Belgrade - Post Report Question and Answers
How would you describe the availability and cost of groceries and household supplies relative to your home country?
Local produce is excellent and cheap. Even in the dead of winter there are decent vegetables available that are grown in local greenhouses, but the seasonal items are exceptional such as berries in the Spring. There are green markets all over the city that have not only fruits and vegetables, but olives, some household goods, dairy products, and eggs. We get a majority of our groceries at the green market by our apartment. There are also large Serbian grocery store chains (Maxi) and some mega-stores similar to Costco a little ways out from the city center. Imported groceries are of course more expensive, but local products cost a bit less than in the United States. We get most of our cleaning supplies at DM, a German chain that carries personal care products as well as laundry detergent, etc. There are DMs all over Belgrade. - Oct 2024
Extremely affordable. - Sep 2019
Cheap. Veggies, fruits are very cheap. Of course, as everywhere, you will pay more for specific imported products, but overall, life is quite cheap. - Jan 2019
Life is relatively cheap in Serbia. Vegetables and fruits are really cheap. Unless you need very specific staples, we found it quite easy to find pretty much everything we needed to live. - Dec 2018
For expats, groceries are cheap. I shopped almost exclusively at the fresh green markets. Produce is amazingly good and cheap, although it goes with the seasons. In winter there are potatoes and cabbage and carrots, and not much else. In summer the stalls overflow with beautiful berries and all kinds of fruits. There's a good selection of fish as well, which is surprising for a landlocked country. I ate salmon weekly (500g cost about $10). A liter of milk is about a dollar. More and more international foods were available by the time I left. You can buy many Asian ingredients, spices, and sauces in the grocery stores. Surprisingly, every few blocks there's a health food store with a large offering of tofu, spices, grains, etc. - Sep 2015
Definitely cheaper than in the U.S. You can find almost everything in Belgrade - just not high end products that you could find in the U.S. With DPO, Amazon orders get delivered in one week. Plus there is a Commissary. - Aug 2015
There are good supermarkets and lots of farmer's markets. You can get everything here if you buy it when you see it - for instance, I was surprised that they have several kinds of tortilla and tofu. Things like cottage cheese, Asian ingredients, and Mexican ingredients can be harder to find. American baking products like chocolate chips and brown sugar are generally not available, and peanut butter and maple syrup are expensive. Seafood can be expensive. Fresh food and meats are cheaper than in the United States, but imported products more expensive. All fruit and vegetables are seasonal, so in the winter the fruit options are often down to apples and bananas, and the vegetables to cabbage and root vegetables. It gets tiresome. - Aug 2015
Local meat, produce, dairy, and bread is delicious and inexpensive. The availability of international food has improved tremendously in recent years, and you can find taco shells, jarred Thai and Indian sauces, Cheddar cheese,etc at large grocery stores and specialty shops, but prices do tend to be higher than you would pay in the U.S. for these items. - Aug 2014
Local produce, meat, groceries are very reasonable, quite a bit less than in the U.S. Produce at the green markets is fantastic, so so tastey and they have the best eggs and bacon here!!! They are also well known for their breads, which are delicious, and pork is the meat of choice. It is a bit harder to find a good steak the way Americans like it, but once you find your restaurants that do it right, you're set (na cosku, ebisu etc). - Aug 2013
If you buy local, prices are fair for food and toiletries. Local Green Markets are excellent during season and have some of the most delicious vegetables and fruits that any organic market could offer in USA. Imported electronic products are very expensive, and it is best to bring them from USA. - Apr 2012
Grocery prices are cheap for local produce, which is excellent and can be bought at many local green markets where farmer sell their own produce. Imported goods are very expensive. Ready made foods are almost non-existent. The embassy has a great commissary and you can order special items for reasonable prices. - Nov 2011
I'd say it's like always paying full retail in the United States. - Jul 2011
Groceries are easy to come by. Americans can use the U.S. Embassy commissary for refried beans, salsa, junk food, ice cream, hot sauce, etc. Every supermarket has the same thing. There are not a lot of non-Serbian items available (as in you can't find Asian or Mexican foodstuffs). - Nov 2010
Reasonable. For a poor country it is way too expensive, but the cost and quality are good. You can find plenty of fresh stuff, including all meat. Major stores are here, like Maxi. - Jun 2010
