Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zalau and Belgrade

For one person, living is cheaper in Zalau: $871 a month against $1,574 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Zalau
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Zalau Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Belgrade
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Belgrade Living Index

Jump to prices

Zalau

🇷🇴 Romania

$871

/mo nomad

Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,574

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $871 per month in Zalau vs $1,574 in Belgrade, rent included.

Zalau $871
Belgrade $1,574

A couple spends around $1,327 per month in Zalau vs $2,376 in Belgrade, rent included.

Zalau $1,327
Belgrade $2,376

A family of three spends $1,783 per month in Zalau vs $3,178 in Belgrade, rent included.

Zalau $1,783
Belgrade $3,178

Zalau is about 45% cheaper than Belgrade, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Zalau sits 36% below the global median, while Belgrade is 16% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.52 RON 35.59

$13.44 RSD 1,401

-44.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.18 RON 166

$57.8 RSD 6,029

-39.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 RON 24.83

$13.23 RSD 1,380

-60.32%

Cappuccino

$2.18 RON 10.30

$3.10 RSD 323

-29.68%

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

$1.49 RON 7.07

$2.73 RSD 285

-45.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.24 RON 5.86

$2.31 RSD 241

-46.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.87 RON 8.83

$3.54 RSD 369

-47.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 RON 11.19

$4.13 RSD 430

-42.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 RON 6.53

$1.45 RSD 151

-4.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 RON 5.34

$1.18 RSD 123

-4.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.84

$2.61 RSD 272

-52.87%

Eggs

$1.97 RON 9.31

$2.78 RSD 289

-29.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.88 RON 37.28

$11.23 RSD 1,171

-29.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.50 RON 26.01

$6.72 RSD 701

-18.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.45 RON 49.45

$15.22 RSD 1,586

-31.34%

Apples (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.79

$1.59 RSD 166

-49.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 RON 6.09

$1.84 RSD 191

-29.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.44 RON 6.83

$1.83 RSD 191

-21.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.89 RON 8.96

$3.10 RSD 324

-39.03%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 RON 3.13

$0.95 RSD 98.8

-30.53%

Onion (1kg)

$0.56 RON 2.63

$0.72 RSD 75.1

-22.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 RON 2.89

$0.75 RSD 77.8

-18.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 RON 3.44

$0.69 RSD 72.4

5.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.94 RON 23.39

$4.76 RSD 496

3.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.20 RON 24.59

$8.43 RSD 878

-38.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 RON 5.06

$0.94 RSD 97.8

13.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.14 RON 5.40

$1.53 RSD 159

-25.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 RON 3.84

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.39 RON 101

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.82 RON 3.89

$2.99 RSD 312

-72.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 RON 3.86

$1.02 RSD 106

-19.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.61 RON 36.03

$17.54 RSD 1,828

-56.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 RON 7.08

$1.85 RSD 193

-18.92%

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

$28.5K RON 135.0K

$30.5K RSD 3.2M

-6.32%

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

$25.7K RON 121.8K

$23.7K RSD 2.5M

8.59%

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

$102 RON 481

$219 RSD 22.9K

-53.61%

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

$4.27 RON 20.22

$24.82 RSD 2,588

-82.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.29 RON 29.74

$35.79 RSD 3,731

-82.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.09 RON 157

$41.37 RSD 4,313

-20.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 RON 102

$22.96 RSD 2,394

-6.45%

Cinema Ticket

$5.38 RON 25.46

$8.32 RSD 867

-35.34%

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

$420 RON 1,985

$423 RSD 44.1K

-0.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,019 RON 33.2K

$11.4K RSD 1.2M

-38.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.5 RON 248

$111 RSD 11.6K

-52.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.12 RON 143

$47.48 RSD 4,950

-36.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$56.8 RON 269

$116 RSD 12.1K

-51.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$62.1 RON 294

$158 RSD 16.4K

-60.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$383 RON 1,812

$823 RSD 85.8K

-53.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$288 RON 1,362

$560 RSD 58.3K

-48.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$586 RON 2,772

$1,485 RSD 154.8K

-60.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$445 RON 2,104

$969 RSD 101.1K

-54.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,818 RON 8,602

$5,489 RSD 572.2K

-66.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,323 RON 6,257

$3,193 RSD 332.8K

-58.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$621 RON 2,936

$1,214 RSD 126.5K

-48.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.85

4.61

48.59%

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

Last update for Zalau: October 18, 2026

Last update for Belgrade: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zalau

$288 33.1%

Belgrade

$560 35.6% 94.3% $272

Groceries & Markets

Zalau

$180 20.6%

Belgrade

$243 15.4% 35.1% $63

Eating Out

Zalau

$127 14.6%

Belgrade

$231 14.7% 81.5% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zalau

$112 12.9%

Belgrade

$280 17.8% 149% $168

Clothing & Footwear

Zalau

$91 10.4%

Belgrade

$195 12.4% 115% $104

Sport & Entertainment

Zalau

$44 5%

Belgrade

$58 3.7% 32.3% $14

Getting Around

Zalau

$30 3.4%

Belgrade

$8.1 * 0.5% 72.6% $21

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $383 in Zalau versus $823 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 96% 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 $35.00 in Zalau versus $58.0 in Belgrade. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $180 vs $243 – making Zalau the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Zalau

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🕒 Local time

19:56 7:56 PM

18:56 6:56 PM

1 h behind Zalau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

56,202

1,197,714 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Zalau Belgrade 330 km

From you

Zalau
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

Zalau vs Belgrade: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $871 in Zalau, $1,574 in Belgrade – roughly 81% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,307 per month in Zalau and $2,360 in Belgrade. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zalau, 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 $35.00 in Zalau 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 35% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Zalau, where all-in costs run around $871, than in Belgrade at $1,574. In Zalau it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zalau – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Zalau. 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.