Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and Saitama

For one person, living is cheaper in Saitama: $1,007 a month against $1,574 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Belgrade
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Belgrade Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Saitama
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Saitama Living Index

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Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,574

/mo nomad

Saitama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,007

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgrade and in Saitama

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Belgrade and in Saitama actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,574 per month in Belgrade vs $1,007 in Saitama, rent included.

Belgrade $1,574
Saitama $1,007

A couple spends around $2,376 per month in Belgrade vs $1,330 in Saitama, rent included.

Belgrade $2,376
Saitama $1,330

A family of three spends $3,178 per month in Belgrade vs $1,653 in Saitama, rent included.

Belgrade $3,178
Saitama $1,653

Belgrade costs about 56% more than Saitama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Belgrade sits 16% above the global median, while Saitama is 26% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.44 RSD 1,401

$5.55 ¥876

142.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.8 RSD 6,029

$31.14 ¥4,920

85.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.23 RSD 1,380

$4.86 ¥768

172.22%

Cappuccino

$3.10 RSD 323

$3.07 ¥486

0.98%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 RSD 285

$0.72 ¥114

279.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 RSD 241

$0.65 ¥103

255.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.54 RSD 369

$2.46 ¥389

43.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 RSD 430

$3.18 ¥503

29.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 RSD 151

$1.45 ¥229

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 RSD 123

$1.64 ¥260

-28.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.61 RSD 272

$2.68 ¥423

-2.61%

Eggs

$2.78 RSD 289

$2.00 ¥316

39.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.23 RSD 1,171

$10.14 ¥1,601

10.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.72 RSD 701

$5.45 ¥861

23.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 RSD 1,586

$14.44 ¥2,281

5.40%

Apples (1kg)

$1.59 RSD 166

$5.58 ¥882

-71.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 RSD 191

$2.25 ¥355

-18.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 RSD 191

$2.84 ¥449

-35.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.10 RSD 324

$4.19 ¥662

-26.01%

Potato (1kg)

$0.95 RSD 98.8

$2.61 ¥412

-63.60%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 RSD 75.1

$1.56 ¥247

-53.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 RSD 77.8

$1.25 ¥197

-40.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 RSD 72.4

$0.80 ¥126

-13.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.76 RSD 496

$3.70 ¥585

28.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.43 RSD 878

$6.32 ¥999

33.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RSD 97.8

$1.74 ¥274

-45.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 RSD 159

$2.11 ¥333

-27.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.45 ¥545

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 RSD 312

$3.11 ¥492

-3.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 RSD 106

$2.70 ¥427

-62.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.54 RSD 1,828

$20.19 ¥3,190

-13.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 RSD 193

$1.10 ¥174

68.18%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$30.5K RSD 3.2M

$21.9K ¥3.5M

38.97%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$23.7K RSD 2.5M

$14.4K ¥2.3M

64.73%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$219 RSD 22.9K

$131 ¥20.7K

67.38%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$24.82 RSD 2,588

$17.62 ¥2,784

40.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.79 RSD 3,731

$31.87 ¥5,036

12.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.37 RSD 4,313

$61.5 ¥9,721

-32.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.96 RSD 2,394

Cinema Ticket

$8.32 RSD 867

$11.12 ¥1,757

-25.18%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$423 RSD 44.1K

$620 ¥97.9K

-31.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K RSD 1.2M

$14.8K ¥2.3M

-23.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 RSD 11.6K

$34.90 ¥5,514

218.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.48 RSD 4,950

$25.61 ¥4,047

85.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 RSD 12.1K

$55.5 ¥8,772

108.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$158 RSD 16.4K

$61.9 ¥9,773

155.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$823 RSD 85.8K

$414 ¥65.3K

99.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$560 RSD 58.3K

$237 ¥37.4K

136.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,485 RSD 154.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$969 RSD 101.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,489 RSD 572.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,193 RSD 332.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,214 RSD 126.5K

$1,505 ¥237.7K

-19.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.61

2.06

123.79%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Belgrade: October 19, 2026

Last update for Saitama: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Belgrade

$560 35.6%

Saitama

$237 23.5% 57.7% $323

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belgrade

$280 17.8%

Saitama

$181 17.9% 35.5% $99

Groceries & Markets

Belgrade

$243 15.4%

Saitama

$275 27.4% 13.4% $33

Eating Out

Belgrade

$231 14.7%

Saitama

$120 11.9% 47.9% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Belgrade

$195 12.4%

Saitama

$80 8% 58.9% $115

Sport & Entertainment

Belgrade

$58 3.7%

Saitama

$84 8.3% 44.4% $26

Getting Around

Belgrade

$8.1 * 0.5%

Saitama

$30 * 3% 276% $22

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $823 in Belgrade versus $414 in Saitama. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 24% higher in Saitama, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $58.0 in Belgrade versus $31.00 in Saitama. Groceries tell a different story – $243 in Belgrade vs $275 in Saitama – so Belgrade wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🇯🇵 Saitama

🕒 Local time

18:05 6:05 PM

01:05 1:05 AM

7 h ahead of Belgrade

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,197,714 Capital

1,182,115

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to RSD – Serbian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇸 Serbian Dinar (din)

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

USD to RSD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Belgrade Saitama 9,160 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Belgrade
Saitama

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Belgrade vs Saitama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,574 in Belgrade, $1,007 in Saitama – roughly 56% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,360 per month in Belgrade and $1,510 in Saitama. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Saitama, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $58.0 in Belgrade and $31.00 in Saitama. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 13% cheaper in Belgrade – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Saitama, where all-in costs run around $1,007, than in Belgrade at $1,574. In Saitama it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Saitama – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Saitama. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Belgrade makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.