Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Novi Sad and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Novi Sad: $1,371 a month against $1,806 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Novi Sad
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Novi Sad Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Novi Sad

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,371

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Novi Sad and in Athens

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,371 in Novi Sad versus $1,806 in Athens.

Novi Sad $1,371
Athens $1,806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,114 in Novi Sad versus $2,731 in Athens.

Novi Sad $2,114
Athens $2,731

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,856 in Novi Sad versus $3,656 in Athens.

Novi Sad $2,856
Athens $3,656

Living in Novi Sad costs roughly 24% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Novi Sad 2% above, Athens 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.93 RSD 1,037

$16.66 €14.85

-40.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.70 RSD 5,188

$66.2 €59.0

-24.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.00 RSD 1,253

$11.06 €9.86

8.50%

Cappuccino

$2.61 RSD 273

$4.14 €3.69

-36.96%

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

$2.32 RSD 243

$2.80 €2.50

-17.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 RSD 192

$0.57 €0.51

221.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.91 RSD 303

$5.64 €5.03

-48.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.78 RSD 394

$5.46 €4.86

-30.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 RSD 146

$1.96 €1.74

-28.57%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 RSD 99.2

$1.41 €1.25

-32.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 RSD 280

$2.83 €2.53

-5.30%

Eggs

$2.54 RSD 265

$5.04 €4.49

-49.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.09 RSD 1,367

$15.35 €13.68

-14.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.52 RSD 785

$10.34 €9.22

-27.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.35 RSD 1,499

$18.97 €16.92

-24.35%

Apples (1kg)

$1.71 RSD 179

$2.17 €1.93

-21.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 RSD 207

$1.91 €1.70

3.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 RSD 173

$1.38 €1.23

20.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.55 RSD 266

$2.20 €1.96

15.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.01 RSD 105

$1.10 €0.98

-8.18%

Onion (1kg)

$0.68 RSD 71.0

$1.13 €1.00

-39.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 RSD 100

$1.10 €0.98

-12.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 RSD 68.5

$0.83 €0.74

-20.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.84 RSD 505

$5.60 €4.99

-13.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 RSD 779

$10.19 €9.08

-26.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 RSD 95.7

$2.18 €1.95

-57.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 RSD 231

$2.45 €2.18

-9.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 RSD 104

$1.38 €1.23

-28.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.45 RSD 2,552

$30.87 €27.52

-20.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.33 RSD 244

$4.37 €3.90

-46.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 RSD 96.9

$1.04 €0.93

-10.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.35 RSD 1,081

$17.11 €15.26

-39.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.83 RSD 191

$2.31 €2.06

-20.78%

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

$30.7K RSD 3.2M

$28.0K €24.9K

9.81%

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

$26.3K RSD 2.7M

$28.0K €25.0K

-6.17%

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

$223 RSD 23.2K

$210 €187

6.14%

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

$20.57 RSD 2,147

$26.70 €23.80

-22.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.21 RSD 3,467

$30.13 €26.86

10.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.61 RSD 3,823

$54.6 €48.68

-32.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.06 RSD 1,155

$26.03 €23.21

-57.51%

Cinema Ticket

$7.30 RSD 763

$10.78 €9.61

-32.28%

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

$372 RSD 38.8K

$575 €513

-35.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,710 RSD 804.9K

$13.1K €11.7K

-41.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$119 RSD 12.4K

$93.2 €83.1

27.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.40 RSD 4,531

$40.68 €36.27

6.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 RSD 14.3K

$104 €92.8

31.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 RSD 12.9K

$128 €114

-3.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$495 RSD 51.6K

$756 €674

-34.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$405 RSD 42.3K

$652 €582

-37.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$955 RSD 99.7K

$1,294 €1,153

-26.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$753 RSD 78.6K

$1,163 €1,037

-35.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,527 RSD 368.2K

$4,008 €3,574

-12.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,586 RSD 270.0K

$3,452 €3,078

-25.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,240 RSD 129.5K

$1,243 €1,109

-0.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.21

4.48

16.29%

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

Last update for Novi Sad: October 5, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Novi Sad

$405 29.2%

Athens

$652 36.5% 60.9% $247

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Novi Sad

$276 19.9%

Athens

$267 14.9% 3.6% $9.8

Groceries & Markets

Novi Sad

$244 17.6%

Athens

$315 17.6% 28.9% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Novi Sad

$190 13.7%

Athens

$165 9.2% 13.4% $26

Eating Out

Novi Sad

$186 13.4%

Athens

$269 15% 44.9% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Novi Sad

$51 3.7%

Athens

$76 4.3% 48.7% $25

Getting Around

Novi Sad

$35 2.6%

Athens

$46 2.6% 29.8% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $495 in Novi Sad and $756 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 0% 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 $66.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $244 vs $315 per month, with Novi Sad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Novi Sad

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

09:37 9:37 AM

10:37 10:37 AM

1 h ahead of Novi Sad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

260,438

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.58 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.54 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to RSD – Serbian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇸 Serbian Dinar (din)

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.58 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.54 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to RSD in detail →

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Between locations

Novi Sad Athens 870 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Novi Sad
Athens

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 Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Novi Sad wins on cost – living expenses run 32% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Novi Sad the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 0% lower in Athens. 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: $495 in Novi Sad versus $756 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Novi Sad – a meal for two runs $50.0 versus $66.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,371 per month in Novi Sad versus $1,806 in Athens – a 32% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,371 in Novi Sad versus $1,806 in Athens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Novi Sad but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Novi Sad the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Novi Sad delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,371 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Novi Sad hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Novi Sad and Athens 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 32% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.