Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nis and Richards Bay

For one person, living costs are similar in Nis and in Richards Bay: $1,046 and $1,022 a month, rent and utilities included.

50

Cost of Living Index in Nis
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Nis Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Richards Bay
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Richards Bay Living Index

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Nis

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,046

/mo nomad

Richards Bay

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,022

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nis and in Richards Bay

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 Richards Bay actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,046 per month in Nis vs $1,022 in Richards Bay, rent included.

Nis $1,046
Richards Bay $1,022

A couple spends around $1,544 per month in Nis vs $1,601 in Richards Bay, rent included.

Nis $1,544
Richards Bay $1,601

A family of three spends $2,042 per month in Nis vs $2,180 in Richards Bay, rent included.

Nis $2,042
Richards Bay $2,180

Nis and Richards Bay have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Nis and Richards Bay are more affordable than the global median – Nis 23% lower, Richards Bay 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.52 RSD 889

$8.66 R 142

-1.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.65 RSD 3,513

$37.89 R 623

-11.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.48 RSD 989

$5.57 R 91.6

70.20%

Cappuccino

$1.99 RSD 208

$2.16 R 35.51

-7.87%

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

$2.25 RSD 235

$1.06 R 17.40

112.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 RSD 185

$0.89 R 14.67

98.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.55 RSD 371

$1.46 R 24.03

143.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.23 RSD 441

$1.84 R 30.30

129.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 RSD 114

$1.11 R 18.28

-0.90%

White Bread (500g)

$0.74 RSD 77.4

$0.97 R 15.88

-23.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 RSD 185

$1.48 R 24.34

19.59%

Eggs

$2.23 RSD 233

$2.20 R 36.25

1.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.34 RSD 766

$6.43 R 106

14.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.67 RSD 592

$4.35 R 71.6

30.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.10 RSD 1,159

$6.75 R 111

64.44%

Apples (1kg)

$1.05 RSD 110

$1.97 R 32.46

-46.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 RSD 177

$1.65 R 27.18

3.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.43 RSD 149

$1.94 R 31.97

-26.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 RSD 212

$1.64 R 26.91

24.39%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 RSD 83.4

$0.93 R 15.32

-13.98%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 RSD 75.9

$1.16 R 19.14

-37.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 RSD 64.5

$1.15 R 18.86

-46.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 RSD 59.9

$1.23 R 20.20

-53.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 RSD 445

$2.46 R 40.43

73.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.87 RSD 613

$4.96 R 81.6

18.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 RSD 70.8

$1.53 R 25.17

-55.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 RSD 134

$2.00 R 32.85

-36.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$101 R 1,654

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.79 RSD 186

$0.40 R 6.57

347.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.68 RSD 71.0

$0.70 R 11.57

-2.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.74 RSD 912

$7.53 R 124

16.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 RSD 198

$1.37 R 22.61

38.69%

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

$30.2K RSD 3.1M

$21.4K R 352.3K

40.83%

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

$23.0K RSD 2.4M

$28.7K R 471.9K

-19.96%

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

$162 RSD 16.9K

$132 R 2,177

22.59%

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

$18.70 RSD 1,952

$30.04 R 494

-37.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.22 RSD 2,424

$38.86 R 639

-40.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.75 RSD 3,106

$35.59 R 585

-16.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.06 RSD 1,572

Cinema Ticket

$4.65 RSD 486

$7.39 R 121

-37.08%

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

$256 RSD 26.7K

$106 R 1,751

140.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,842 RSD 505.4K

$2,665 R 43.8K

81.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.5 RSD 9,343

$50.4 R 830

77.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.96 RSD 4,067

$18.89 R 311

106.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.5 RSD 10.4K

$75.0 R 1,234

32.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 RSD 11.5K

$81.3 R 1,338

35.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$413 RSD 43.1K

$366 R 6,026

12.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$302 RSD 31.5K

$255 R 4,195

18.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$642 RSD 67.1K

$686 R 11.3K

-6.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$466 RSD 48.6K

$548 R 9,017

-15.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,610 RSD 272.5K

$341 R 5,603

666.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,863 RSD 194.4K

$502 R 8,265

270.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$943 RSD 98.5K

$1,199 R 19.7K

-21.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.08

7.5

-32.27%

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

Last update for Nis: November 2, 2026

Last update for Richards Bay: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nis

$302 28.9%

Richards Bay

$255 25% 15.6% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nis

$204 19.5%

Richards Bay

$201 19.7% 1.4% $2.9

Groceries & Markets

Nis

$180 17.2%

Richards Bay

$179 17.5% 1% $1.8

Eating Out

Nis

$163 15.6%

Richards Bay

$131 12.8% 19.7% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Nis

$152 14.6%

Richards Bay

$102 9.9% 33.3% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Nis

$39 3.7%

Richards Bay

$50 4.9% 28.9% $11

Getting Around

Nis

$5.2 * 0.5%

Richards Bay

$104 * 10.2% 1912% $99

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $413 in Nis versus $366 in Richards Bay. 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 27% higher in Richards Bay. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in Nis versus $38 in Richards Bay. Groceries tell a different story – $180 in Nis vs $179 in Richards Bay – so Richards Bay wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Nis

🇿🇦 Richards Bay

🕒 Local time

15:29 3:29 PM

16:29 4:29 PM

1 h ahead of Nis

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,470

57,387

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.58 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.55 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.08 USD

100 ZAR = 5.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to RSD – Serbian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇸 Serbian Dinar (din)

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.58 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.55 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 16.45 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.08 USD). 1 EUR = 18.44 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.42 EUR).

USD to RSD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nis Richards Bay 8,080 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Nis
Richards Bay

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

Nis vs Richards Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,569 per month in Nis and $1,533 in Richards Bay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Richards Bay, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $366 there versus $413 in Nis.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in Nis and $38 in Richards Bay. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $256 per month in Nis and $106 in Richards Bay. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,046 in Nis and $1,022 in Richards Bay, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Richards Bay – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.