If I were to live the equivalent life here in the US, it would be 10 times more expensive.
What I enjoy most about living in Belgrade really is the lifestyle.
There are many restaurants.
The nightlife here is simply amazing.
People don't live to work.
They just work and then you're at a cafe.
You can live a really beautiful and comfortable, higher quality of life.
My name is Angela Blair Cadet.
I'm 35 years old and I live in Belgrade, Serbia.
I am able to live comfortably because the cost of living here is quite low.
I cook most of my meals at home and I don't have a car and I use public transportation, which is actually free.
500 euros a month in rent.
Then for my utilities like water, sewage, and electricity, it's about 50 euros per month.
And I pay for my own home wifi and my internet for my phone.
So I eat a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables.
I would have to say the most expensive grocery item is the olive oil.
So that's about like 15 euros.
But everything other than that, the quality of the food, the taste of the fruits and vegetables is just absolutely top.
Oatmeal, my beloved.
This is actually quite cheap.
Belgrade has gotten more expensive and I do have expensive taste, I'll say that.
So for a nice place, you can spend about $30.
If you wanna be very fancy, there's some really beautiful restaurants here.
You can spend minimum 100 euros or up to 500 euros.
I knew from a young age in the fifth grade that I wanted to live abroad.
I didn't know where, but I knew when I saw in books and dreamed of was going to be outside the U.S.
Studying is the best way to really build a foundation so I could move abroad and live a full expat life.
Once you see that this life is possible, it really became addictive.
Like this is something I can really do.
As a non-EU citizen, it was just very difficult to get a visa and really start a company.
Great for fashion, great for holiday, but to start a business, not exactly a good option.
So I looked on a map and I saw, okay, Belgrade is a good option.
There was a direct flight from Paris to Belgrade.
And I said, okay, leave myself a month to figure, is this going to work out for me?
I came here June 1st, 2022, and I was like, okay, this city, let's give it a month.
Let's give it a try.
And from there I knew immediately, within a week, it had everything I was looking for in a city where I can really thrive.
And I've waited about one year because from 2022 you had a whole entire process, a lot of people coming in and the government made some changes of how they handle all the applications.
Hi.
I'm Nicolasa.
We know each other.
How are you?
Congratulations on your wedding.
Thank you.
Thank you.
And then Vlad, hey.
How are you?
Meeting people in Belgrade is very easy, not only just because I'm an expat, also because I'm a business owner.
I've met many people that are successful in business, actors, actresses, musicians.
They're kind, they're friendly, they're curious.
Everyone's like, what brings you to Belgrade?
Why stay in Belgrade?
It's just really the people.
As a Black American woman, this is the least racist country.
It's so nice to exist in a place where I'm American, first I'm a woman and then I just so happen to be Black.
Here, I feel very safe.
I feel very comfortable.
It's really the people that are really kind and friendly that see me as a human being first.
So that's really why I stay.
Many people do want to live an expat life and they just don't know how.
So my clients are Americans or Brits or people in other Western markets that want to relocate to Serbia.
So I have myself and my team help when it comes to getting the visa, helping with pretty much a concierge service where to rent.
I have partnerships with different property managers and landlords.
Some of my favorite activities in Belgrade is my afternoon tea.
I love having afternoon tea with my friends.
People spend time outdoors, so I always walk either along Belgrade waterfront or other neighborhoods.
The nature here is really, really nice.
The nightlife in Belgrade, I have to say, is the best in Europe, because you have venues for every budget, for every type of taste of music and for every type of style.
Dressing up to go out for drinks with my girlfriends or going to restaurants is always like so festive, great energy.
Whatever your budget is, if you wanna make it rain tastefully and spend like five or 10000, you can.
If you have a budget and want us to spend 10 euros or 20 euros with friends and beer, you can.
Jazz, great.
Death metal, great.
Rock music, great.
Hip hop and rap, yes.
There is literally a venue for everyone with every taste.
At some point, I would love to become a Serbian citizen.
This country has welcomed me.
People just don't know what to do here because the world has a really negative perspective of Serbia.
A lot of people just didn't know that there's an expat community here.
And it's really once you're here and people are like, wow, I wish I knew about Belgrade.
I can have this amazing life, whether I'm single or married or have a family.
I did not imagine myself living in Serbia, but Here I am.
I do hope to make this a home permanently.
And also I do have aspirations to have residencies in other countries.
I definitely want to go back to Thailand.
I want to go back to Kazakhstan.
I have some other big plans for the African continent.
But here I hope Belgrade to be my home base.
