Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sabac and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Sabac: $845 a month against $1,222 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Sabac
Learn more

Sabac Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
Learn more

Shanghai Living Index

Jump to prices

Sabac

🇷🇸 Serbia

$845

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,222

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sabac and in Shanghai

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

A single person spends $845 per month in Sabac vs $1,222 in Shanghai, rent included.

Sabac $845
Shanghai $1,222

A couple spends around $1,285 per month in Sabac vs $1,971 in Shanghai, rent included.

Sabac $1,285
Shanghai $1,971

A family of three spends $1,726 per month in Sabac vs $2,720 in Shanghai, rent included.

Sabac $1,726
Shanghai $2,720

Sabac is about 31% cheaper than Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sabac and Shanghai are more affordable than the global median – Sabac 38% lower, Shanghai 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.02 RSD 845

$4.53 ¥30.11

77.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.56 RSD 2,904

$30.16 ¥201

-8.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.61 RSD 696

$5.11 ¥34.04

29.35%

Cappuccino

$1.95 RSD 206

$3.41 ¥22.70

-42.82%

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

$1.86 RSD 196

$0.58 ¥3.85

220.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 RSD 148

$0.35 ¥2.36

300.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 RSD 270

$1.23 ¥8.22

108.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 RSD 290

$2.31 ¥15.37

19.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 RSD 133

$1.88 ¥12.52

-32.45%

White Bread (500g)

$0.62 RSD 65.7

$1.94 ¥12.88

-68.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 RSD 198

$0.98 ¥6.52

91.84%

Eggs

$1.92 RSD 203

$1.70 ¥11.31

12.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.85 RSD 616

$17.02 ¥113

-65.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.34 RSD 668

$3.22 ¥21.41

96.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.57 RSD 1,219

$12.93 ¥86.0

-10.52%

Apples (1kg)

$1.19 RSD 126

$2.15 ¥14.31

-44.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 RSD 201

$1.73 ¥11.48

10.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 RSD 147

$2.03 ¥13.51

-31.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.94 RSD 204

$1.73 ¥11.54

12.14%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 RSD 72.6

$0.83 ¥5.51

-16.87%

Onion (1kg)

$0.34 RSD 35.97

$0.92 ¥6.13

-63.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.05 RSD 111

$0.67 ¥4.48

56.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.40 RSD 42.57

$0.59 ¥3.92

-32.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.56 RSD 375

$3.77 ¥25.10

-5.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.59 RSD 800

$11.03 ¥73.4

-31.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 RSD 73.5

$0.90 ¥6.00

-22.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 RSD 105

$1.60 ¥10.67

-38.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.00 RSD 105

$0.57 ¥3.81

75.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.62 ¥197

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.46 RSD 154

$2.14 ¥14.25

-31.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 RSD 97.7

$0.47 ¥3.10

97.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 RSD 565

$8.74 ¥58.2

-38.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 RSD 185

$1.34 ¥8.94

31.34%

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

$30.2K RSD 3.2M

$19.3K ¥128.1K

56.96%

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

$23.8K RSD 2.5M

$18.3K ¥121.7K

30.11%

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

$139 RSD 14.6K

$58.9 ¥392

135.23%

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

$25.55 RSD 2,692

$7.90 ¥52.6

223.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.46 RSD 2,050

$10.60 ¥70.5

83.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.09 RSD 3,065

$64.8 ¥431

-55.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.31 RSD 1,191

$17.47 ¥116

-35.26%

Cinema Ticket

$5.78 RSD 609

$9.06 ¥60.3

-36.20%

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

$172 RSD 18.1K

$1,587 ¥10.6K

-89.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,864 RSD 407.1K

$28.2K ¥187.9K

-86.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.7 RSD 6,293

$54.6 ¥363

9.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.2 RSD 6,865

$37.21 ¥248

75.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$57.8 RSD 6,092

$74.6 ¥496

-22.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 RSD 12.4K

$106 ¥707

11.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$230 RSD 24.2K

$1,026 ¥6,826

-77.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$153 RSD 16.1K

$559 ¥3,722

-72.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$341 RSD 36.0K

$2,618 ¥17.4K

-86.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$259 RSD 27.3K

$1,191 ¥7,927

-78.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,874 RSD 197.4K

$13.4K ¥89.0K

-85.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,513 RSD 159.4K

$6,527 ¥43.4K

-76.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$969 RSD 102.1K

$1,712 ¥11.4K

-43.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.84

3.36

44.05%

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

Last update for Sabac: October 27, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sabac

$184 21.7%

Shanghai

$77 6.3% 57.8% $106

Groceries & Markets

Sabac

$183 21.7%

Shanghai

$237 19.4% 29.1% $53

Accommodation & Living

Sabac

$153 18.1%

Shanghai

$559 45.8% 265% $406

Eating Out

Sabac

$139 16.4%

Shanghai

$107 8.8% 22.9% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Sabac

$135 16%

Shanghai

$123 10% 9.4% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Sabac

$41 4.8%

Shanghai

$83 6.8% 104% $42

Getting Around

Sabac

$10 * 1.2%

Shanghai

$36 3% 261% $26

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $230 in Sabac versus $1,026 in Shanghai. 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 77% higher in Shanghai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28 in Sabac versus $30 in Shanghai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $183 vs $237 – making Sabac the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Sabac

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

02:19 2:19 AM

09:19 9:19 AM

7 h ahead of Sabac

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

51,163

24,870,895

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.49 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to RSD – Serbian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇸 Serbian Dinar (din)

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 105 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.49 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to RSD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sabac Shanghai 8,460 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Sabac
Shanghai

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

Sabac vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $845 in Sabac, $1,222 in Shanghai – Sabac comes out roughly 31% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,267 per month in Sabac and $1,833 in Shanghai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sabac, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $230 there versus $1,026 in Shanghai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28 in Sabac and $30 in Shanghai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 29% more in Shanghai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Sabac, where all-in costs run around $845, than in Shanghai at $1,222. In Sabac it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shanghai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sabac – 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 Sabac. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Shanghai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.