Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Riyadh and Belgrade

For one person, living is cheaper in Belgrade: $1,538 a month against $1,768 in Riyadh, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Riyadh
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Riyadh Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Belgrade
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Belgrade Living Index

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Riyadh

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,768

/mo nomad

Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,538

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Riyadh 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 Riyadh and in Belgrade actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,768 per month in Riyadh vs $1,538 in Belgrade, rent included.

Riyadh $1,768
Belgrade $1,538

A couple spends around $2,557 per month in Riyadh vs $2,321 in Belgrade, rent included.

Riyadh $2,557
Belgrade $2,321

A family of three spends $3,345 per month in Riyadh vs $3,105 in Belgrade, rent included.

Riyadh $3,345
Belgrade $3,105

Riyadh costs about 15% more than Belgrade, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Riyadh and Belgrade sit above the global median – Riyadh by 32%, Belgrade by 15%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 SAR 30.36

$13.33 RSD 1,389

-39.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 SAR 250

$58.4 RSD 6,085

13.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.11 SAR 30.47

$13.58 RSD 1,414

-40.28%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.15 SAR 8.09

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 SAR 11.19

Cappuccino

$4.34 SAR 16.31

$3.13 RSD 326

38.66%

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

$0.86 SAR 3.24

$2.77 RSD 288

-68.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 SAR 1.12

$2.27 RSD 237

-86.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 RSD 390

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 RSD 456

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 SAR 6.63

$1.40 RSD 146

26.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.32 SAR 4.97

$1.17 RSD 122

12.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 SAR 9.03

$2.71 RSD 282

-11.44%

Eggs

$3.06 SAR 11.48

$2.78 RSD 289

10.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.63 SAR 39.91

$11.36 RSD 1,184

-6.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.60 SAR 36.05

$7.01 RSD 731

36.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.98 SAR 56.3

$15.72 RSD 1,638

-4.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 SAR 10.51

$1.66 RSD 173

68.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 SAR 7.45

$1.81 RSD 188

9.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.51 SAR 9.43

$1.83 RSD 190

37.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 SAR 6.75

$3.13 RSD 326

-42.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 SAR 4.45

$0.88 RSD 91.3

34.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 SAR 5.01

$0.67 RSD 70.3

100.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.79 SAR 6.70

$0.81 RSD 84.4

120.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 SAR 2.03

$0.68 RSD 70.9

-20.59%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$8.11 SAR 30.44

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 SAR 6.68

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 SAR 9.04

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.53 SAR 28.26

$4.78 RSD 498

57.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.54 RSD 889

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RSD 97.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 RSD 150

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.05 SAR 3.96

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.18 SAR 140

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.29 SAR 12.35

$3.09 RSD 322

6.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 SAR 7.19

$1.02 RSD 107

87.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.43 SAR 50.5

$17.18 RSD 1,789

-21.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.65 SAR 2.42

$1.87 RSD 195

-65.24%

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

$34.6K SAR 130.0K

$30.7K RSD 3.2M

12.63%

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

$22.8K SAR 85.7K

$24.3K RSD 2.5M

-5.90%

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

$106 SAR 397

$218 RSD 22.7K

-51.46%

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

$29.10 SAR 109

$25.24 RSD 2,629

15.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.7 SAR 273

$35.35 RSD 3,683

105.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.4 SAR 343

$41.77 RSD 4,351

118.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$56.4 SAR 212

$22.80 RSD 2,375

147.24%

Cinema Ticket

$13.20 SAR 49.58

$8.47 RSD 882

55.84%

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

$532 SAR 1,999

$426 RSD 44.4K

24.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.2K SAR 38.4K

$11.4K RSD 1.2M

-10.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 SAR 215

$111 RSD 11.6K

-48.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.4 SAR 204

$45.99 RSD 4,791

18.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 SAR 393

$119 RSD 12.4K

-12.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 SAR 397

$154 RSD 16.0K

-31.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,211 SAR 4,547

$821 RSD 85.6K

47.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$834 SAR 3,132

$561 RSD 58.4K

48.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,223 SAR 8,346

$1,511 RSD 157.4K

47.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,241 SAR 4,658

$942 RSD 98.1K

31.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,011 SAR 11.3K

$5,312 RSD 553.4K

-43.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,937 SAR 7,274

$3,165 RSD 329.7K

-38.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,037 SAR 7,648

$1,228 RSD 127.9K

65.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

4.61

20.17%

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

Last update for Riyadh: October 4, 2026

Last update for Belgrade: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Riyadh

$834 47.7%

Belgrade

$561 35.5% 32.8% $273

Groceries & Markets

Riyadh

$242 13.9%

Belgrade

$246 15.6% 1.5% $3.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Riyadh

$208 11.9%

Belgrade

$278 17.6% 34.1% $71

Eating Out

Riyadh

$146 8.4%

Belgrade

$233 14.7% 59.6% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Riyadh

$145 8.3%

Belgrade

$194 12.3% 33.6% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Riyadh

$118 6.8%

Belgrade

$59 3.7% 50.2% $59

Getting Around

Riyadh

$54 3.1%

Belgrade

$8.2 * 0.5% 84.9% $46

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,211 in Riyadh versus $821 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 66% higher in Riyadh, 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 $66.0 in Riyadh versus $58.0 in Belgrade. Groceries tell a different story – $242 in Riyadh vs $246 in Belgrade – so Riyadh wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Riyadh

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🕒 Local time

08:22 8:22 AM

07:22 7:22 AM

1 h behind Riyadh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,188,286 Capital

1,197,714 Capital

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

1,000 RSD = 9.6 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.56 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, USD, EUR to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇦 Saudi Riyal (ر.س)

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.21 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.6 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.56 EUR).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Riyadh Belgrade 3,260 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Riyadh
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

Riyadh vs Belgrade: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,768 in Riyadh, $1,538 in Belgrade – roughly 15% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,652 per month in Riyadh and $2,307 in Belgrade. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Belgrade, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Riyadh and $58.0 in Belgrade. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 2% cheaper in Riyadh – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Belgrade, where all-in costs run around $1,538, than in Riyadh at $1,768. In Belgrade it covers expenses comfortably, while in Riyadh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Riyadh has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,538 in Belgrade to $1,768 in Riyadh. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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