachkala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

604,266

1,197,714 Capital

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, USD, EUR to RUB – Russian Ruble Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇺 Russian Ruble (₽)

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR).

USD to RUB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Makhachkala Belgrade 2,170 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Makhachkala
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

Makhachkala vs Belgrade: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,009 in Makhachkala, $1,574 in Belgrade – roughly 56% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,513 per month in Makhachkala and $2,360 in Belgrade. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Makhachkala, 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 $32.00 in Makhachkala 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 18% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Makhachkala, where all-in costs run around $1,009, than in Belgrade at $1,574. In Makhachkala it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Makhachkala – 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 Makhachkala. 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.