Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mogadishu and Belgrade

For one person, living is cheaper in Mogadishu: $618 a month against $1,538 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Mogadishu
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Mogadishu Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Belgrade
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Belgrade Living Index

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Mogadishu

🇸🇴 Somalia

$618

/mo nomad

Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,538

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $618 per month in Mogadishu vs $1,538 in Belgrade, rent included.

Mogadishu $618
Belgrade $1,538

A couple spends around $951 per month in Mogadishu vs $2,321 in Belgrade, rent included.

Mogadishu $951
Belgrade $2,321

A family of three spends $1,283 per month in Mogadishu vs $3,105 in Belgrade, rent included.

Mogadishu $1,283
Belgrade $3,105

Mogadishu is about 60% cheaper than Belgrade, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Mogadishu sits 54% below the global median, while Belgrade is 15% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.93 SOS 1,665

$13.33 RSD 1,389

-78.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.64 SOS 19.7K

$58.4 RSD 6,085

-40.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.40 SOS 2,501

$13.58 RSD 1,414

-67.60%

Cappuccino

$1.94 SOS 1,103

$3.13 RSD 326

-38.02%

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

$1.20 SOS 682

$2.77 RSD 288

-56.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 SOS 302

$2.27 RSD 237

-76.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 RSD 390

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 RSD 456

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 SOS 760

$1.40 RSD 146

-4.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.66 SOS 940

$1.17 RSD 122

41.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.75 SOS 428

$2.71 RSD 282

-72.32%

Eggs

$1.93 SOS 1,096

$2.78 RSD 289

-30.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.89 SOS 2,780

$11.36 RSD 1,184

-56.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.96 SOS 2,252

$7.01 RSD 731

-43.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.45 SOS 2,529

$15.72 RSD 1,638

-71.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.80 SOS 2,160

$1.66 RSD 173

128.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.02 SOS 580

$1.81 RSD 188

-43.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.04 SOS 1,724

$1.83 RSD 190

66.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 SOS 721

$3.13 RSD 326

-59.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.48 SOS 843

$0.88 RSD 91.3

68.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 SOS 978

$0.67 RSD 70.3

156.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 SOS 846

$0.81 RSD 84.4

83.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 SOS 301

$0.68 RSD 70.9

-22.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.78 RSD 498

Wine (Bottle)

$8.54 RSD 889

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 SOS 1,166

$0.94 RSD 97.7

118.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 RSD 150

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 SOS 291

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.99 SOS 562

$3.09 RSD 322

-67.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 SOS 318

$1.02 RSD 107

-45.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.92 SOS 1,658

$17.18 RSD 1,789

-83.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 SOS 523

$1.87 RSD 195

-50.80%

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

$30.7K RSD 3.2M

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

$6,416 SOS 3.6M

$24.3K RSD 2.5M

-73.56%

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

$162 SOS 92.2K

$218 RSD 22.7K

-25.46%

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

$4.89 SOS 2,777

$25.24 RSD 2,629

-80.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.5 SOS 37.2K

$35.35 RSD 3,683

85.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.12 SOS 18.2K

$41.77 RSD 4,351

-23.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.80 RSD 2,375

Cinema Ticket

$8.47 RSD 882

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

$79.9 SOS 45.4K

$426 RSD 44.4K

-81.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$751 SOS 426.4K

$11.4K RSD 1.2M

-93.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.79 SOS 7,832

$111 RSD 11.6K

-87.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.90 SOS 7,893

$45.99 RSD 4,791

-69.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$24.66 SOS 14.0K

$119 RSD 12.4K

-79.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$32.82 SOS 18.6K

$154 RSD 16.0K

-78.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$198 SOS 112.6K

$821 RSD 85.6K

-75.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$77.6 SOS 44.1K

$561 RSD 58.4K

-86.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$475 SOS 269.6K

$1,511 RSD 157.4K

-68.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$186 SOS 105.9K

$942 RSD 98.1K

-80.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,242 SOS 1.8M

$5,312 RSD 553.4K

-38.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,367 SOS 1.3M

$3,165 RSD 329.7K

-25.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$276 SOS 156.6K

$1,228 RSD 127.9K

-77.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.61

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

Last update for Mogadishu: October 5, 2026

Last update for Belgrade: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mogadishu

$233 37.8%

Belgrade

$278 17.6% 19.6% $46

Groceries & Markets

Mogadishu

$163 * 26.4%

Belgrade

$246 15.6% 51.3% $83

Accommodation & Living

Mogadishu

$78 12.6%

Belgrade

$561 35.5% 623% $483

Eating Out

Mogadishu

$67 * 10.9%

Belgrade

$233 14.7% 248% $166

Clothing & Footwear

Mogadishu

$38 6.2%

Belgrade

$194 12.3% 405% $155

Sport & Entertainment

Mogadishu

$32 * 5.2%

Belgrade

$59 3.7% 82.8% $27

Getting Around

Mogadishu

$5.8 * 1%

Belgrade

$8.2 * 0.5% 40.6% $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 $198 in Mogadishu 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 345% 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 $35.00 in Mogadishu versus $58.0 in Belgrade. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $163 vs $246 – making Mogadishu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇴 Mogadishu

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🕒 Local time

09:09 9:09 AM

08:09 8:09 AM

1 h behind Mogadishu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,610,000 Capital

1,197,714 Capital

💱 Currency

Somali Shilling SOS Sh

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 SOS = 1.76 USD

1,000 SOS = 1.57 EUR

1,000 RSD = 9.6 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.56 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, USD, EUR to SOS – Somali Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇴 Somali Shilling (Sh)

Somali Shilling exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 568 SOS (1,000 SOS = 1.76 USD). 1 EUR = 637 SOS (1,000 SOS = 1.57 EUR).

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).

USD to SOS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mogadishu Belgrade 5,350 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Mogadishu
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

Mogadishu vs Belgrade: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $618 in Mogadishu, $1,538 in Belgrade – roughly 149% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $927 per month in Mogadishu and $2,307 in Belgrade. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mogadishu, 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 $35.00 in Mogadishu 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 51% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Mogadishu, where all-in costs run around $618, than in Belgrade at $1,538. In Mogadishu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mogadishu – 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 Mogadishu. 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.