This one totally blew me away!! The United States of America has 50 states and each state has different laws that govern the rules and fees that apply. This comparison was based on my home state of Illinois. Keep in mind that Serbian yearly salaries are substantially lower than ours. This is an approx comparison of salaries based on the 2010 census:
Illinois per capita median income in last 12 months- $28, 782
Zrenjanin, Serbia.. this number is a higher than many of my friends but approx- 6,000E. You can see there is about a $20,000 dollar difference in income per year. The picture below is a Croatian drivers license but very similar to the Serbian old license..Here is the difference in cost of obtaining a driver’s license…..
- Zrenjanin, Serbia..
- classroom part- 260E
- written test – 30E
- medical exam-35E
- driving test-30E
- license-30E
Total-385 E or $461.00
- Illinois…
- Drivers education course is held in public schools and according to the latest Illinois State Board of Education rule PA 97-0145 that took effect on July 14th, 2011.. “the school may charge a fee not to exceed $50 unless a special hearing is called for an increase” so lets say – $50
- written test, driving test, eye exam and license- $30
Total- $80
THAT IS A DIFFERENCE OF $381!!!!!!!
That is a lot of money for a Serbian family!! That doesn’t include the HUGE difference in license plate fees and gas! I broke those down in an earlier blog …. see AUTOMOBILE OWNERSHIP under the PRICE DIFFERENCE tab….
USA WINS HANDS DOWN!!!!!
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Serbia through American eyes 
Milos
February 1, 2012 at 2:31 pm
Great article Charles,
I think this has got something to do with the system. As you said, in the US everybody pays for his own medical treatment (or the private insurance) and in Serbia/Europe the state (so we all) pays for medical treatment in case of an accident. So if you have an accident you are responsible for it (and maybe if its your fault for the other driver).
And on the other hand, I would say its easier to drive in the US (Europe: curvy, tight streets, shift stick cars are more common… US: wide streets, not so many curves, more space, automatic shifting cars)
In Austria we pay about 1500-1900€ for a license :S
keep on,
Milos
cather76
February 1, 2012 at 2:33 pm
Jesusssssssssss… are you serious???? I thought our fees were high before I came here!!!! WOW!!! 1900 is RAPEE!!!!! Thanks for reading my man!!
Milos
February 1, 2012 at 3:13 pm
jeah you have to go to school, take at least 20 hours of driving with an instructor, you have to pay for medical and for eyes and when you get your license after 3 months you have to take another 2 hours with the instructor, then after 6 months a special 1-day course where you learn how to drive on mud and snow and after 1 year another 2 hours. So it comes out at about 1500 to 1900….
Adr385
August 24, 2014 at 7:28 am
In croatia is around 850 €. Before few years it was around 500 €. You can buy older used car in good condition for that money.
Tina Jones-Jovanovic
February 1, 2012 at 5:16 pm
Did you have to take the courses to get your license, or was it easier since you were already a driver in the US? just curious what I will have to do. So far I have just gotten the temp international license. Thanks for letting me know!
cather76
February 2, 2012 at 6:40 pm
hi Tina… where are you talking?? here in serbia?? i have not taken a test..i am not going to drive here… its too expensive.. ahahaha.. i will walk..sorry, i couldnt help!
Dario
February 1, 2012 at 5:28 pm
Sweden also is quite expensive to get a license, you could get away with paying 1000€ but usually it’s 1000-2000€ depending on how many driving lessons you take with the “driving school”
I was fortunate to have a neighbour that was former driving instructor, so i got it all for free 🙂
just paid 30€ for vision check up
andabout 200€ for all papers.
cather76
February 2, 2012 at 6:41 pm
dario… throw me the money you saved.. ahahahhaha.. wow.. in our high school we take the driving classes..its built into our courses… i like our way better.. thats a lot.. it seems Europe is tough on car owners! thanks for reading!
Dario
February 3, 2012 at 6:43 pm
Your way is much better. It should be integrated in to school system.
