Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nis and Belgrade

For one person, living is cheaper in Nis: $1,023 a month against $1,554 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Nis
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Nis Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Belgrade
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Belgrade Living Index

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Nis

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,023

/mo nomad

Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,554

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,023 per month in Nis vs $1,554 in Belgrade, rent included.

Nis $1,023
Belgrade $1,554

A couple spends around $1,502 per month in Nis vs $2,337 in Belgrade, rent included.

Nis $1,502
Belgrade $2,337

A family of three spends $1,980 per month in Nis vs $3,121 in Belgrade, rent included.

Nis $1,980
Belgrade $3,121

Nis is about 34% cheaper than Belgrade, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nis sits 24% below the global median, while Belgrade is 15% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.78 RSD 915

$13.15 RSD 1,371

-33.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.82 RSD 3,525

$57.5 RSD 5,999

-41.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.67 RSD 1,008

$13.38 RSD 1,394

-27.73%

Cappuccino

$1.95 RSD 203

$3.10 RSD 323

-37.10%

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

$2.29 RSD 239

$2.82 RSD 294

-18.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 RSD 183

$2.22 RSD 231

-21.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.65 RSD 380

$3.47 RSD 362

5.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 RSD 465

$3.96 RSD 412

12.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 RSD 118

$1.38 RSD 144

-18.12%

White Bread (500g)

$0.70 RSD 72.9

$1.13 RSD 118

-38.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 RSD 182

$2.66 RSD 277

-34.21%

Eggs

$2.35 RSD 245

$2.78 RSD 290

-15.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.86 RSD 819

$10.99 RSD 1,146

-28.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.69 RSD 594

$6.56 RSD 684

-13.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.37 RSD 1,081

$15.07 RSD 1,571

-31.19%

Apples (1kg)

$1.11 RSD 116

$1.66 RSD 173

-33.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 RSD 174

$1.79 RSD 186

-6.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.48 RSD 155

$1.87 RSD 195

-20.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 RSD 223

$3.03 RSD 315

-29.37%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 RSD 85.6

$0.92 RSD 96.3

-10.87%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 RSD 75.2

$0.71 RSD 73.8

1.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 RSD 69.0

$0.74 RSD 77.6

-10.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 RSD 60.9

$0.74 RSD 77.2

-21.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 RSD 462

$4.61 RSD 481

-3.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.63 RSD 587

$8.81 RSD 918

-36.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 RSD 73.9

$0.89 RSD 92.7

-20.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 RSD 134

$1.45 RSD 151

-11.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.76 RSD 183

$3.02 RSD 315

-41.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 RSD 72.9

$0.98 RSD 103

-28.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.10 RSD 845

$17.08 RSD 1,780

-52.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.89 RSD 197

$1.91 RSD 199

-1.05%

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

$30.2K RSD 3.1M

$31.0K RSD 3.2M

-2.53%

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

$23.3K RSD 2.4M

$24.7K RSD 2.6M

-5.70%

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

$161 RSD 16.8K

$220 RSD 23.0K

-26.77%

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

$18.82 RSD 1,962

$24.41 RSD 2,544

-22.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.47 RSD 2,342

$35.64 RSD 3,715

-36.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.95 RSD 3,122

$41.20 RSD 4,295

-27.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.69 RSD 1,636

$22.60 RSD 2,356

-30.58%

Cinema Ticket

$4.73 RSD 493

$8.59 RSD 896

-44.94%

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

$247 RSD 25.8K

$424 RSD 44.2K

-41.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,859 RSD 506.5K

$11.0K RSD 1.1M

-55.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 RSD 9,350

$111 RSD 11.5K

-18.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.11 RSD 3,973

$47.28 RSD 4,929

-19.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.6 RSD 10.3K

$113 RSD 11.8K

-12.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 RSD 11.2K

$157 RSD 16.3K

-31.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$392 RSD 40.9K

$805 RSD 83.9K

-51.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$278 RSD 29.0K

$546 RSD 56.9K

-49.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$581 RSD 60.6K

$1,452 RSD 151.4K

-59.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$400 RSD 41.7K

$931 RSD 97.0K

-57.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,477 RSD 258.2K

$5,368 RSD 559.6K

-53.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,826 RSD 190.4K

$3,155 RSD 328.9K

-42.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$886 RSD 92.4K

$1,237 RSD 128.9K

-28.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.12

4.61

11.06%

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

Last update for Nis: October 11, 2026

Last update for Belgrade: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nis

$278 27.2%

Belgrade

$546 35.2% 96.3% $268

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nis

$203 19.8%

Belgrade

$280 18.1% 38.4% $78

Groceries & Markets

Nis

$181 17.7%

Belgrade

$241 15.5% 32.9% $60

Eating Out

Nis

$166 16.2%

Belgrade

$228 14.7% 37.3% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Nis

$150 14.7%

Belgrade

$192 12.4% 28% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Nis

$39 3.9%

Belgrade

$58 3.8% 48.2% $19

Getting Around

Nis

$5.3 * 0.5%

Belgrade

$7.9 * 0.5% 51% $2.7

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $392 in Nis 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 40% 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 $34.00 in Nis versus $58.0 in Belgrade. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $181 vs $241 – making Nis the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Nis

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🕒 Local time

17:21 5:21 PM

Same time as Nis

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,470

1,197,714 Capital

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR

1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Nis vs Belgrade: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,023 in Nis, $1,554 in Belgrade – roughly 52% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,534 per month in Nis and $2,331 in Belgrade. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nis, 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 $34.00 in Nis 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 33% 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 Nis, where all-in costs run around $1,023, than in Belgrade at $1,554. In Nis it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nis – 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 Nis. 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.