The inflation that is eroding the Serbian economy, the sudden jump in prices and the increasingly obvious imbalance in the real estate market in Belgrade caused by the arrival of Russian and Ukrainian refugees have brought students from the provinces and their families to a situation where the doors of the capital are being closed.
Those who had the conditions to enter the university "threw" the furthest to increasingly expensive student dormitories or to the outskirts of the capital, far from the university, while renting an apartment in the very center is something that even wealthier families from the interior of Serbia don't even think about anymore.
Such a situation is also reflected in the prices that can be seen on real estate rental websites, according to which it is necessary to allocate from 300 euros for a studio apartment to as much as 2000 euros for comfortable apartments for an apartment in the central city municipalities. Those with smaller pockets are pushed to the outskirts of the city, which are slowly but surely becoming more and more expensive, so even far from the center it is difficult to rent a small apartment for less than 250 euros. High real estate prices are compounded by ever-increasing daily expenses.
Study work
"Meals in the canteen have become more expensive, everyday groceries have become more expensive, transportation has also become more expensive, but the biggest blow to our wallet is the significantly increased rents, so renting an apartment has become an even more significant financial item and represents a big blow to our family budget." We used to pay 200 euros for a studio apartment in Voždovac, while now we have to pay 270 euros, almost 40 percent more. Landlords felt that they could rent apartments to Russians at much higher prices, that's why the rents were raised so much," begins the story of Goran Užičanin, father of two students of the Faculty of Organizational Sciences.
He adds that the recent increases have brought the entire family to the brink of existence, which certainly has a hard time living on two average Serbian salaries.
Goran says that the children have realized that they have to be completely independent, so both the son and the daughter have applied to the student cooperative and often accept jobs, even though it takes away the time they should devote to the university.
"They are not so small anymore, they understood the situation in which we, like most families from the interior, find ourselves", says Goran, and that it is understood that they must maintain the status of budget financing, because they would have an additional financial burden to pay for their studies "broke the back""
Russians with deep pockets
While the capital city is slowly becoming unattainable for people from other parts of Serbia, it is very desirable for paying Russians who are literally getting closer to us, who have met a warm welcome and for whom it is well paid through the rental of apartments at fabulous prices, which do not seem to affect Russian migrants.
Twenty-eight-year-old Nastya decided to seek happiness in Europe shortly after the introduction of sanctions that affected the Russian economy. The advertising company he works for has decided to move its headquarters from St. Petersburg to Belgrade. However, Nastya continues to receive a high St. Petersburg salary with the possibility of spending it in Belgrade, which is significantly cheaper than the city on the Gulf of Finland.
"I like Belgrade, it is very affordable, much cheaper than Peter." I will be completely open, I know that in Serbia it is taboo to talk about money, but I have no problem saying that my salary is 5.500 euros. For only 700 euros, I rent a small apartment in the epicenter of the city, so it is not too much of an expense for me," says Nstja.
She says that a large number of her colleagues, Russians who do not support Putin's aggression against Ukraine, came to Serbia and were warmly welcomed. If the situation does not change, many of them could stay in Serbia, I will stay in Serbia because the whole of Europe is close from here.
Read daily news, analysis, commentary and interviews at www.vreme.com
