Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Varkaus and Belgrade

For one person, living is cheaper in Belgrade: $1,554 a month against $1,900 in Varkaus, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. The total is higher in Varkaus despite lower rent and utilities.

Varkaus
🇫🇮 Finland
$1,900
/mo nomad
Belgrade
🇷🇸 Serbia
$1,554
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,900 per month in Varkaus vs $1,554 in Belgrade, rent included.

  • Varkaus $1,900
  • Belgrade $1,554

A couple spends around $3,063 per month in Varkaus vs $2,337 in Belgrade, rent included.

  • Varkaus $3,063
  • Belgrade $2,337

A family of three spends $4,225 per month in Varkaus vs $3,121 in Belgrade, rent included.

  • Varkaus $4,225
  • Belgrade $3,121

Varkaus costs about 22% more than Belgrade, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Varkaus and Belgrade sit above the global median – Varkaus by 41%, Belgrade by 15%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Varkaus
Belgrade
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$15.90 €14.14
$13.15 RSD 1,371
20.91%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$102 €90.9
$57.5 RSD 5,999
77.49%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.83 €10.52
$13.38 RSD 1,394
-11.58%
Cappuccino
$5.28 €4.70
$3.10 RSD 323
70.32%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.46 €3.08
$2.82 RSD 294
22.70%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.72 €2.42
$2.22 RSD 231
22.52%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.74 €7.77
$3.47 RSD 362
151.87%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$9.66 €8.60
$3.96 RSD 412
143.94%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Varkaus
Belgrade
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.43 €1.27
$1.38 RSD 144
3.62%
White Bread (500g)
$2.92 €2.60
$1.13 RSD 118
158.41%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.51 €3.13
$2.66 RSD 277
31.95%
Eggs
$3.77 €3.35
$2.78 RSD 290
35.61%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.96 €9.75
$10.99 RSD 1,146
-0.27%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$16.14 €14.36
$6.56 RSD 684
146.04%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$22.36 €19.89
$15.07 RSD 1,571
48.37%
Apples (1kg)
$2.77 €2.46
$1.66 RSD 173
66.87%
Banana (1kg)
$2.06 €1.83
$1.79 RSD 186
15.08%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.31 €2.94
$1.87 RSD 195
77.01%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.34 €3.86
$3.03 RSD 315
43.23%
Potato (1kg)
$1.27 €1.13
$0.92 RSD 96.3
38.04%
Onion (1kg)
$1.72 €1.53
$0.71 RSD 73.8
142.25%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.03 €1.80
$0.74 RSD 77.6
174.32%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.94 €1.72
$0.74 RSD 77.2
162.16%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$12.24 €10.88
$4.61 RSD 481
165.51%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.47 €11.98
$8.81 RSD 918
52.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.95 €3.51
$0.89 RSD 92.7
343.82%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 €4.38
$1.45 RSD 151
240.00%
🚌 Getting Around
Varkaus
Belgrade
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.87 €2.55
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$55.1 €49.04
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$9.50 €8.45
$3.02 RSD 315
214.57%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.83 €1.63
$0.98 RSD 103
86.73%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$51.1 €45.47
$17.08 RSD 1,780
199.30%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.24 €2.00
$1.91 RSD 199
17.28%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$36.1K €32.1K
$31.0K RSD 3.2M
16.46%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$37.9K €33.7K
$24.7K RSD 2.6M
53.76%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Varkaus
Belgrade
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$109 €96.7
$220 RSD 23.0K
-50.69%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$28.10 €24.99
$24.41 RSD 2,544
15.12%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$25.26 €22.47
$35.64 RSD 3,715
-29.12%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Varkaus
Belgrade
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.53 €38.72
$41.20 RSD 4,295
5.66%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.91 €19.49
$22.60 RSD 2,356
-3.05%
Cinema Ticket
$17.63 €15.68
$8.59 RSD 896
105.24%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Varkaus
Belgrade
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$323 €287
$424 RSD 44.2K
-23.72%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.7K €11.3K
$11.0K RSD 1.1M
16.06%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Varkaus
Belgrade
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$123 €109
$111 RSD 11.5K
10.87%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$57.1 €50.8
$47.28 RSD 4,929
20.85%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$95.7 €85.1
$113 RSD 11.8K
-15.41%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$179 €160
$157 RSD 16.3K
14.50%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Varkaus
Belgrade
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$662 €589
$805 RSD 83.9K
-17.80%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$646 €575
$546 RSD 56.9K
18.30%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,338 €1,190
$1,452 RSD 151.4K
-7.86%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,161 €1,033
$931 RSD 97.0K
24.81%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,875 €3,447
$5,368 RSD 559.6K
-27.81%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,331 €2,074
$3,155 RSD 328.9K
-26.12%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Varkaus
Belgrade
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$1,237 RSD 128.9K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.51
4.61
-23.86%

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

Last update for Varkaus: October 11, 2026

Last update for Belgrade: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Varkaus
$646
Belgrade
$546 15.5% $100
Groceries & Markets
Varkaus
$410
Belgrade
$241 41.3% $169
Eating Out
Varkaus
$314
Belgrade
$228 27.4% $86
Clothing & Footwear
Varkaus
$205
Belgrade
$192 6% $12
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Varkaus
$162
Belgrade
$280 73.1% $118
Getting Around
Varkaus
$85
Belgrade
$7.9 * 90.7% $77
Sport & Entertainment
Varkaus
$79
Belgrade
$58 25.9% $20

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $662 in Varkaus versus $805 in Belgrade. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $102 in Varkaus versus $58.0 in Belgrade. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $410 vs $241 – making Belgrade the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇫🇮 Varkaus
🇷🇸 Belgrade
🕒 Local time
17:55 5:55 PM
16:55 4:55 PM
1 h behind Varkaus
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
20,257
1,197,714 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Varkaus Belgrade 2,000 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Varkaus
  • 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
Varkaus vs Belgrade: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Varkaus and in Belgrade compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,900 in Varkaus, $1,554 in Belgrade – roughly 22% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Varkaus compared to Belgrade?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,850 per month in Varkaus and $2,331 in Belgrade. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Varkaus and Belgrade?
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.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $102 in Varkaus and $58.0 in Belgrade. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 70% more in Varkaus, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Belgrade, where all-in costs run around $1,554, than in Varkaus at $1,900. In Belgrade it covers expenses comfortably, while in Varkaus it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Where should families live: Varkaus or Belgrade?
Families tend to lean toward Belgrade – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Is Varkaus or Belgrade safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Varkaus and Belgrade?
If budget matters most, go with Belgrade. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Varkaus makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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