Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Novi Sad and Al Hidd

For one person, living is cheaper in Novi Sad: $1,374 a month against $1,787 in Al Hidd, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Al Hidd outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

67

Cost of Living Index in Novi Sad
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Novi Sad Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Al Hidd
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Al Hidd Living Index

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Novi Sad

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,374

/mo nomad

Al Hidd

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$1,787

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Novi Sad and in Al Hidd

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Novi Sad and in Al Hidd actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,374 in Novi Sad versus $1,787 in Al Hidd.

Novi Sad $1,374
Al Hidd $1,787

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,104 in Novi Sad versus $2,122 in Al Hidd.

Novi Sad $2,104
Al Hidd $2,122

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,833 in Novi Sad versus $2,457 in Al Hidd.

Novi Sad $2,833
Al Hidd $2,457

Living in Novi Sad costs roughly 23% less than in Al Hidd, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Novi Sad 2% above, Al Hidd 32% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.79 RSD 1,020

$5.26 BHD 1.99

86.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.2 RSD 5,232

$39.86 BHD 15.04

25.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.82 RSD 1,232

$7.59 BHD 2.86

55.73%

Cappuccino

$2.68 RSD 280

$3.68 BHD 1.39

-27.17%

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

$2.31 RSD 241

$0.81 BHD 0.31

185.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 RSD 198

$0.15 BHD 0.06

1166.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.90 RSD 303

$6.43 BHD 2.43

-54.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 RSD 388

$10.05 BHD 3.79

-62.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 RSD 143

$1.43 BHD 0.54

-4.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 RSD 105

$1.09 BHD 0.41

-7.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.63 RSD 274

$2.29 BHD 0.86

14.85%

Eggs

$2.66 RSD 278

$2.28 BHD 0.86

16.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.53 RSD 1,410

$8.59 BHD 3.24

57.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.27 RSD 757

$5.43 BHD 2.05

33.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.26 RSD 1,486

$5.17 BHD 1.95

175.82%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 RSD 175

$2.31 BHD 0.87

-27.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 RSD 199

$2.35 BHD 0.89

-18.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 RSD 167

$1.87 BHD 0.71

-13.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.53 RSD 264

$1.44 BHD 0.54

75.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.05 RSD 110

$1.01 BHD 0.38

3.96%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 RSD 67.2

$1.38 BHD 0.52

-53.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 RSD 105

$1.49 BHD 0.56

-32.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 RSD 68.3

$0.78 BHD 0.29

-16.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.75 RSD 496

$5.32 BHD 2.01

-10.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 RSD 773

$18.21 BHD 6.87

-59.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 RSD 91.1

$3.66 BHD 1.38

-76.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 RSD 238

$2.70 BHD 1.02

-15.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 RSD 97.0

$1.57 BHD 0.59

-40.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.13 RSD 2,516

$52.2 BHD 19.71

-53.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.34 RSD 244

$5.39 BHD 2.04

-56.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 RSD 96.2

$3.35 BHD 1.27

-72.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.60 RSD 1,105

$15.64 BHD 5.90

-32.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 RSD 198

$0.58 BHD 0.22

227.59%

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

$30.5K RSD 3.2M

$19.7K BHD 7,433

54.62%

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

$26.0K RSD 2.7M

$20.2K BHD 7,607

29.09%

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

$222 RSD 23.1K

$154 BHD 58.3

43.49%

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

$20.42 RSD 2,129

$24.58 BHD 9.28

-16.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.10 RSD 3,450

$34.60 BHD 13.06

-4.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.99 RSD 3,856

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.28 RSD 1,176

$53.7 BHD 20.28

-79.01%

Cinema Ticket

$7.39 RSD 771

$10.51 BHD 3.97

-29.69%

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

$371 RSD 38.7K

$495 BHD 187

-25.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,484 RSD 780.2K

$11.2K BHD 4,209

-32.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$118 RSD 12.3K

$51.2 BHD 19.31

130.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.22 RSD 4,610

$58.5 BHD 22.08

-24.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 RSD 14.3K

$88.1 BHD 33.25

55.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 RSD 13.3K

$87.9 BHD 33.16

45.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$489 RSD 51.0K

$663 BHD 250

-26.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$392 RSD 40.8K

$945 BHD 357

-58.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$951 RSD 99.2K

$799 BHD 302

19.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 RSD 77.0K

$651 BHD 246

13.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,442 RSD 358.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,629 RSD 274.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,218 RSD 127.0K

$1,932 BHD 729

-36.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.21

6.21

-16.10%

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

Last update for Novi Sad: October 12, 2026

Last update for Al Hidd: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Novi Sad

$392 28.5%

Al Hidd

$945 52.9% 141% $553

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Novi Sad

$275 20%

Al Hidd

$214 12% 22.4% $61

Groceries & Markets

Novi Sad

$244 17.7%

Al Hidd

$233 13.1% 4.2% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Novi Sad

$192 14%

Al Hidd

$129 7.2% 33.1% $64

Eating Out

Novi Sad

$185 13.5%

Al Hidd

$165 9.2% 10.7% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Novi Sad

$52 3.8%

Al Hidd

$21 * 1.2% 59.4% $31

Getting Around

Novi Sad

$35 2.5%

Al Hidd

$81 4.5% 132% $46

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $489 in Novi Sad and $663 in Al Hidd. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Al Hidd pays 59% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $50.0 in Novi Sad vs $40.00 in Al Hidd for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $244 vs $233 per month, with Al Hidd cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Novi Sad

🇧🇭 Al Hidd

🕒 Local time

18:17 6:17 PM

19:17 7:17 PM

1 h ahead of Novi Sad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

260,438

12,797

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

Bahraini Dinar BHD .د.ب

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR

1 BHD = 2.65 USD

1 BHD = 2.36 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BHD, USD, EUR to RSD – Serbian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇸 Serbian Dinar (din)

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR).

Bahraini Dinar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.377 BHD (1 BHD = 2.65 USD). 1 EUR = 0.424 BHD (1 BHD = 2.36 EUR).

USD to RSD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Novi Sad Al Hidd 3,460 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Novi Sad
Al Hidd

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

Novi Sad vs Al Hidd: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Novi Sad is cheaper overall, especially in utilities and transport. The 30% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 59% lower in Al Hidd. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $489 in Novi Sad versus $663 in Al Hidd. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Novi Sad runs roughly 116% less than in Al Hidd. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $371 in Novi Sad versus $495 in Al Hidd. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,374 in Novi Sad versus $1,787 in Al Hidd, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Novi Sad but tight or insufficient in Al Hidd. The gap between the two cities makes Novi Sad the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Novi Sad and Al Hidd are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Novi Sad gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Al Hidd. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.