Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nairobi and Belgrade

For one person, living is cheaper in Nairobi: $874 a month against $1,538 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Nairobi
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Nairobi Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Belgrade
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Belgrade Living Index

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Nairobi

🇰🇪 Kenya

$874

/mo nomad

Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,538

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $874 per month in Nairobi vs $1,538 in Belgrade, rent included.

Nairobi $874
Belgrade $1,538

A couple spends around $1,403 per month in Nairobi vs $2,321 in Belgrade, rent included.

Nairobi $1,403
Belgrade $2,321

A family of three spends $1,932 per month in Nairobi vs $3,105 in Belgrade, rent included.

Nairobi $1,932
Belgrade $3,105

Nairobi is about 43% cheaper than Belgrade, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Nairobi sits 35% below the global median, while Belgrade is 15% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.12 KES 794

$13.33 RSD 1,389

-54.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.26 KES 4,574

$58.4 RSD 6,085

-39.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.59 KES 854

$13.58 RSD 1,414

-51.47%

Cappuccino

$2.71 KES 351

$3.13 RSD 326

-13.42%

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

$0.66 KES 85.4

$2.77 RSD 288

-76.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 KES 73.9

$2.27 RSD 237

-74.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 KES 302

$3.75 RSD 390

-37.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 KES 357

$4.38 RSD 456

-37.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 KES 116

$1.40 RSD 146

-36.43%

White Bread (500g)

$0.54 KES 69.9

$1.17 RSD 122

-53.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 KES 252

$2.71 RSD 282

-28.41%

Eggs

$1.71 KES 222

$2.78 RSD 289

-38.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.63 KES 1,378

$11.36 RSD 1,184

-6.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.35 KES 824

$7.01 RSD 731

-9.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.22 KES 807

$15.72 RSD 1,638

-60.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 KES 428

$1.66 RSD 173

98.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 KES 137

$1.81 RSD 188

-41.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.05 KES 265

$1.83 RSD 190

12.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.10 KES 142

$3.13 RSD 326

-64.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 KES 145

$0.88 RSD 91.3

27.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 KES 143

$0.67 RSD 70.3

64.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 KES 95.3

$0.81 RSD 84.4

-9.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 KES 100

$0.68 RSD 70.9

13.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.62 KES 469

$4.78 RSD 498

-24.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.46 KES 1,486

$8.54 RSD 889

34.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 KES 296

$0.94 RSD 97.7

142.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 KES 349

$1.44 RSD 150

86.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 KES 102

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.51 KES 5,902

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 KES 197

$3.09 RSD 322

-50.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 KES 205

$1.02 RSD 107

54.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.81 KES 364

$17.18 RSD 1,789

-83.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 KES 203

$1.87 RSD 195

-16.58%

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

$21.8K KES 2.8M

$30.7K RSD 3.2M

-29.17%

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

$19.9K KES 2.6M

$24.3K RSD 2.5M

-17.81%

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

$56.9 KES 7,375

$218 RSD 22.7K

-73.88%

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

$15.35 KES 1,991

$25.24 RSD 2,629

-39.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.18 KES 4,563

$35.35 RSD 3,683

-0.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.39 KES 6,406

$41.77 RSD 4,351

18.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.39 KES 1,996

$22.80 RSD 2,375

-32.50%

Cinema Ticket

$7.83 KES 1,016

$8.47 RSD 882

-7.56%

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

$250 KES 32.4K

$426 RSD 44.4K

-41.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K KES 1.6M

$11.4K RSD 1.2M

9.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.71 KES 3,594

$111 RSD 11.6K

-75.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.64 KES 3,714

$45.99 RSD 4,791

-37.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.7 KES 8,911

$119 RSD 12.4K

-42.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.9 KES 7,638

$154 RSD 16.0K

-61.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$453 KES 58.8K

$821 RSD 85.6K

-44.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$217 KES 28.2K

$561 RSD 58.4K

-61.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 KES 143.4K

$1,511 RSD 157.4K

-26.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$507 KES 65.8K

$942 RSD 98.1K

-46.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,292 KES 167.6K

$5,312 RSD 553.4K

-75.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$897 KES 116.3K

$3,165 RSD 329.7K

-71.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$481 KES 62.4K

$1,228 RSD 127.9K

-60.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.71

4.61

219.09%

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

Last update for Nairobi: October 4, 2026

Last update for Belgrade: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nairobi

$217 25.3%

Belgrade

$561 35.5% 158% $343

Groceries & Markets

Nairobi

$205 23.9%

Belgrade

$246 15.6% 19.9% $41

Eating Out

Nairobi

$123 14.4%

Belgrade

$233 14.7% 88.7% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nairobi

$107 12.5%

Belgrade

$278 17.6% 159% $171

Clothing & Footwear

Nairobi

$83 9.6%

Belgrade

$194 12.3% 134% $111

Sport & Entertainment

Nairobi

$65 7.6%

Belgrade

$59 3.7% 9.8% $6.4

Getting Around

Nairobi

$58 6.8%

Belgrade

$8.2 * 0.5% 85.9% $50

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $453 in Nairobi 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 155% 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 Nairobi versus $58.0 in Belgrade. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $205 vs $246 – making Nairobi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Nairobi

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🕒 Local time

10:29 10:29 AM

09:29 9:29 AM

1 h behind Nairobi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,138,295 Capital

1,197,714 Capital

💱 Currency

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.87 EUR

1,000 RSD = 9.6 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.56 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, USD, EUR to KES – Kenyan Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇪 Kenyan Shilling (Sh)

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.71 USD). 1 EUR = 145 KES (1,000 KES = 6.87 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 KES in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nairobi Belgrade 5,380 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Nairobi
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

Nairobi vs Belgrade: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $874 in Nairobi, $1,538 in Belgrade – roughly 76% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,311 per month in Nairobi 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 Nairobi, 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 Nairobi 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 20% 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 Nairobi, where all-in costs run around $874, than in Belgrade at $1,538. In Nairobi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nairobi has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $874 in Nairobi to $1,538 in Belgrade. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Nairobi. 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.