Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Serbia and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Serbia: $1,221 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Serbia
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Serbia Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

Jump to prices

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,221

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

🙂 Solo nomad: Serbia is 16.7% cheaper than Istanbul without rent, and 20% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Serbia is 13.8% cheaper than Istanbul without rent, and 22.3% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.39 RSD 978

$11.88 ₺585

-20.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.79 RSD 4,874

$55.1 ₺2,714

-15.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.51 RSD 1,199

$9.14 ₺450

25.93%

Cappuccino

$2.36 RSD 246

$4.24 ₺209

-44.34%

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

$2.31 RSD 241

$1.75 ₺86.0

32.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 RSD 180

$0.54 ₺26.83

220.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.92 RSD 305

$4.69 ₺231

-37.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 RSD 340

$5.97 ₺294

-45.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 RSD 137

$1.26 ₺62.1

3.97%

White Bread (500g)

$0.93 RSD 96.8

$0.95 ₺46.81

-2.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.15 RSD 224

$2.31 ₺114

-6.93%

Eggs

$2.61 RSD 272

$2.47 ₺122

5.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.93 RSD 1,034

$10.55 ₺520

-5.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.61 RSD 689

$5.60 ₺276

18.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.18 RSD 1,373

$21.21 ₺1,045

-37.86%

Apples (1kg)

$1.41 RSD 147

$1.93 ₺95.1

-26.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 RSD 192

$2.29 ₺113

-19.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 RSD 173

$1.28 ₺63.1

29.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.40 RSD 250

$1.84 ₺90.8

30.43%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 RSD 99.8

$0.67 ₺32.86

43.28%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 RSD 75.2

$0.59 ₺29.31

22.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 RSD 75.5

$1.33 ₺65.4

-45.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 RSD 67.3

$0.59 ₺29.10

10.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.44 RSD 463

$2.36 ₺116

88.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.70 RSD 698

$13.47 ₺664

-50.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 RSD 89.1

$2.42 ₺119

-64.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 RSD 157

$3.54 ₺174

-57.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.78 RSD 81.6

$0.83 ₺40.64

-6.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.18 RSD 1,477

$66.5 ₺3,273

-78.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.88 RSD 196

$1.35 ₺66.6

39.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.97 RSD 101

$0.85 ₺42.05

14.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.64 RSD 1,004

$10.86 ₺535

-11.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 RSD 194

$1.47 ₺72.3

26.53%

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

$30.6K RSD 3.2M

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-40.65%

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

$24.4K RSD 2.5M

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-45.02%

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

$188 RSD 19.6K

$89.2 ₺4,395

111.15%

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

$20.98 RSD 2,185

$11.60 ₺572

80.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.90 RSD 3,010

$16.10 ₺793

79.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.57 RSD 3,497

$77.3 ₺3,805

-56.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.32 RSD 1,492

$22.66 ₺1,116

-36.80%

Cinema Ticket

$6.54 RSD 682

$8.34 ₺411

-21.58%

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

$331 RSD 34.5K

$974 ₺48.0K

-66.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,606 RSD 896.5K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-66.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.9 RSD 9,989

$52.7 ₺2,597

81.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.55 RSD 4,329

$39.16 ₺1,929

6.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 RSD 11.5K

$103 ₺5,083

6.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 RSD 13.2K

$96.6 ₺4,759

31.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$503 RSD 52.4K

$994 ₺49.0K

-49.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$349 RSD 36.4K

$629 ₺31.0K

-44.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$816 RSD 85.0K

$2,024 ₺99.7K

-59.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 RSD 64.1K

$1,155 ₺56.9K

-46.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,915 RSD 303.6K

$3,160 ₺155.7K

-7.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,003 RSD 208.7K

$1,838 ₺90.5K

9.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$940 RSD 98.0K

$1,203 ₺59.3K

-21.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.86

41.09

-88.17%

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

Last update for Serbia: October 6, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Serbia

$349 28.7%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 80.2% $280

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Serbia

$238 19.6%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 50.9% $121

Groceries & Markets

Serbia

$216 17.8%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 22.1% $48

Eating Out

Serbia

$175 14.4%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 24.3% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Serbia

$168 13.8%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 22.1% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Serbia

$47 3.8%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 101% $47

Getting Around

Serbia

$24 2%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 214% $51

Good to know

🇷🇸 Serbia

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

03:39 3:39 AM

04:39 4:39 AM

1 h ahead of Serbia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,647,003

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.6 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.56 EUR

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to RSD – Serbian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇸 Serbian Dinar (din)

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).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.25 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

USD to RSD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Serbia Istanbul 810 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Serbia
Istanbul

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

Serbia vs other spots: cost of living compared

Cost of Living Comparison Between Serbia and Istanbul

TRY, USD, EUR to RSD – Serbian Dinar Converter

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

Serbia

Istanbul

Serbia

Istanbul

Serbia vs other spots: cost of living compared

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