Belgrade Cheapest Capital City In The Region

Photo by Violentz

According to a report (in Serbian) by the Union of Economists of Serbia, Belgrade is the cheapest capital city in the region when it comes to the price of food. The researchers recorded the prices of 28 different food products, such as bananas, yogurt, bread, apple juice, beer, flour, potatoes, chicken and toothpaste, in small corner shops to large supermarkets in eight Balkan capitals – Belgrade, Bucharest, Budapest, Ljubljana, Podgorica, Sarajevo, Sofia and Zagreb.

The researchers say that the average price of a basket with 16 products is 18.33 euro in Belgrade, while same basket in Zagreb costs 29.20 euro. Also, 1kg of beef costs on average 6.37 euro in Belgrade, while in Sarajevo you pay on average 7 euro.

I must admit I was pretty surprised when I read this report because in the relatively short amount of time that I’ve been living in Belgrade food prices, as well as everything else, have been steadily rising and rising.

The report fails to take into consideration the average monthly wage of the cities’ residents. So even though on the surface it is true that Belgrade is the cheapest, for your regular Jovan Jovanovic Belgrade is far from a shopper’s paradise. 350-400 euro a month makes it difficult for many to cover the monthly flat rent and bills, never mind the groceries. Also, with the Serbian dinar weakening and weakening against the euro, your average Serbian citizen is having to hand over more and more money to feed themselves and their families. I have nothing but admiration for those people who manage to feed a family of four on such a small amout of money.

I remember a time a few years back when a single bus ticket cost 20 dinars. I paid almost 80 dinars when I hopped on the bus last week to go, you guessed it – to the supermarket!

What’s your take on Belgrade being labelled as the cheapest for food in the Balkans? Have you noticed your shopping bill rising?

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