Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Novi Sad and Zrenjanin

For one person, living is cheaper in Zrenjanin: $974 a month against $1,374 in Novi Sad, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Novi Sad
Learn more

Novi Sad Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Zrenjanin
Learn more

Zrenjanin Living Index

Jump to prices

Novi Sad

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,374

/mo nomad

Zrenjanin

🇷🇸 Serbia

$974

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,374 in Novi Sad versus $974 in Zrenjanin.

Novi Sad $1,374
Zrenjanin $974

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,104 in Novi Sad versus $1,414 in Zrenjanin.

Novi Sad $2,104
Zrenjanin $1,414

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,833 in Novi Sad versus $1,855 in Zrenjanin.

Novi Sad $2,833
Zrenjanin $1,855

Living in Novi Sad is roughly 41% more expensive than in Zrenjanin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Novi Sad is 2% above, Zrenjanin is 28% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.79 RSD 1,020

$10.32 RSD 1,075

-5.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.2 RSD 5,232

$28.54 RSD 2,975

75.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.82 RSD 1,232

$9.27 RSD 966

27.51%

Cappuccino

$2.68 RSD 280

$1.66 RSD 173

61.45%

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

$2.31 RSD 241

$1.86 RSD 194

24.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 RSD 198

$1.38 RSD 144

37.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.90 RSD 303

$1.94 RSD 202

49.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 RSD 388

$3.04 RSD 317

22.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 RSD 143

$1.30 RSD 136

5.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 RSD 105

$0.62 RSD 64.5

62.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.63 RSD 274

$1.86 RSD 194

41.40%

Eggs

$2.66 RSD 278

$2.23 RSD 233

19.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.53 RSD 1,410

$7.76 RSD 809

74.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.27 RSD 757

$4.59 RSD 479

58.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.26 RSD 1,486

$8.58 RSD 895

66.20%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 RSD 175

$0.93 RSD 97.3

80.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 RSD 199

$1.77 RSD 184

7.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 RSD 167

$1.63 RSD 170

-1.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.53 RSD 264

$2.03 RSD 212

24.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.05 RSD 110

$0.84 RSD 87.4

25.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 RSD 67.2

$0.74 RSD 77.7

-13.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 RSD 105

$0.93 RSD 97.4

8.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 RSD 68.3

$0.58 RSD 60.3

12.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.75 RSD 496

$4.27 RSD 445

11.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 RSD 773

$5.11 RSD 533

45.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 RSD 91.1

$0.69 RSD 71.4

26.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 RSD 238

$1.00 RSD 104

129.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 RSD 97.0

$0.97 RSD 101

-4.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.13 RSD 2,516

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.34 RSD 244

$1.42 RSD 148

64.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 RSD 96.2

$0.79 RSD 82.6

16.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.60 RSD 1,105

$5.18 RSD 539

104.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 RSD 198

$1.83 RSD 191

3.83%

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

$30.5K RSD 3.2M

$30.6K RSD 3.2M

-0.39%

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

$26.0K RSD 2.7M

$25.7K RSD 2.7M

1.40%

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

$222 RSD 23.1K

$186 RSD 19.4K

19.36%

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

$20.42 RSD 2,129

$23.46 RSD 2,445

-12.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.10 RSD 3,450

$29.59 RSD 3,085

11.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.99 RSD 3,856

$23.99 RSD 2,501

54.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.28 RSD 1,176

Cinema Ticket

$7.39 RSD 771

$5.76 RSD 600

28.30%

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

$371 RSD 38.7K

$173 RSD 18.1K

114.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,484 RSD 780.2K

$3,871 RSD 403.6K

93.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$118 RSD 12.3K

$61.3 RSD 6,391

92.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.22 RSD 4,610

$66.4 RSD 6,925

-33.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 RSD 14.3K

$97.1 RSD 10.1K

41.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 RSD 13.3K

$118 RSD 12.3K

8.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$489 RSD 51.0K

$282 RSD 29.4K

73.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$392 RSD 40.8K

$208 RSD 21.7K

88.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$951 RSD 99.2K

$394 RSD 41.1K

141.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 RSD 77.0K

$298 RSD 31.1K

147.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,442 RSD 358.9K

$1,707 RSD 177.9K

101.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,629 RSD 274.1K

$1,236 RSD 128.8K

112.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,218 RSD 127.0K

$611 RSD 63.7K

99.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.21

4.84

7.64%

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

Last update for Novi Sad: October 12, 2026

Last update for Zrenjanin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Novi Sad

$392 28.5%

Zrenjanin

$208 21.3% 47% $184

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Novi Sad

$275 20%

Zrenjanin

$239 24.5% 13.2% $36

Groceries & Markets

Novi Sad

$244 17.7%

Zrenjanin

$170 17.4% 30.3% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Novi Sad

$192 14%

Zrenjanin

$154 15.8% 19.8% $38

Eating Out

Novi Sad

$185 13.5%

Zrenjanin

$159 16.3% 14% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Novi Sad

$52 3.8%

Zrenjanin

$36 3.6% 31.4% $16

Getting Around

Novi Sad

$35 2.5%

Zrenjanin

$9.2 * 1% 73.5% $26

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 $282 in Zrenjanin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Novi Sad pays 100% 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 $29.00 in Zrenjanin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $244 vs $170 per month, with Zrenjanin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Novi Sad

🇷🇸 Zrenjanin

🕒 Local time

06:45 6:45 AM

Same time as Novi Sad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

260,438

67,129

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR

1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Novi Sad Zrenjanin 45 km

From you

Novi Sad
Zrenjanin

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 Zrenjanin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zrenjanin is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 41% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 100% 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: $489 in Novi Sad versus $282 in Zrenjanin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 44% higher in Novi Sad. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,374 per month in Novi Sad versus $974 in Zrenjanin – a 41% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $974 in Zrenjanin versus $1,374 in Novi Sad, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Zrenjanin but tight or insufficient in Novi Sad. The gap between the two cities makes Zrenjanin 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 Zrenjanin 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 Zrenjanin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 41% less than in Novi Sad. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.