Serbia
How much does a trip to Serbia cost? Daily budget and prices
Plan 9,300–18,500 RSD (about €80–160) per person per day mid-range: 3★ room or apartment, restaurant dinners, fast train. Backpackers manage on 4,200–8,500 RSD; comfort runs 21,500–41,000 RSD. Belgrade costs more than Novi Sad or Niš, and rooms are often quoted in euros. 2026 estimate.
- Source checked
- A source and a date are on record: we read it from an official or published page. Not yet confirmed on the ground.
- Field checked
- Someone checked it on the ground, with the date shown.
- Plan calculated
- Worked out by Voykit from its own data (times, distances, budgets). A calculation, not a measurement.
Unknown times stay unknown. How we verify
GuideSerbia
Key facts
- Currency
- Serbian dinar (RSD); roughly 117 RSD to €1 (2026 estimate)
- Mid-range day
- 9,300–18,500 RSD per person, sharing a room
- Backpacker day
- 4,200–8,500 RSD: hostel, bakery and grill food, buses
- Comfort day
- 21,500–41,000 RSD: 4–5★, fine dining, car or driver
- Coffee
- 200–350 RSD
- Pljeskavica in a lepinja
- 450–800 RSD
- Burek with yoghurt
- 250–400 RSD
- Beer (0.5 L) in a bar
- 300–450 RSD
- Belgrade – Novi Sad Soko traincheck
- About 600–900 RSD
- Cash
- Cards work in Belgrade and Novi Sad; bakeries, markets, buses and smaller towns often want cash
- Day with a driver
- Adds 8,000–12,000 RSD for Tara or Đerdap
Daily budget by travel style
The three tiers below are per person per day, with a shared room at mid-range and comfort. They assume you eat one sit-down meal a day, use public transport or the fast train, and pay for one or two sights. Add a flight or long-distance arrival separately.
Belgrade is the most expensive part of the country, mostly for beds. Novi Sad and Niš are cheaper for the same standard, and village guesthouses in the west can undercut both.
| Tier | Bed | Food | Transport | Sights | Extras | Total per day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Backpacker | 1,500–3,000 | 1,800–3,000 | 300–800 | 300–1,000 | 300–700 | 4,200–8,500 RSD |
| Mid-range | 3,500–7,000 | 3,500–6,000 | 800–2,000 | 800–2,000 | 700–1,500 | 9,300–18,500 RSD |
| Comfort | 8,000–16,000 | 7,000–11,000 | 3,000–7,000 | 2,000–4,000 | 1,500–3,000 | 21,500–41,000 RSD |
RSD per person per day, sharing a room at mid-range and comfort. 2026 estimate.
What things cost
Street and bakery food is the cheapest way to eat well: burek with yoghurt, a pljeskavica in a lepinja, or a slice of pizza rarely passes 800 RSD. A sit-down restaurant meal with a drink is a different order of spending, and Belgrade's riverside clubs and fine-dining rooms are the top of the range.
Museum and sight tickets are modest by Western European standards, though a few headline attractions cost more. The Nikola Tesla Museum ticket is about 1,000 RSD (check).
| Item | Typical price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | 200–350 RSD |
| Burek with yoghurt | 250–400 RSD |
| Pljeskavica in a lepinja | 450–800 RSD |
| Beer (0.5 L) in a bar | 300–450 RSD |
| Belgrade – Novi Sad Soko train | About 600–900 RSD (check) |
| Nikola Tesla Museum ticket | About 1,000 RSD (check) |
Belgrade versus the rest of Serbia
Belgrade sets the ceiling. Hostel beds and mid-range apartments in the centre cost noticeably more than equivalents in Novi Sad, and the gap widens in summer and around New Year. Rooms are frequently quoted in euros, which makes the dinar total move with the exchange rate.
Novi Sad is the cheapest of the big three for a comparable stay, and the Soko train between the two cities is cheap enough that basing in one and day-tripping the other rarely pays off unless you are short on time. Niš and the smaller towns are cheaper again for beds and food.
Outside the cities, costs depend on whether you have a car. A day with a driver to Tara or Đerdap adds 8,000–12,000 RSD, which is often cheaper per person than hiring a car for a single day but more than public buses.
Money and payments
The currency is the Serbian dinar (RSD). Cards work widely in Belgrade and Novi Sad, including most hotels, restaurants and supermarkets. Bakeries, markets, buses and smaller towns often want cash, so carry some dinars even on a short trip.
Change money at official exchange offices (menjačnica) or use bank ATMs. Euros are the easiest currency to exchange, and the rate at exchange offices is usually close to the official one. As a quick mental conversion, drop two zeros and add a sixth: 1,000 RSD is about €8.50 at roughly 117 dinars to the euro (2026 estimate).
Tipping is not obligatory but is common in restaurants and cafés, usually by rounding up or leaving 5–10%.
How to spend less
Eat where locals eat: bakeries for breakfast, grills and pijaca markets for lunch, and one restaurant meal a day. This alone can keep food under 3,000 RSD a day without missing anything worth eating.
Use buses and trams in Belgrade and the Soko train between Belgrade and Novi Sad rather than taxis. Book beds directly or in apartments rather than hotels if you are staying more than two nights. Travel outside July–August and the New Year period, when Belgrade prices peak.
- Bakery breakfast and a market lunch instead of two restaurant meals
- Public transport and the Soko train instead of taxis
- Apartments or hostels for stays of three nights or more
- Shoulder season instead of summer or New Year in Belgrade
- Cash from bank ATMs rather than exchange desks at stations
What changes the number
Season and city matter more than anything else. Belgrade in summer or over New Year can push a mid-range day to the top of its band, while the same money goes further in Niš or Vojvodina in spring.
Car hire, a driver for the western mountains, and any domestic flight are the other big swings. Serbia has no useful domestic flights, so long-distance travel is by train or bus, which keeps transport costs low but adds time.
Questions people ask
How much money do you need per day in Serbia?
Mid-range travellers should budget 9,300–18,500 RSD (about €80–160) per person per day, sharing a room. Backpackers manage on 4,200–8,500 RSD and comfort travel runs 21,500–41,000 RSD. 2026 estimate.
Is Serbia expensive for tourists?
No. Serbia is cheaper than Western Europe for beds, food and transport. Belgrade is the priciest part of the country, mainly for accommodation, while Novi Sad, Niš and smaller towns cost less for the same standard.
What do meals, hotels and transport cost in Serbia?
Bakery food is 250–800 RSD, a bar beer 300–450 RSD, and coffee 200–350 RSD. Beds run from 1,500 RSD in a hostel to 16,000 RSD in a 4–5★ hotel. The Belgrade–Novi Sad fast train is about 600–900 RSD (check).
How much cash should I carry in Serbia?
Carry enough dinars for bakeries, markets, buses and smaller towns, where cards are often not accepted. Cards work widely in Belgrade and Novi Sad. Use bank ATMs or official exchange offices (menjačnica) rather than street changers.
How much does a day trip with a driver cost in Serbia?
A day with a driver to Tara or Đerdap adds roughly 8,000–12,000 RSD. For a group this can beat hiring a car for one day, but public buses remain the cheapest option if your schedule is flexible.
Do I need to tip in Serbia?
Tipping is not obligatory but is common in restaurants and cafés. Rounding up or leaving 5–10% is the usual practice, and it is normal to leave the change on the table.
Deep dive
Every source; changeable facts are marked check