Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zărnești and Belgrade

For one person, living is cheaper in Zărnești: $889 a month against $1,574 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Zărnești
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Zărnești Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Belgrade
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Belgrade Living Index

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Zărnești

🇷🇴 Romania

$889

/mo nomad

Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,574

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $889 per month in Zărnești vs $1,574 in Belgrade, rent included.

Zărnești $889
Belgrade $1,574

A couple spends around $1,383 per month in Zărnești vs $2,376 in Belgrade, rent included.

Zărnești $1,383
Belgrade $2,376

A family of three spends $1,877 per month in Zărnești vs $3,178 in Belgrade, rent included.

Zărnești $1,877
Belgrade $3,178

Zărnești is about 43% cheaper than Belgrade, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Zărnești sits 34% below the global median, while Belgrade is 16% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.00 RON 42.60

$13.44 RSD 1,401

-33.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.40 RON 201

$57.8 RSD 6,029

-26.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.36 RON 39.57

$13.23 RSD 1,380

-36.81%

Cappuccino

$2.18 RON 10.34

$3.10 RSD 323

-29.68%

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

$1.46 RON 6.90

$2.73 RSD 285

-46.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.20 RON 5.66

$2.31 RSD 241

-48.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.90 RON 9.00

$3.54 RSD 369

-46.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 RON 10.79

$4.13 RSD 430

-44.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 RON 6.02

$1.45 RSD 151

-12.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 RON 5.06

$1.18 RSD 123

-9.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 RON 6.81

$2.61 RSD 272

-44.83%

Eggs

$2.79 RON 13.20

$2.78 RSD 289

0.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.89 RON 37.33

$11.23 RSD 1,171

-29.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.74 RON 22.42

$6.72 RSD 701

-29.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.40 RON 49.21

$15.22 RSD 1,586

-31.67%

Apples (1kg)

$0.93 RON 4.41

$1.59 RSD 166

-41.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 RON 6.30

$1.84 RSD 191

-27.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.27 RON 6.02

$1.83 RSD 191

-30.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.28 RON 6.06

$3.10 RSD 324

-58.71%

Potato (1kg)

$0.78 RON 3.67

$0.95 RSD 98.8

-17.89%

Onion (1kg)

$0.52 RON 2.45

$0.72 RSD 75.1

-27.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.80 RON 3.80

$0.75 RSD 77.8

6.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 RON 3.63

$0.69 RSD 72.4

11.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.15 RON 24.37

$4.76 RSD 496

8.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 RON 35.09

$8.43 RSD 878

-11.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 RON 5.08

$0.94 RSD 97.8

13.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 RON 6.12

$1.53 RSD 159

-15.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 RON 3.32

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.32 RON 101

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 RON 4.15

$2.99 RSD 312

-70.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 RON 4.05

$1.02 RSD 106

-15.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.45 RON 35.26

$17.54 RSD 1,828

-57.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 RON 7.16

$1.85 RSD 193

-18.38%

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

$28.5K RON 134.9K

$30.5K RSD 3.2M

-6.40%

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

$26.0K RON 122.9K

$23.7K RSD 2.5M

9.56%

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

$99.0 RON 468

$219 RSD 22.9K

-54.89%

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

$9.28 RON 43.89

$24.82 RSD 2,588

-62.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.00 RON 37.86

$35.79 RSD 3,731

-77.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.82 RON 179

$41.37 RSD 4,313

-8.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 RON 91.9

$22.96 RSD 2,394

-15.46%

Cinema Ticket

$6.24 RON 29.55

$8.32 RSD 867

-25.00%

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

$429 RON 2,031

$423 RSD 44.1K

1.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,733 RON 36.6K

$11.4K RSD 1.2M

-32.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.43 RON 210

$111 RSD 11.6K

-60.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.26 RON 129

$47.48 RSD 4,950

-42.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.9 RON 326

$116 RSD 12.1K

-40.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.8 RON 363

$158 RSD 16.4K

-51.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$434 RON 2,054

$823 RSD 85.8K

-47.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$266 RON 1,258

$560 RSD 58.3K

-52.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$576 RON 2,727

$1,485 RSD 154.8K

-61.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$424 RON 2,008

$969 RSD 101.1K

-56.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,751 RON 8,283

$5,489 RSD 572.2K

-68.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,329 RON 6,288

$3,193 RSD 332.8K

-58.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$510 RON 2,415

$1,214 RSD 126.5K

-57.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.47

4.61

62.04%

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

Last update for Zărnești: 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

Zărnești

$266 29.9%

Belgrade

$560 35.6% 110% $294

Groceries & Markets

Zărnești

$182 20.4%

Belgrade

$243 15.4% 33.7% $61

Eating Out

Zărnești

$148 16.7%

Belgrade

$231 14.7% 55.7% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zărnești

$116 13.1%

Belgrade

$280 17.8% 141% $164

Clothing & Footwear

Zărnești

$98 11%

Belgrade

$195 12.4% 99% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Zărnești

$50 5.7%

Belgrade

$58 3.7% 15.3% $7.7

Getting Around

Zărnești

$29 3.3%

Belgrade

$8.1 * 0.5% 72.4% $21

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $434 in Zărnești 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 138% 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 $42.00 in Zărnești versus $58.0 in Belgrade. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $182 vs $243 – making Zărnești the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Zărnești

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🕒 Local time

00:57 12:57 AM

23:57 11:57 PM

1 h behind Zărnești

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,926

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

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Between locations

Zărnești Belgrade 390 km

From you

Zărnești
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

Zărnești vs Belgrade: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $889 in Zărnești, $1,574 in Belgrade – roughly 77% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,334 per month in Zărnești 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 Zărnești, 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 $42.00 in Zărnești 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 34% 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 Zărnești, where all-in costs run around $889, than in Belgrade at $1,574. In Zărnești it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zărnești – 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 Zărnești. 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.