How Much Does It Cost to Live In Novi Sad?
Novi Sad a beloved city in Serbia and the capital of Vojvodina, the northern Autonomous Province of Serbia.
Novi Sad is well loved throughout the country since it’s a calm city on the north, pretty large and filled with warm and welcoming people that are always nice.
The city is actually a very popular tourist destination because it’s the host of the, now very popular, music festival Exit.
It is typically on par with many European cities when it comes to the cost of living, though the prices can occasionally get lower than in Belgrade.
Serbia : Cost of Living by City
RESTAURANTS
Food is great in Novi Sad and daily menu depends on what fresh ingredients are available. The daily menus in restaurants are the cheapest meals that restaurant is offering that day. The food is good and relatively cheap and, like in most cities in Serbia, you can go out in the city at 3 am in the morning, and have a delicious meal from one of the numerous fast food barbecue restaurants for only 2$.
MARKETS
Futoška pijaca and Riblja pijaca are two open-air markets in the city center where you can buy local fresh produce and some groceries imported from Hungary. These are the places to look for fresh fruits and vegetables, while – if you need food supplies for a longer period of time, you should go to shopping centers like Roda Center, Tempo, METRO Cash & Carry, Dis, Interex, or Idea.
TRANSPORTATION
Public transport service in Novi Sad is much better than in Belgrade. It has an excellent bus service. Ticket for one ride costs 0.53$ and is bought from the driver. Taxis are usually not overly expensive (by Western standards), and the minimum fare varies between o.70$ and 1$ though you really don’t have to use them since Novi Sad is pretty small and you can reach most areas on foot.
UTILITIES (MONTHLY)
Utilities aren’t cheap either in Novi Sad, 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 140$. Internet is usually of very high speed even for European standards, and it is relatively inexpensive compared to the overall utilities.
SPORTS & LEISURE
Novi Sad, like most cities of Serbia, has some truly amazing places to practice sports outdoors, but if you prefer practicing sports in a gym or a fitness club, a membership in one will be relatively cheap – around 22$. 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$.
CLOTHING & SHOES
Novi Sad has a bunch of shopping malls and centers where you can go and have a great time shopping for your favorite clothes and shoes. Bazzaar shopping mall is located in the city center, but there are many more on the outskirts. In most of them, you can buy quality jeans for around 60$ and running sneakers for around 75$.
RENT PER MONTH
Rent is somewhat cheaper than in Belgrade, yet more expensive than in some other major cities like Nis. The price of utilities, however, does depend on the particular area and the city you want to live in. If you want to live in the center of Novi Sad, be prepared to pay over 240$. If, however, you’re okay with living on the outskirts of town, which can be beautiful too, the rent price will drop to around 170$.
Cost of Living Averages Table for Novi Sad
*Note: All prices are indicated in USD.| Average Restaurant Prices | |
|---|---|
| Meal (Inexpensive Restaurant) | $5.03 |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 Liter) | $1.44 |
| Water (0.33 Liter) | $0.90 | Average Market Prices |
| Milk (1 Liter) | $0.87 |
| Loaf Bread (500g) | $0.47 |
| Eggs (12) | $1.37 | Average Transport Prices |
| One Way Ticket | $0.62 |
| Monthly Pass | $22.62 |
| Gasoline | $1.51 | Average Utilities Prices |
| Basic (Water, Electricity, Garbage, Heating, Cooling) | $143.18 |
| 1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local | $0.10 |
| Internet (Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) | $23.49 | Average Leisure Prices |
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult | $22.80 |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour) | $6.15 |
| Cinema, 1 Seat, International Release | $3.39 | Average Clothing Prices |
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Comparable) | $63.64 |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, etc...) | $27.91 |
| 1 Pair of Adidas Walking Shoes (Mid-Range) | $77.30 | Average Rent Prices |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Center | $245.06 |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Center | $176.01 |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Center | $398.42 |
How Does the Average Person Spend Their Money in Novi Sad?
Though Novi Sad is a very peaceful city, the people here also have a problem with groceries costing too much – and food will probably be your biggest expense in this country.
There are many statistics that say that on average, the expenses that are needed for food are far bigger than one’s basket of consumer goods.
The next huge expense for the people of Novi Sad is the rent, since it’s much more expensive than in Nis, for instance.
Rent is closely followed by the expenses of transportation.
The least of all expenses is, no surprise, shopping for clothing and shoes.
Average Costs Breakdown
Novi Sad: Average Salary, Minimum Wage & Mortgages
Novi Sad, one of Serbia’s major cities, offers good opportunities for work and education.
Most people living in Novi Sad are somewhat happy with their opportunities and standard of living but there are also many people here are generally not satisfied.
The average monthly net salary is around 430$, which is similar to Belgrade.
However, there is a high percentage of people that aren’t registered workers, and they work for private companies where they are staggeringly underpaid.
The minimum wage in Novi Sad is 216$, which is pretty low for Serbia.
Novi Sad Safety Overview
READ THE FULL REPORT: Novi Sad Safety Review
Safety Index:
- OVERALL RISK: LOW
- TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISK: LOW
- PICKPOCKETS RISK: MEDIUM
- NATURAL DISASTERS RISK: LOW
- MUGGING RISK: LOW
- TERRORISM RISK: LOW
- SCAMS RISK: MEDIUM
- WOMEN TRAVELERS RISK: LOW
Cost of Living by City in Novi Sad
| City | Cost of Living Index |
|---|---|
| Belgrade | 40.1 |
| Nis | 34.2 |
I have a work colleague who is from Novi Sad, he’s always talking about it. What you mention in this article about unregistered workers is something he said as well, and it makes it harder for the natives to find work. Hopefully they can put a stop to it because it hurts the citizens and economy as a whole.