Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zagreb and Belgrade

For one person, living is cheaper in Belgrade: $1,554 a month against $1,761 in Zagreb, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Zagreb
Learn more

Zagreb Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Belgrade
Learn more

Belgrade Living Index

Jump to prices

Zagreb

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,761

/mo nomad

Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,554

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,761 per month in Zagreb vs $1,554 in Belgrade, rent included.

Zagreb $1,761
Belgrade $1,554

A couple spends around $2,604 per month in Zagreb vs $2,337 in Belgrade, rent included.

Zagreb $2,604
Belgrade $2,337

A family of three spends $3,447 per month in Zagreb vs $3,121 in Belgrade, rent included.

Zagreb $3,447
Belgrade $3,121

Zagreb costs about 13% more than Belgrade, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Zagreb and Belgrade sit above the global median – Zagreb by 30%, Belgrade by 15%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.50 €11.12

$13.15 RSD 1,371

-4.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.6 €56.6

$57.5 RSD 5,999

10.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.33 €7.41

$13.38 RSD 1,394

-37.74%

Cappuccino

$2.51 €2.23

$3.10 RSD 323

-19.03%

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

$3.00 €2.67

$2.82 RSD 294

6.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.26

$2.22 RSD 231

14.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.27 €2.91

$3.47 RSD 362

-5.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.88

$3.96 RSD 412

10.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 €1.09

$1.38 RSD 144

-10.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.66 €1.48

$1.13 RSD 118

46.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.72 €2.42

$2.66 RSD 277

2.26%

Eggs

$3.87 €3.45

$2.78 RSD 290

39.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.61 €12.99

$10.99 RSD 1,146

32.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.95 €10.63

$6.56 RSD 684

82.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.44 €15.51

$15.07 RSD 1,571

15.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 €2.05

$1.66 RSD 173

39.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 €1.59

$1.79 RSD 186

-0.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.87 RSD 195

12.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.50 €2.22

$3.03 RSD 315

-17.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.31 €1.17

$0.92 RSD 96.3

42.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 €1.06

$0.71 RSD 73.8

67.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 €1.04

$0.74 RSD 77.6

58.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$0.74 RSD 77.2

85.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.78 €5.14

$4.61 RSD 481

25.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.23 €9.10

$8.81 RSD 918

16.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 €1.43

$0.89 RSD 92.7

80.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 €2.20

$1.45 RSD 151

71.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 €0.51

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.5 €47.63

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.19 €1.95

$3.02 RSD 315

-27.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 €1.26

$0.98 RSD 103

44.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.67 €10.38

$17.08 RSD 1,780

-31.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.91 RSD 199

-3.66%

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

$27.6K €24.6K

$31.0K RSD 3.2M

-10.82%

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

$27.2K €24.2K

$24.7K RSD 2.6M

10.19%

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

$214 €190

$220 RSD 23.0K

-2.94%

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

$23.36 €20.77

$24.41 RSD 2,544

-4.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.16 €36.61

$35.64 RSD 3,715

15.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.1 €45.48

$41.20 RSD 4,295

24.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.82 €16.74

$22.60 RSD 2,356

-16.73%

Cinema Ticket

$9.13 €8.12

$8.59 RSD 896

6.29%

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

$501 €445

$424 RSD 44.2K

18.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,878 €8,787

$11.0K RSD 1.1M

-9.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 €98.3

$111 RSD 11.5K

-0.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.93 €38.19

$47.28 RSD 4,929

-9.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.0 €87.1

$113 RSD 11.8K

-13.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 €98.3

$157 RSD 16.3K

-29.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$868 €772

$805 RSD 83.9K

7.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$668 €594

$546 RSD 56.9K

22.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,463 €1,301

$1,452 RSD 151.4K

0.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,039 €924

$931 RSD 97.0K

11.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,031 €4,475

$5,368 RSD 559.6K

-6.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,468 €3,085

$3,155 RSD 328.9K

9.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,937 €1,723

$1,237 RSD 128.9K

56.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

4.61

-28.42%

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

Last update for Zagreb: 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

Zagreb

$668 37.9%

Belgrade

$546 35.2% 18.2% $122

Groceries & Markets

Zagreb

$315 17.9%

Belgrade

$241 15.5% 23.7% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zagreb

$278 15.8%

Belgrade

$280 18.1% 0.7% $2

Eating Out

Zagreb

$202 11.5%

Belgrade

$228 14.7% 12.6% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Zagreb

$163 9.3%

Belgrade

$192 12.4% 18.2% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Zagreb

$69 3.9%

Belgrade

$58 3.8% 15.8% $11

Getting Around

Zagreb

$65 3.7%

Belgrade

$7.9 * 0.5% 87.8% $57

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $868 in Zagreb 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.

Salaries run about 57% higher in Zagreb, 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 $64.0 in Zagreb versus $58.0 in Belgrade. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $315 vs $241 – making Belgrade the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇷 Zagreb

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🕒 Local time

01:41 1:41 AM

Same time as Zagreb

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

767,131 Capital

1,197,714 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

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).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Zagreb Belgrade 370 km

From you

Zagreb
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

Zagreb vs Belgrade: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,761 in Zagreb, $1,554 in Belgrade – roughly 13% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,642 per month in Zagreb and $2,331 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 $64.0 in Zagreb 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 31% more in Zagreb, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Belgrade, where all-in costs run around $1,554, than in Zagreb at $1,761. In Belgrade it covers expenses comfortably, while in Zagreb it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Zagreb has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,554 in Belgrade to $1,761 in Zagreb. 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, Zagreb makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.