Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint Petersburg and Belgrade

For one person, living is cheaper in Saint Petersburg: $1,290 a month against $1,538 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Saint Petersburg
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Saint Petersburg Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Belgrade
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Belgrade Living Index

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Saint Petersburg

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,290

/mo nomad

Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,538

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,290 per month in Saint Petersburg vs $1,538 in Belgrade, rent included.

Saint Petersburg $1,290
Belgrade $1,538

A couple spends around $2,084 per month in Saint Petersburg vs $2,321 in Belgrade, rent included.

Saint Petersburg $2,084
Belgrade $2,321

A family of three spends $2,878 per month in Saint Petersburg vs $3,105 in Belgrade, rent included.

Saint Petersburg $2,878
Belgrade $3,105

Saint Petersburg is about 16% cheaper than Belgrade, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Saint Petersburg sits 4% below the global median, while Belgrade is 15% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.34 ₽965

$13.33 RSD 1,389

-14.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.45 ₽3,527

$58.4 RSD 6,085

-29.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.40 ₽544

$13.58 RSD 1,414

-52.87%

Cappuccino

$2.98 ₽254

$3.13 RSD 326

-4.79%

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

$1.48 ₽126

$2.77 RSD 288

-46.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 ₽55.9

$2.27 RSD 237

-70.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.57 ₽219

$3.75 RSD 390

-31.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 ₽304

$4.38 RSD 456

-18.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 ₽93.4

$1.40 RSD 146

-21.43%

White Bread (500g)

$0.91 ₽77.3

$1.17 RSD 122

-22.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 ₽135

$2.71 RSD 282

-41.33%

Eggs

$1.69 ₽144

$2.78 RSD 289

-39.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.04 ₽1,024

$11.36 RSD 1,184

5.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.51 ₽554

$7.01 RSD 731

-7.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.08 ₽1,028

$15.72 RSD 1,638

-23.16%

Apples (1kg)

$1.65 ₽141

$1.66 RSD 173

-0.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 ₽134

$1.81 RSD 188

-12.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ₽138

$1.83 RSD 190

-10.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.99 ₽254

$3.13 RSD 326

-4.47%

Potato (1kg)

$0.84 ₽71.1

$0.88 RSD 91.3

-4.55%

Onion (1kg)

$0.60 ₽51.4

$0.67 RSD 70.3

-10.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ₽108

$0.81 RSD 84.4

56.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ₽67.1

$0.68 RSD 70.9

16.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 ₽254

$4.78 RSD 498

-37.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.39 ₽714

$8.54 RSD 889

-1.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 ₽99.8

$0.94 RSD 97.7

24.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 ₽169

$1.44 RSD 150

38.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 ₽86.4

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.1 ₽4,522

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.97 ₽253

$3.09 RSD 322

-3.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 ₽51.7

$1.02 RSD 107

-40.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.51 ₽724

$17.18 RSD 1,789

-50.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 ₽73.0

$1.87 RSD 195

-54.01%

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

$35.4K ₽3.0M

$30.7K RSD 3.2M

15.01%

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

$32.3K ₽2.8M

$24.3K RSD 2.5M

33.26%

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

$146 ₽12.5K

$218 RSD 22.7K

-32.74%

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

$7.26 ₽617

$25.24 RSD 2,629

-71.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.69 ₽740

$35.35 RSD 3,683

-75.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.62 ₽3,371

$41.77 RSD 4,351

-5.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.35 ₽3,603

$22.80 RSD 2,375

85.75%

Cinema Ticket

$7.17 ₽610

$8.47 RSD 882

-15.35%

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

$542 ₽46.1K

$426 RSD 44.4K

27.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K ₽1.4M

$11.4K RSD 1.2M

48.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.5 ₽7,781

$111 RSD 11.6K

-17.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.4 ₽4,291

$45.99 RSD 4,791

9.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 ₽11.6K

$119 RSD 12.4K

14.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 ₽10.5K

$154 RSD 16.0K

-20.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$748 ₽63.7K

$821 RSD 85.6K

-8.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$443 ₽37.7K

$561 RSD 58.4K

-21.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,570 ₽133.6K

$1,511 RSD 157.4K

3.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$898 ₽76.4K

$942 RSD 98.1K

-4.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,262 ₽362.6K

$5,312 RSD 553.4K

-19.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,721 ₽231.5K

$3,165 RSD 329.7K

-14.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,128 ₽96.0K

$1,228 RSD 127.9K

-8.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.81

4.61

329.72%

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

Last update for Saint Petersburg: 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

Saint Petersburg

$443 34.1%

Belgrade

$561 35.5% 26.6% $118

Groceries & Markets

Saint Petersburg

$222 17.1%

Belgrade

$246 15.6% 10.8% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Saint Petersburg

$181 13.9%

Belgrade

$194 12.3% 7.1% $13

Eating Out

Saint Petersburg

$174 13.4%

Belgrade

$233 14.7% 33.5% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint Petersburg

$162 12.5%

Belgrade

$278 17.6% 71.4% $116

Getting Around

Saint Petersburg

$63 4.9%

Belgrade

$8.2 * 0.5% 87% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Saint Petersburg

$54 4.2%

Belgrade

$59 3.7% 8.8% $4.8

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $748 in Saint Petersburg 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 9% 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 $41.00 in Saint Petersburg versus $58.0 in Belgrade. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $222 vs $246 – making Saint Petersburg the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Saint Petersburg

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🕒 Local time

14:42 2:42 PM

13:42 1:42 PM

1 h behind Saint Petersburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,597,763

1,197,714 Capital

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.18 USD

100 RUB = 1.05 EUR

1,000 RSD = 9.6 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.57 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, USD, EUR to RUB – Russian Ruble Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇺 Russian Ruble (₽)

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 85.09 RUB (100 RUB = 1.18 USD). 1 EUR = 95.35 RUB (100 RUB = 1.05 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 = 8.57 EUR).

USD to RUB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Saint Petersburg Belgrade 1,810 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Saint Petersburg
Belgrade

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Saint Petersburg vs Belgrade: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,290 in Saint Petersburg, $1,538 in Belgrade – roughly 19% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,935 per month in Saint Petersburg 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 Saint Petersburg, 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 $41.00 in Saint Petersburg and $58.0 in Belgrade. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 11% more in Belgrade, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Saint Petersburg, where all-in costs run around $1,290, than in Belgrade at $1,538. In Saint Petersburg it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Saint Petersburg has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,290 in Saint Petersburg to $1,538 in Belgrade. 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 Saint Petersburg. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Belgrade makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.