Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mbabane and Belgrade

For one person, living is cheaper in Mbabane: $756 a month against $1,541 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Mbabane, Eswatini
Belgrade, Serbia
Mbabane
🇸🇿 Eswatini
$756
/mo nomad
Belgrade
🇷🇸 Serbia
$1,541
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $756 per month in Mbabane vs $1,541 in Belgrade, rent included.

  • Mbabane $756
  • Belgrade $1,541

A couple spends around $1,214 per month in Mbabane vs $2,351 in Belgrade, rent included.

  • Mbabane $1,214
  • Belgrade $2,351

A family of three spends $1,672 per month in Mbabane vs $3,161 in Belgrade, rent included.

  • Mbabane $1,672
  • Belgrade $3,161

Mbabane is about 51% cheaper than Belgrade, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Mbabane sits 44% below the global median, while Belgrade is 14% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mbabane
Belgrade
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.17 SZL 166
$13.43 RSD 1,398
-24.27%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$33.37 SZL 546
$58.0 RSD 6,036
-42.46%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.02 SZL 98.5
$13.30 RSD 1,384
-54.74%
Cappuccino
$2.61 SZL 42.67
$3.05 RSD 317
-14.43%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.11 SZL 18.21
$2.82 RSD 293
-60.64%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.57 SZL 9.27
$2.28 RSD 238
-75.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.08 SZL 34.07
$3.66 RSD 381
-43.17%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.35 SZL 38.51
$4.18 RSD 435
-43.78%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mbabane
Belgrade
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.52 SZL 24.94
$1.41 RSD 147
7.80%
White Bread (500g)
$0.85 SZL 13.90
$1.16 RSD 121
-26.72%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.67 SZL 27.40
$2.53 RSD 263
-33.99%
Eggs
$1.78 SZL 29.19
$2.80 RSD 292
-36.43%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.87 SZL 178
$10.93 RSD 1,137
-0.55%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.61 SZL 91.8
$6.80 RSD 708
-17.50%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.22 SZL 85.5
$15.40 RSD 1,603
-66.10%
Apples (1kg)
$1.75 SZL 28.60
$1.63 RSD 170
7.36%
Banana (1kg)
$0.66 SZL 10.80
$1.75 RSD 182
-62.29%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.21 SZL 19.75
$1.78 RSD 186
-32.02%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.41 SZL 23.04
$3.04 RSD 316
-53.62%
Potato (1kg)
$1.25 SZL 20.50
$0.97 RSD 101
28.87%
Onion (1kg)
$1.48 SZL 24.30
$0.65 RSD 67.7
127.69%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.67 SZL 10.94
$0.74 RSD 77.2
-9.46%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.77 SZL 12.57
$0.72 RSD 75.3
6.94%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.77 SZL 45.40
$4.53 RSD 471
-38.85%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.13 SZL 100
$8.25 RSD 858
-25.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.60 SZL 26.12
$0.86 RSD 89.8
86.05%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.64 SZL 26.79
$1.43 RSD 148
14.69%
🚌 Getting Around
Mbabane
Belgrade
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.74 SZL 12.09
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
-
$3.10 RSD 323
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.43 SZL 23.38
$0.98 RSD 102
45.92%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.09 SZL 50.6
$17.10 RSD 1,780
-81.93%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.33 SZL 21.74
$1.87 RSD 195
-28.88%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
-
$30.9K RSD 3.2M
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
-
$24.1K RSD 2.5M
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mbabane
Belgrade
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$65.2 SZL 1,067
$215 RSD 22.4K
-69.63%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$37.37 SZL 612
$25.55 RSD 2,659
46.26%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$26.65 SZL 436
$35.40 RSD 3,685
-24.72%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mbabane
Belgrade
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$22.34 SZL 366
$40.62 RSD 4,228
-45.00%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.08 SZL 50.4
$22.74 RSD 2,367
-86.46%
Cinema Ticket
$3.52 SZL 57.6
$7.99 RSD 832
-55.94%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mbabane
Belgrade
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
-
$453 RSD 47.2K
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,211 SZL 101.7K
$12.4K RSD 1.3M
-49.77%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mbabane
Belgrade
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$34.83 SZL 570
$112 RSD 11.6K
-68.82%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$15.14 SZL 248
$47.56 RSD 4,951
-68.17%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$69.4 SZL 1,136
$114 RSD 11.8K
-38.90%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$54.4 SZL 890
$147 RSD 15.3K
-62.98%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mbabane
Belgrade
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$267 SZL 4,371
$829 RSD 86.3K
-67.80%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$176 SZL 2,888
$540 RSD 56.2K
-67.35%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$451 SZL 7,383
$1,508 RSD 157.0K
-70.09%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$357 SZL 5,845
$975 RSD 101.5K
-63.37%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$488 SZL 7,992
$5,059 RSD 526.6K
-90.35%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$363 SZL 5,938
$3,171 RSD 330.1K
-88.56%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mbabane
Belgrade
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$1,276 RSD 132.8K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.25
4.5
61.11%

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

Last update for Mbabane: November 1, 2026

Last update for Belgrade: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Mbabane
$181
Belgrade
$241 33.3% $60
Accommodation & Living
Mbabane
$176
Belgrade
$540 206% $364
Eating Out
Mbabane
$153
Belgrade
$231 51.4% $78
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mbabane
$129
Belgrade
$276 113% $146
Clothing & Footwear
Mbabane
$78
Belgrade
$189 142% $111
Sport & Entertainment
Mbabane
$29
Belgrade
$57 92.6% $27
Getting Around
Mbabane
$10 *
Belgrade
$8 * 20.9% $2.1

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $267 in Mbabane versus $829 in Belgrade. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33 in Mbabane versus $58 in Belgrade. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $181 vs $241 – making Mbabane the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇸🇿 Mbabane
🇷🇸 Belgrade
🕒 Local time
23:53 11:53 PM
22:53 10:53 PM
1 h behind Mbabane
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
94,874 Capital
1,197,714 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, USD, EUR to SZL – Eswatini Lilangeni Converter

Eswatini Lilangeni exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 16.37 SZL (100 SZL = 6.11 USD). 1 EUR = 18.38 SZL (100 SZL = 5.44 EUR).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.61 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.56 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mbabane Belgrade 7,980 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Mbabane
  • 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
Mbabane vs Belgrade: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Mbabane and in Belgrade compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $756 in Mbabane, $1,541 in Belgrade – Mbabane comes out roughly 51% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.
What salary covers living expenses in Mbabane compared to Belgrade?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,135 per month in Mbabane and $2,312 in Belgrade. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Mbabane and Belgrade?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Mbabane, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $267 there versus $829 in Belgrade.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $33 in Mbabane and $58 in Belgrade. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is more expensive overall: Mbabane or Belgrade?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $756 in Mbabane and $1,541 in Belgrade. That makes Mbabane about 51% cheaper.
Is Mbabane or Belgrade safer for residents?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

Mbabane vs other spots: cost of living compared

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