EUROCOSTSCOUNTRY COMPARISON · UPDATED 2026-07-16
Norway vs Serbia: taxes, salary and cost of living
The practical contrast between Norway and Serbia becomes clearest when monthly income is tested against rent, food and mobility rather than viewed in isolation.
Norway vs Serbia at a glance
| Indicator | Norway | Serbia |
|---|---|---|
| Standard VAT | 25% | 20% |
| Income tax | 22-47.4% | 10% |
| Social contributions | 22.1% | 29.9% |
| Tax burden | 36.6% | ~39% |
| Average monthly salary | €5,850 | €1,366 |
| Studio rent | €1,170 | €420 |
| Monthly food estimate | €450 | €250 |
| Gasoline | 1.92 €/L | 1.55 €/L |
| Electricity | 0.17 €/kWh | 0.12 €/kWh |
Income comparison in context
Norway records the higher listed monthly salary. The gap is €4,484, approximately 328.3% relative to the lower figure. Within the numeric EuroCosts sample, Norway ranks 5 of 27 for salary and Serbia ranks 23 of 27. The nominal advantage should be tested against local housing before it is treated as additional purchasing power.
Rent, food and the monthly budget
Serbia has the lower listed studio rent by €750, a 178.6% difference relative to the higher rent. Norway sits 31 of 37 and Serbia 5 of 37 in the available low-to-high rent ranking. Serbia also has the lower food estimate, so the housing result is reinforced by groceries.
After subtracting only the listed rent and food estimates, the simplified remainder is €4,230 in Norway and €696 in Serbia. This leaves €3,534 more in Norway, before utilities, transport, healthcare, childcare or personal taxes not already reflected in salary.
Headline taxation: what differs
Tax-burden values include a range or text note for at least one country. The standard VAT comparison—25% in Norway and 20% in Serbia—is more directly comparable, although reduced rates differ by product.
A practical transport check
Serbia has the lower listed gasoline price by €0.37 per litre. For a driver buying 50 litres a month, that headline difference is about €18.5 monthly, before insurance, parking and road charges.
Who may prefer each country?
A single professional comparing Norway with Serbia should stress-test rent and take-home pay, while a family should give more weight to food, utilities and services that are not fully represented here. A company founder must separately review corporate and dividend taxation.
The most useful conclusion
Norway produces the stronger simplified monthly remainder in this dataset, while Serbia leads on listed rent. The trade-off is more informative than a blanket cheapest-country label.
Sources and data references
- PwC standard VAT rates
- PwC personal income tax rates
- PwC corporate income tax rates
- EuroCosts data scope and generation process
Explore Norway comparisons · Explore Serbia comparisons