Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Novi Sad and Sabac

For one person, living is cheaper in Sabac: $845 a month against $1,393 in Novi Sad, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Sabac
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Sabac Living Index

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Novi Sad

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,393

/mo nomad

Sabac

🇷🇸 Serbia

$845

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,393 in Novi Sad versus $845 in Sabac.

Novi Sad $1,393
Sabac $845

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,154 in Novi Sad versus $1,285 in Sabac.

Novi Sad $2,154
Sabac $1,285

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,915 in Novi Sad versus $1,726 in Sabac.

Novi Sad $2,915
Sabac $1,726

Living in Novi Sad is roughly 65% more expensive than in Sabac, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Novi Sad is 2% above, Sabac is 38% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.11 RSD 1,065

$8.02 RSD 845

26.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.2 RSD 5,286

$27.56 RSD 2,904

82.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.06 RSD 1,271

$6.61 RSD 696

82.45%

Cappuccino

$2.65 RSD 279

$1.95 RSD 206

35.90%

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

$2.37 RSD 249

$1.86 RSD 196

27.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 RSD 192

$1.40 RSD 148

30.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.93 RSD 309

$2.56 RSD 270

14.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 RSD 392

$2.75 RSD 290

35.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 RSD 146

$1.27 RSD 133

9.45%

White Bread (500g)

$0.93 RSD 98.1

$0.62 RSD 65.7

50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.65 RSD 279

$1.88 RSD 198

40.96%

Eggs

$2.67 RSD 282

$1.92 RSD 203

39.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.46 RSD 1,419

$5.85 RSD 616

130.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.21 RSD 760

$6.34 RSD 668

13.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.06 RSD 1,481

$11.57 RSD 1,219

21.52%

Apples (1kg)

$1.76 RSD 185

$1.19 RSD 126

47.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 RSD 200

$1.91 RSD 201

-0.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 RSD 175

$1.40 RSD 147

18.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RSD 267

$1.94 RSD 204

30.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 RSD 105

$0.69 RSD 72.6

44.93%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 RSD 72.9

$0.34 RSD 35.97

102.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 RSD 100

$1.05 RSD 111

-9.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 RSD 72.0

$0.40 RSD 42.57

70.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.69 RSD 495

$3.56 RSD 375

31.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.79 RSD 821

$7.59 RSD 800

2.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 RSD 91.5

$0.70 RSD 73.5

24.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RSD 243

$0.99 RSD 105

132.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 RSD 99.0

$1.00 RSD 105

-6.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.22 RSD 2,552

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.31 RSD 243

$1.46 RSD 154

58.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 RSD 96.8

$0.93 RSD 97.7

-1.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.42 RSD 1,098

$5.36 RSD 565

94.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 RSD 191

$1.76 RSD 185

2.84%

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

$30.1K RSD 3.2M

$30.2K RSD 3.2M

-0.32%

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

$23.8K RSD 2.5M

-0.14%

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

$224 RSD 23.6K

$139 RSD 14.6K

61.87%

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

$20.29 RSD 2,137

$25.55 RSD 2,692

-20.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.84 RSD 3,565

$19.46 RSD 2,050

73.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.97 RSD 3,685

$29.09 RSD 3,065

20.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.12 RSD 1,171

$11.31 RSD 1,191

-1.68%

Cinema Ticket

$6.88 RSD 725

$5.78 RSD 609

19.03%

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

$364 RSD 38.4K

$172 RSD 18.1K

111.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,540 RSD 794.4K

$3,864 RSD 407.1K

95.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$117 RSD 12.3K

$59.7 RSD 6,293

96.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.36 RSD 4,674

$65.2 RSD 6,865

-31.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 RSD 14.2K

$57.8 RSD 6,092

133.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 RSD 13.1K

$118 RSD 12.4K

5.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$509 RSD 53.6K

$230 RSD 24.2K

121.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$411 RSD 43.3K

$153 RSD 16.1K

168.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,034 RSD 108.9K

$341 RSD 36.0K

202.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$824 RSD 86.8K

$259 RSD 27.3K

218.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,595 RSD 378.8K

$1,874 RSD 197.4K

91.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,621 RSD 276.2K

$1,513 RSD 159.4K

73.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,230 RSD 129.6K

$969 RSD 102.1K

26.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.17

4.84

6.82%

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

Last update for Novi Sad: October 25, 2026

Last update for Sabac: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Novi Sad

$411 29.5%

Sabac

$153 18.1% 62.7% $258

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Novi Sad

$278 20%

Sabac

$184 21.7% 34.1% $95

Groceries & Markets

Novi Sad

$244 17.5%

Sabac

$183 21.7% 24.8% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Novi Sad

$189 13.6%

Sabac

$135 16% 28.5% $54

Eating Out

Novi Sad

$188 13.5%

Sabac

$139 16.4% 26% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Novi Sad

$49 3.5%

Sabac

$41 4.8% 16.6% $8.1

Getting Around

Novi Sad

$35 2.5%

Sabac

$10 * 1.2% 71.1% $25

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 $509 in Novi Sad and $230 in Sabac. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Novi Sad pays 27% 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 $28 in Sabac for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $244 vs $183 per month, with Sabac cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Novi Sad

🇷🇸 Sabac

🕒 Local time

08:31 8:31 AM

Same time as Novi Sad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

260,438

51,163

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.49 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.5 EUR

1,000 RSD = 9.49 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.5 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Novi Sad Sabac 57 km

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Novi Sad
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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 Sabac: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sabac is about 39% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 27% higher in Novi Sad, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $509 in Novi Sad versus $230 in Sabac. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% higher in Novi Sad. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,393 per month in Novi Sad versus $845 in Sabac – Sabac is about 39% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $845 in Sabac versus $1,393 in Novi Sad, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Sabac but tight or insufficient in Novi Sad. The gap between the two cities makes Sabac 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 Sabac are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Sabac wins on affordability, Novi Sad on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.