How Much Does It Cost to Live In Serbia?
Serbia is a country located in the Balkans, in southeast Europe.
Its importance lies in the fact that it was a founder and one of the six republics of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, a huge world power.
Tourists absolutely love spending time in Serbia and much of its state budget comes from tourism.
The country is slowly becoming a popular tourist destination with its warm and homey people and the most vibrant nightlife in Europe.
The cost of living here is significantly lower than in most popular European countries.
Serbia : Cost of Living by City
RESTAURANTS
Serbia is actually world-famous for its delicious kitchen.
Though it’s decidedly a non-veg country, it boasts a lot of cheap establishments and grocery shops, restaurants, cafes, etc. where you can try their gorgeous foods.
There are international fast-food franchises such as McDonald’s, KFC, and Pizza Hut on every corner where you can eat for 7$.
Generally, prices are cheap compared to Western Europe with main dishes ranging from 7–25$ per person.
MARKETS
Markets sell ingredients in Serbia, with far fewer finished products.
In Serbia, it’s normal to get the ingredients to cook your own meals.
Outside of urban areas, you can find large supermarkets with bigger quantity products and lower prices, like DIS, Metro, Velpro, Lidl, or Tempo.
For fresh products such as fruits, vegetables, meat, and dairy, the best ones can be found in small markets called pijaca, which can be found virtually everywhere.
TRANSPORTATION
Transportation is mostly badly organized and not reliable at all.
There are alleged timetables but no vehicle respects them, least of all trains.
Buses are often late, and you can wait for trams for 20 minutes or so.
On top of all this, it’s not that cheap either.
A one-way ticket costs 0.81$, while a monthly pass is almost 30$.
It’s a rather high price for low service.
UTILITIES (MONTHLY)
Utilities aren’t cheap either.
While it definitely depends on the size of your house/apartment and the amount of electricity you spend, your bills, on average, if you live in a home that’s 85m2 big, will amount to over 140$.
Internet is usually of very high speed even for European standards, and it is relatively inexpensive compared to the overall utilities.
SPORTS & LEISURE
Serbia has a splendid nature and it offers truly amazing places to practice sports outdoors.
You can hike, jog, and swim in most cities and little towns in Serbia, but if you prefer practicing sports in a gym or a fitness club, membership in one will be relatively cheap – around 26$.
Entertainment facilities are also aplenty, so if you want to go to the cinema, for instance, a ticket will cost you around 5$.
CLOTHING & SHOES
Prices when it comes to shopping, tend to be on par with the rest of the Balkans, but import taxes make clothes and shoes in Serbia slightly more expensive.
Cheaper goods can be found in outlets, the most popular and the biggest one being the Fashion Park outlet in Inđija.
Usually, in the most popular Belgrade shopping malls, you can find quality jeans for around 60$ and running sneakers for around 85$.
RENT PER MONTH
Rent is relatively inexpensive, but it does depend on the particular area and the city you want to live in.
If you want to live in any of the major cities, and in the centers above all, be prepared to pay over 395.91$.
If, however, you’re okay with living on the outskirts of town, the rent price will drop to under 280$.
Cost of Living Averages Table for Serbia
*Note: All prices are indicated in USD.| Average Restaurant Prices | |
|---|---|
| Meal (Inexpensive Restaurant) | $7.32 |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 Liter) | $1.83 |
| Water (0.33 Liter) | $0.99 | Average Market Prices |
| Milk (1 Liter) | $1.15 |
| Loaf Bread (500g) | $0.59 |
| Eggs (12) | $2.18 | Average Transport Prices |
| One Way Ticket | $0.81 |
| Monthly Pass | $29.28 |
| Gasoline | $1.58 | Average Utilities Prices |
| Basic (Water, Electricity, Garbage, Heating, Cooling) | $142.33 |
| 1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local | $0.11 |
| Internet (Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) | $21.5 | Average Leisure Prices |
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult | $26.50 |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour) | $9.8 |
| Cinema, 1 Seat, International Release | $4.5 | Average Clothing Prices |
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Comparable) | $61.83 |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, etc...) | $30.47 |
| 1 Pair of Adidas Walking Shoes (Mid-Range) | $85.67 | Average Rent Prices |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Center | $395.91 |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Center | $276.91 |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Center | $716.43 |
How Does the Average Person Spend Their Money in Serbia?
Most people in Serbia have a problem with groceries costing too much – food will probably be your biggest expense in this country.
There are many statistics that say that on average, the expenses that are needed for food are far bigger than one’s basket of consumer goods.
The next huge expense for the people of Serbia is the rent, but it’s only a bit bigger than the expense of transportation.
Yes, the low-quality transportation we mentioned.
The least of all expenses is, no surprise, shopping for clothing and shoes.
Average Costs Breakdown
Serbia: Average Salary, Minimum Wage & Mortgages
People in Serbia are generally not satisfied with their salaries, and the dissatisfaction is almost palpable among the people.
The average monthly net salary is around 578.49$, but there is a high percentage of people that aren’t registered workers, and they work for private companies where they are staggeringly underpaid.
Although the minimum wage is 490.2$ – that only applies to state jobs, and the fact still remains that many, many people work for much less.
With a minimum wage of 300$, people can only buy basic things in Serbia without the option of saving up or spending on pleasure or travel.
Serbia Safety Overview
READ THE FULL REPORT: Serbia Safety Review
Safety Index:
- OVERALL RISK: LOW
- TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISK: LOW
- PICKPOCKETS RISK: LOW
- NATURAL DISASTERS RISK: LOW
- MUGGING RISK: MEDIUM
- TERRORISM RISK: LOW
- SCAMS RISK: MEDIUM
- WOMEN TRAVELERS RISK: LOW
Cost of Living by City in Serbia
| City | Cost of Living Index |
|---|---|
| Belgrade | 40.1 |
| Nis | 34.2 |
| Novi Sad | 35.36 |
