Moving to Serbia from Moldova
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Moldova to Serbia — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Moldova to Serbia, you would find that Serbia is 7.3% more expensive than Moldova overall. A MDL1,300,000 salary in Moldova would need to be roughly RSD8,110,000 in Serbia to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Serbian.
Planning this move? Get up to 5 free, no-obligation quotes from vetted international movers. Get free quotes ↓Is Serbia cheaper than Moldova?
The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 17.0% more
Groceries
pay 12.9% more
Transportation
pay 21.6% more
Housing
pay 10.9% less
Childcare
pay 24.6% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 9.5% more
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
What salary do you need in Serbia?
What does your salary buy?
MDL1,300,000 → RSD8,110,000
To maintain the same standard of living in Serbia
Calculate with your salary →Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in Serbia cost about 26% more than cities in Moldova.
Compare cities head-to-head
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
Real numbers on people moving from Moldova to Serbia, and how the trend has changed.
Who's moving to Serbia?
Top countries of origin for Serbia's foreign-born residents.
- 342,526
- 288,708
- 72,596
- 47,637
- 16,392
- 11,139
- · · ·
-
31.233
Moldova
Key Indicator Comparison
How Moldova and Serbia stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Serbia performs significantly better than Moldova across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
annual government + private spending per person
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
share of adults with obesity
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
Moldova generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Serbia leads in health coverage index.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
Serbia performs significantly better than Moldova across all environment metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
annual consumption — reflects grid capacity
share of households with internet
Serbia performs significantly better than Moldova across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
the highest marginal rate on personal income
share of people below the poverty line
Serbia generally does better on employment & economy, though Moldova leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
government spending on education as % of GDP
percentage of adults who can read and write
Moldova generally does better on family life, though Serbia leads in life expectancy.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), State tax Service (2016), Ministry of Finance, Republic of Serbia (2017), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Can you move from Moldova to Serbia?
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Moldova and Serbia. To live, work, or study long-term in Serbia, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Serbia's immigration authority.
Moldova passport holder visiting Serbia
Visa Free
Serbia passport holder visiting Moldova
Visa FreeData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Serbia than Moldova?
Day-to-day costs in Serbia run about 7% higher than Moldova on average; specific cities can swing further.
How much money do I need to move to Serbia?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a MDL1,300,000 comparable salary, that's around RSD2,027,500 in Serbia for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Serbia?
With 33.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Serbia can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Moldova and Serbia.
Is Serbia safe for expats?
Serbia performs significantly better than Moldova across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Serbia is 1.3 per 100,000 people, compared to 2.5 in Moldova.
How is healthcare in Serbia compared to Moldova?
Moldova generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Serbia leads in health coverage index. There are 31.0 doctors per 10,000 people in Serbia, compared to 40.2 in Moldova. Serbia scores 72 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Moldova: 71).
What language do they speak in Serbia?
The official language in Serbia is Serbian. In Moldova, the official language is Romanian.
