Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Novi Sad and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Novi Sad: $1,393 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 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
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Novi Sad

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,393

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,393 in Novi Sad versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Novi Sad $1,393
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,154 in Novi Sad versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Novi Sad $2,154
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,915 in Novi Sad versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Novi Sad $2,915
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Novi Sad costs roughly 37% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Novi Sad 2% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.11 RSD 1,065

$16.65 €14.95

-39.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.2 RSD 5,286

$61.7 €55.5

-18.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.06 RSD 1,271

$11.36 €10.20

6.16%

Cappuccino

$2.65 RSD 279

$2.97 €2.67

-10.77%

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

$2.37 RSD 249

$2.29 €2.06

3.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 RSD 192

$1.74 €1.56

4.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.93 RSD 309

$3.40 €3.06

-13.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 RSD 392

$3.31 €2.97

12.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 RSD 146

$1.16 €1.04

19.83%

White Bread (500g)

$0.93 RSD 98.1

$1.91 €1.72

-51.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.65 RSD 279

$1.51 €1.36

75.50%

Eggs

$2.67 RSD 282

$4.02 €3.61

-33.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.46 RSD 1,419

$12.94 €11.62

4.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.21 RSD 760

$7.77 €6.98

-7.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.06 RSD 1,481

$17.76 €15.95

-20.83%

Apples (1kg)

$1.76 RSD 185

$2.30 €2.07

-23.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 RSD 200

$1.73 €1.56

9.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 RSD 175

$1.86 €1.67

-10.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RSD 267

$2.59 €2.33

-1.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 RSD 105

$1.82 €1.64

-45.05%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 RSD 72.9

$1.97 €1.77

-64.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 RSD 100

$1.47 €1.32

-35.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 RSD 72.0

$0.72 €0.65

-5.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.69 RSD 495

$6.58 €5.91

-28.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.79 RSD 821

$5.61 €5.04

38.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 RSD 91.5

$1.36 €1.22

-36.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RSD 243

$2.14 €1.92

7.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 RSD 99.0

$2.33 €2.10

-59.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.22 RSD 2,552

$44.68 €40.14

-45.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.31 RSD 243

$3.85 €3.46

-40.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 RSD 96.8

$1.07 €0.96

-14.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.42 RSD 1,098

$16.46 €14.79

-36.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 RSD 191

$2.20 €1.98

-17.73%

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

$30.1K RSD 3.2M

$34.2K €30.7K

-11.91%

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

$23.8K RSD 2.5M

$38.7K €34.8K

-38.67%

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

$224 RSD 23.6K

$161 €145

39.11%

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

$20.29 RSD 2,137

$18.41 €16.54

10.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.84 RSD 3,565

$32.74 €29.41

3.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.97 RSD 3,685

$44.55 €40.02

-21.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.12 RSD 1,171

$19.10 €17.16

-41.78%

Cinema Ticket

$6.88 RSD 725

$9.60 €8.62

-28.33%

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

$364 RSD 38.4K

$668 €600

-45.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,540 RSD 794.4K

$17.6K €15.8K

-57.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$117 RSD 12.3K

$102 €91.6

14.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.36 RSD 4,674

$44.46 €39.94

-0.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 RSD 14.2K

$98.5 €88.5

37.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 RSD 13.1K

$124 €111

0.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$509 RSD 53.6K

$1,608 €1,445

-68.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$411 RSD 43.3K

$1,190 €1,069

-65.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,034 RSD 108.9K

$2,812 €2,526

-63.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$824 RSD 86.8K

$2,013 €1,808

-59.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,595 RSD 378.8K

$7,839 €7,042

-54.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,621 RSD 276.2K

$4,576 €4,110

-42.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,230 RSD 129.6K

$1,575 €1,415

-21.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.17

3.85

34.29%

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

Last update for Novi Sad: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Novi Sad

$411 29.5%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 190% $779

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Novi Sad

$278 20%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 23.7% $66

Groceries & Markets

Novi Sad

$244 17.5%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 11.8% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Novi Sad

$189 13.6%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 12.4% $23

Eating Out

Novi Sad

$188 13.5%

Lisbon

$243 11% 29.3% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Novi Sad

$49 3.5%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 30.8% $15

Getting Around

Novi Sad

$35 2.5%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 81.2% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $509 in Novi Sad and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 28% 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 in Novi Sad vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $244 vs $272 per month, with Novi Sad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Novi Sad

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

14:03 2:03 PM

13:03 1:03 PM

1 h behind Novi Sad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

260,438

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.49 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 105 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.49 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to RSD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Novi Sad Lisbon 2,490 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Novi Sad
Lisbon

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 Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Novi Sad and Lisbon differ by about 59% in total monthly costs ($1,393 vs $2,210 including rent). Novi Sad is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 22% lower in Novi Sad. 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: $509 in Novi Sad versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $364 in Novi Sad versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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 Lisbon 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 37% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.