Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Richards Bay and Belgrade

For one person, living is cheaper in Richards Bay: $1,022 a month against $1,541 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Richards Bay
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Richards Bay Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Belgrade
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Belgrade Living Index

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Richards Bay

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,022

/mo nomad

Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,541

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Richards Bay and in Belgrade

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

A single person spends $1,022 per month in Richards Bay vs $1,541 in Belgrade, rent included.

Richards Bay $1,022
Belgrade $1,541

A couple spends around $1,601 per month in Richards Bay vs $2,351 in Belgrade, rent included.

Richards Bay $1,601
Belgrade $2,351

A family of three spends $2,180 per month in Richards Bay vs $3,161 in Belgrade, rent included.

Richards Bay $2,180
Belgrade $3,161

Richards Bay is about 34% cheaper than Belgrade, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Richards Bay sits 24% below the global median, while Belgrade is 14% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.66 R 142

$13.43 RSD 1,398

-35.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.89 R 621

$58.0 RSD 6,036

-34.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.57 R 91.2

$13.30 RSD 1,384

-58.12%

Cappuccino

$2.16 R 35.36

$3.05 RSD 317

-29.18%

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

$1.06 R 17.33

$2.82 RSD 293

-62.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 R 14.62

$2.28 RSD 238

-60.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.46 R 23.94

$3.66 RSD 381

-60.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 R 30.18

$4.18 RSD 435

-55.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 R 18.21

$1.41 RSD 147

-21.28%

White Bread (500g)

$0.97 R 15.82

$1.16 RSD 121

-16.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.24

$2.53 RSD 263

-41.50%

Eggs

$2.20 R 36.10

$2.80 RSD 292

-21.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.43 R 105

$10.93 RSD 1,137

-41.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.35 R 71.3

$6.80 RSD 708

-36.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.75 R 111

$15.40 RSD 1,603

-56.17%

Apples (1kg)

$1.97 R 32.33

$1.63 RSD 170

20.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 R 27.07

$1.75 RSD 182

-5.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 R 31.84

$1.78 RSD 186

8.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 R 26.80

$3.04 RSD 316

-46.05%

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 R 15.26

$0.97 RSD 101

-4.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.16 R 19.06

$0.65 RSD 67.7

78.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 R 18.79

$0.74 RSD 77.2

55.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 R 20.12

$0.72 RSD 75.3

70.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.46 R 40.27

$4.53 RSD 471

-45.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.96 R 81.3

$8.25 RSD 858

-39.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 R 25.07

$0.86 RSD 89.8

77.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 R 32.72

$1.43 RSD 148

39.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$101 R 1,647

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 R 6.54

$3.10 RSD 323

-87.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 R 11.52

$0.98 RSD 102

-28.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.53 R 123

$17.10 RSD 1,780

-55.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 R 22.52

$1.87 RSD 195

-26.74%

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

$21.4K R 350.9K

$30.9K RSD 3.2M

-30.66%

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

$28.7K R 470.0K

$24.1K RSD 2.5M

19.20%

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

$132 R 2,168

$215 RSD 22.4K

-38.37%

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

$30.04 R 492

$25.55 RSD 2,659

17.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.86 R 637

$35.40 RSD 3,685

9.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.59 R 583

$40.62 RSD 4,228

-12.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 RSD 2,367

Cinema Ticket

$7.39 R 121

$7.99 RSD 832

-7.51%

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

$106 R 1,744

$453 RSD 47.2K

-76.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,665 R 43.7K

$12.4K RSD 1.3M

-78.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.4 R 826

$112 RSD 11.6K

-54.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.89 R 310

$47.56 RSD 4,951

-60.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 R 1,229

$114 RSD 11.8K

-33.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.3 R 1,332

$147 RSD 15.3K

-44.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$366 R 6,001

$829 RSD 86.3K

-55.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$255 R 4,178

$540 RSD 56.2K

-52.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$686 R 11.2K

$1,508 RSD 157.0K

-54.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$548 R 8,980

$975 RSD 101.5K

-43.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$341 R 5,580

$5,059 RSD 526.6K

-93.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$502 R 8,232

$3,171 RSD 330.1K

-84.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,199 R 19.6K

$1,276 RSD 132.8K

-6.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.5

4.5

66.67%

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

Last update for Richards Bay: October 31, 2026

Last update for Belgrade: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Richards Bay

$255 25%

Belgrade

$540 35.1% 112% $285

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Richards Bay

$201 19.7%

Belgrade

$276 17.9% 37% $74

Groceries & Markets

Richards Bay

$179 17.5%

Belgrade

$241 15.6% 34.7% $62

Eating Out

Richards Bay

$131 12.8%

Belgrade

$231 15% 76.8% $100

Getting Around

Richards Bay

$104 * 10.2%

Belgrade

$8 * 0.5% 92.3% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Richards Bay

$102 9.9%

Belgrade

$189 12.3% 86% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Richards Bay

$50 4.9%

Belgrade

$57 3.7% 12.4% $6.2

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $366 in Richards Bay versus $829 in Belgrade. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 6% higher in Belgrade, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Richards Bay versus $58 in Belgrade. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $179 vs $241 – making Richards Bay the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Richards Bay

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🕒 Local time

23:18 11:18 PM

22:18 10:18 PM

1 h behind Richards Bay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

57,387

1,197,714 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR

1,000 RSD = 9.61 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.56 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 16.38 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.39 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.61 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.56 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Richards Bay Belgrade 8,270 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Richards Bay
Belgrade

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

Richards Bay vs Belgrade: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,022 in Richards Bay, $1,541 in Belgrade – Richards Bay comes out roughly 34% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,533 per month in Richards Bay and $2,312 in Belgrade. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Richards Bay, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $366 there versus $829 in Belgrade.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Richards Bay and $58 in Belgrade. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 35% more in Belgrade, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Richards Bay, where all-in costs run around $1,022, than in Belgrade at $1,541. In Richards Bay it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Richards Bay – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Richards Bay. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Belgrade makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.