How Much Does It Cost to Live In Nis?
Niš is a city in Serbia and the administrative center of the Nišava District.
It’s a large city in the southern part of Serbia and an important crossroad between central Europe and the middle East.
The situation in Serbia is generally such that prices in smaller cities are much lower than in the capital, and it applies to Nis, too: the prices are lower than in Belgrade and many other cities in Serbia, yet salaries are not so different compared to other cities in many branches of the economy.
However, though the prices are low, how much you spend directly depends on your situation.
Serbia : Cost of Living by City
RESTAURANTS
Niš is a food paradise, considered to be a great representative of the national cuisine even for Serbia, where almost every corner of the country is heaven for foodies. Vegetarians had been almost totally neglected in Serbia until recently, but now most restaurants will have some options for them, too. Eating here is rather cheap: you can find cheap restaurants with hearty and delicious food for only 5$. Street food in Niš is also out of this world and it can fill you up for a dollar.
MARKETS
The malls are usually a bit cheaper than small shops and visiting them is advisable if you need food supplies for a longer period of time. Major streets contain numerous signs directing any tourist to one of these shopping centers like Roda Center, Tempo, METRO Cash & Carry, Dis, Interex, or Idea. For fresh products such as fruits, vegetables, meat and dairy, head over to your nearest pijaca – an open market found in every city.
TRANSPORTATION
Transportation is mostly badly organized and not reliable at all and this is well visible in Nis. There are alleged time tables but no vehicle respects it, least of all trains. The trains are slow, not very clean, and still in the seventies style, but at least the tickets are cheap. Also, the scenery is beautiful when traveling. The good thing about Nis is that you don’t have to spend hours commuting everyday, as is the case in larger cities.
UTILITIES (MONTHLY)
Utilities aren’t cheap either in Nis, and can get eve more expensive than in Belgrade. While it definitely depends on the size of your house/apartment and the amount of electricity you spend, your bills, on average, if you live in a home that’s 85m2 big, will amount to over 150$. Internet is usually of very high speed even for European standards, and it is relatively inexpensive compared to the overall utilities.
SPORTS & LEISURE
Nis, like most cities of Serbia, has some truly amazing places to practice sports outdoors, but if you prefer practicing sports in a gym or a fitness club, a membership in one will be relatively cheap – around 17$. Entertainment facilities are also aplenty, mostly in the city center, so if you want to go to the cinema, for instance, a ticket will cost you around 3$.
CLOTHING & SHOES
Following the fashion in all Europe, Niš now hosts a variety of grand shopping malls and hypermarkets, mostly located on all outskirts of the city. Kalča is a shopping mall in Niš. It is a huge, three-storey building, containing all kinds of shops. Here, you can buy quality jeans for around 60$ and running sneakers for around 70$.
RENT PER MONTH
Rent is considerably cheaper than in Belgrade, but it does depend on the particular area and the city you want to live in. If you want to live in the center of Nis, be prepared to pay over 180$. If, however, you’re okay with living on the outskirts of town, which can be beautiful too, the rent price will drop to around 130$.
Cost of Living Averages Table for Nis
*Note: All prices are indicated in USD.| Average Restaurant Prices | |
|---|---|
| Meal (Inexpensive Restaurant) | $5.75 |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 Liter) | $1.25 |
| Water (0.33 Liter) | $0.76 | Average Market Prices |
| Milk (1 Liter) | $0.87 |
| Loaf Bread (500g) | $0.42 |
| Eggs (12) | $1.32 | Average Transport Prices |
| One Way Ticket | $0.58 |
| Monthly Pass | $18.98 |
| Gasoline | $1.46 | Average Utilities Prices |
| Basic (Water, Electricity, Garbage, Heating, Cooling) | $155.63 |
| 1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local | $0.13 |
| Internet (Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) | $17.89 | Average Leisure Prices |
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult | $17.47 |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour) | $5.15 |
| Cinema, 1 Seat, International Release | $3.35 | Average Clothing Prices |
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Comparable) | $60.67 |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, etc...) | $27.09 |
| 1 Pair of Adidas Walking Shoes (Mid-Range) | $69.80 | Average Rent Prices |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Center | $184.97 |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Center | $131.36 |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Center | $313.15 |
How Does the Average Person Spend Their Money in Nis?
Most people in Nis have a problem with groceries costing too much – food will probably be your biggest expense in this country.
There are many statistics that say that on average, the expenses that are needed for food are far bigger than one’s basket of consumer goods.
The next huge expense for the people of Nis is the rent, closely followed by the money that gets spent on transportation.
Yes, the low quality transportation we mentioned – it is pretty costly and people in Belgrade are very unhappy with it.
The least of all expenses is, no surprise, shopping for clothing and shoes.
Average Costs Breakdown
Nis: Average Salary, Minimum Wage & Mortgages
Nis, one of Serbia’s major cities, offers good opportunities for work and education.
However, having said that, many people here are generally not satisfied with their salaries, and the dissatisfaction is almost palpable among the people.
The average monthly net salary is around 350$, but there is a high percentage of people that aren’t registered workers, and they work for private companies where they are staggeringly underpaid.
With a minimum wage of 318$, people can only buy basic things in Nis without the option of saving up or spending on pleasure or travel.
Cost of Living by City in Nis
| City | Cost of Living Index |
|---|---|
| Belgrade | 40.1 |
| Novi Sad | 35.36 |
