Moving to Serbia from Russia
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Russia to Serbia — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Russia to Serbia, you would find that Serbia is 36.9% more expensive than Russia overall. A RUB5,859,336 salary in Russia would need to be roughly RSD8,132,855 in Serbia to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Serbian. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Belgrade averages 62°F vs 48°F in Moscow, making it significantly warmer.
Planning this move? Get up to 5 free, no-obligation quotes from vetted international movers. Get free quotes ↓How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Russia to Serbia.
What does your salary buy?
RUB5,859,336 → RSD8,132,855
To maintain the same standard of living in Serbia
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 85.5% more
Groceries
pay 9.9% more
Transportation
pay 65.1% more
Housing
pay 73.9% more
Childcare
pay 12.6% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 20.2% 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.
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 3% more than cities in Russia.
Compare cities head-to-head
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
Real numbers on people moving from Russia 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
- · · ·
-
10.2,999
Russia
Key Indicator Comparison
How Russia 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 Russia 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
Serbia generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Russia leads in doctors per 10,000 people.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
Russia performs better than Serbia 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
Russia generally does better on infrastructure, though Serbia leads in broadband per 100 people.
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
Russia performs better than Serbia across all employment & economy metrics.
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
Russia generally does better on family life, though Serbia leads in life expectancy.
Data: Federal Tax Service of Russia, The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators, World Bank
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Moscow | Belgrade |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 27°/15°F (-3°/-10°C) | 45°/33°F (7°/0°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 62°/45°F (17°/7°C) | 71°/53°F (22°/12°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 68°/52°F (20°/11°C) | 79°/59°F (26°/15°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 36°/26°F (2°/-3°C) | 53°/39°F (11°/4°C) |
View all months
| Month | Moscow | Belgrade |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 21°/10°F (-6.3°/-12.3°C) | 38°/28°F (3.5°/-2.3°C) |
| Feb | 24°/12°F (-4.2°/-11.1°C) | 44°/32°F (6.4°/-0.2°C) |
| Mar | 35°/22°F (1.5°/-5.6°C) | 53°/38°F (11.9°/3.3°C) |
| Apr | 51°/35°F (10.4°/1.7°C) | 64°/46°F (17.5°/7.8°C) |
| May | 65°/46°F (18.4°/7.6°C) | 72°/54°F (22.5°/12.1°C) |
| Jun | 71°/53°F (21.7°/11.5°C) | 78°/59°F (25.3°/15.0°C) |
| Jul | 74°/56°F (23.1°/13.5°C) | 81°/61°F (27.3°/16.3°C) |
| Aug | 71°/54°F (21.5°/12.0°C) | 81°/61°F (27.3°/16.1°C) |
| Sep | 60°/45°F (15.4°/7.1°C) | 75°/55°F (23.7°/13.0°C) |
| Oct | 47°/36°F (8.2°/2.1°C) | 65°/47°F (18.1°/8.3°C) |
| Nov | 34°/26°F (1.1°/-3.3°C) | 52°/39°F (11.0°/4.0°C) |
| Dec | 26°/17°F (-3.5°/-8.6°C) | 42°/32°F (5.3°/-0.2°C) |
Data:
Russian Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring,
Republic Hydrometeorological Service of Serbia
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Russia 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.
Russia passport holder visiting Serbia
Visa Free
Serbia passport holder visiting Russia
Electronic Travel AuthorisationData: 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 Russia?
Day-to-day costs in Serbia run about 6% higher than Russia 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 RUB5,859,336 comparable salary, that's around RSD2,033,214 in Serbia for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Serbia?
With 29.3 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 Russia and Serbia.
Is Serbia safe for expats?
Serbia performs significantly better than Russia across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Serbia is 1.0 per 100,000 people, compared to 6.8 in Russia.
How is healthcare in Serbia compared to Russia?
Serbia generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Russia leads in doctors per 10,000 people. There are 28.4 doctors per 10,000 people in Serbia, compared to 38.3 in Russia. Serbia scores 72 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Russia: 79).
What's the weather like in Serbia compared to Russia?
The average high temperature in Belgrade is 62°F, compared to 48°F in Moscow. Belgrade receives around 26.9 in of rainfall per year, while Moscow gets 27.2 in.
What language do they speak in Serbia?
The official language in Serbia is Serbian. In Russia, the official language is Russian.