But it is unfair that we have to pay so much for the gas 😦
I too did drive a V8 and i can tell you it was not cheap in any way.
downtheliness
February 3, 2012 at 5:43 pm
Okey, stay tight, In France, we pay minimum 5000 Euros. Yes Im not joking, and believe me you better succed the first time you pass the driving exam and written exam, cause you pay again everytime. I paid about 5000 Euros in 2006, thanks to daddy of course.
cather76
February 5, 2012 at 7:28 pm
damnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn… that is a joke!!!! thank god I came from illinois!!!! hahahahaha.. your dad rocks… hahaha..
Ana
February 8, 2012 at 10:20 pm
GOD!!!! 5000 e? OK, let me see… That is a bit more than half of a million dinars at current exchange rate in Serbia. That means if I work for 2 years non-stop, every day, not touching my salary, I could afford paying driving school in France. OK… That’s cool… I need rakija at the moment…
Ivan
March 11, 2013 at 12:57 pm
Drivers license in Serbia is not expensive, but corruption in the testing procedure is!
There is so much corruption in this area, which is costing us many lives of mostly young people here in Serbia. Every third candidate for license either relies on his “strings” (relatives, friends in the police and so on…) or he gives 200e to a cop or to the owner of private driving school, and his drivers license is guaranteed even if he can’t drive at all…
cather76
March 14, 2013 at 9:58 pm
omg.. really?? that is very sad.. thanks for reading
Ivan
March 15, 2013 at 12:42 am
Unfortunately, that is the truth and that is the real reason why young people die in the streets. Ignorant kids who knows nothing about law and traffic regulations because their parents bought them drivers license. Every day there is a new article in the papers how a couple of 19 or 20 year old youngsters died in an accident when their friend who was driving “lost control” of the vehicle and crashed into a tree or something like that…high speed, lack of driving experience, alcohol and a wish to show off in front of their friends is taking more and more lives every year.
Pozdrav za tebe Charles- brate!
xoxoxo
May 20, 2013 at 7:20 pm
There are many more factors to this…..also you have to take into consideration that from that $28,000 Illinois salary,TAX is deducted, (taking home $4000 LESS per year/or $24000) plus the 6000E in Serbia is about (USD7700).In the US driving and having a license/ID is a necessity in Europe its a luxury (as people walk more)….and you have to be honest there are people who come to the US who have never seen a bicyle in their lives more so a car, and get a license in a few days and start driving as taxi drivers in big cities such as NY, that too is insane……
Diana
June 8, 2013 at 4:23 pm
In Holland you pay about 1500 to get your drivers license and then you are doing well..
Troll man
July 14, 2013 at 1:59 pm
Hmm. Here in Norway its 3’700€ if youre doing good. And also you have to be 18. Ive heard that theres a lot of dangerous drivers in Usa. 16 year olds, thinking they are in a fast and furious movie.. :p
Maria
January 20, 2014 at 3:02 am
The croatia driver license is fake!
The population in croatia are 96 % catholic. In croatia lifes not one muslima who weres a burka.
This kind of driver license are usealy in 4 languages.
No police would alowed in europe to drive covered with a burka.
So this driver license is defently wrong!
stiannaz
June 10, 2015 at 12:00 am
Do you know what the cost is here in Norway?
If you’re lucky you’ll get it for around 25000 kr.About 5700 $.
My step son just paid ca. 650 $ for the long distance driving lesson. Ok,our salaries are higher ( low income 55000$) but everything is way more expensive here. I’ve seen movies where they get their license in high school and I thought, how can they afford it but I never bothered checking it until now. Wow! I got ripped off! !
Nikola
July 26, 2015 at 7:48 pm
Hello, my name is Nikola, I am from Serbia and I would like to ask a question. Next year I am hoping to study in USA on some college or university, however I do not know something about driving licence. Since we all have seen that getting a driving licence in Serbia is expensive, I would like to get my driving licence in USA, but I am not sure whether that driving licence will be approved and legal in Serbia. If anybody knows the answer please tell me or write on nikola.lugonja88@gmail.com. Thanks in advance.