Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Novi Sad and Sendai

For one person, living is cheaper in Sendai: $1,164 a month against $1,393 in Novi Sad, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Novi Sad
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Novi Sad Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Sendai
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Sendai Living Index

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Novi Sad

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,393

/mo nomad

Sendai

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,164

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Novi Sad and in Sendai

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,393 in Novi Sad versus $1,164 in Sendai.

Novi Sad $1,393
Sendai $1,164

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,154 in Novi Sad versus $1,851 in Sendai.

Novi Sad $2,154
Sendai $1,851

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,915 in Novi Sad versus $2,538 in Sendai.

Novi Sad $2,915
Sendai $2,538

Living in Novi Sad is roughly 20% more expensive than in Sendai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Novi Sad is 2% above, Sendai is 14% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.11 RSD 1,065

$6.42 ¥1,013

57.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.2 RSD 5,286

$35.25 ¥5,566

42.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.06 RSD 1,271

$4.57 ¥722

163.89%

Cappuccino

$2.65 RSD 279

$3.79 ¥598

-30.08%

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

$2.37 RSD 249

$1.03 ¥162

130.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 RSD 192

$0.79 ¥125

130.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.93 RSD 309

$1.94 ¥307

51.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 RSD 392

$3.26 ¥514

14.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 RSD 146

$1.43 ¥225

-2.80%

White Bread (500g)

$0.93 RSD 98.1

$1.46 ¥231

-36.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.65 RSD 279

$6.88 ¥1,087

-61.48%

Eggs

$2.67 RSD 282

$2.12 ¥335

25.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.46 RSD 1,419

$10.65 ¥1,681

26.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.21 RSD 760

$11.63 ¥1,836

-38.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.06 RSD 1,481

$8.78 ¥1,386

60.14%

Apples (1kg)

$1.76 RSD 185

$3.41 ¥538

-48.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 RSD 200

$2.12 ¥335

-10.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 RSD 175

$4.65 ¥734

-64.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RSD 267

$3.23 ¥510

-21.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 RSD 105

$2.47 ¥390

-59.51%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 RSD 72.9

$2.30 ¥363

-70.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 RSD 100

$1.39 ¥219

-31.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 RSD 72.0

$1.27 ¥201

-46.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.69 RSD 495

$4.41 ¥696

6.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.79 RSD 821

$6.84 ¥1,080

13.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 RSD 91.5

$1.64 ¥260

-46.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RSD 243

$2.76 ¥435

-16.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 RSD 99.0

$1.51 ¥238

-37.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.22 RSD 2,552

$37.91 ¥5,986

-36.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.31 RSD 243

$5.32 ¥839

-56.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 RSD 96.8

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.42 RSD 1,098

$18.16 ¥2,868

-42.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 RSD 191

$1.11 ¥175

63.06%

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

$30.1K RSD 3.2M

$16.1K ¥2.5M

86.65%

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

$23.8K RSD 2.5M

$25.4K ¥4.0M

-6.36%

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

$224 RSD 23.6K

$137 ¥21.6K

64.22%

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

$20.29 RSD 2,137

$29.82 ¥4,708

-31.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.84 RSD 3,565

$35.46 ¥5,599

-4.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.97 RSD 3,685

$45.05 ¥7,113

-22.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.12 RSD 1,171

$12.76 ¥2,015

-12.85%

Cinema Ticket

$6.88 RSD 725

$10.18 ¥1,607

-32.42%

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

$364 RSD 38.4K

$230 ¥36.4K

58.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,540 RSD 794.4K

$3,740 ¥590.5K

101.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$117 RSD 12.3K

$56.3 ¥8,883

108.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.36 RSD 4,674

$33.48 ¥5,287

32.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 RSD 14.2K

$34.73 ¥5,484

288.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 RSD 13.1K

$53.4 ¥8,435

132.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$509 RSD 53.6K

$573 ¥90.5K

-11.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$411 RSD 43.3K

$328 ¥51.7K

25.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,034 RSD 108.9K

$707 ¥111.7K

46.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$824 RSD 86.8K

$736 ¥116.2K

11.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,595 RSD 378.8K

$2,713 ¥428.3K

32.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,621 RSD 276.2K

$1,438 ¥227.1K

82.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,230 RSD 129.6K

$979 ¥154.5K

25.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.17

2.73

89.38%

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

Last update for Novi Sad: October 25, 2026

Last update for Sendai: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Novi Sad

$411 29.5%

Sendai

$328 28.1% 20.2% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Novi Sad

$278 20%

Sendai

$202 17.3% 27.5% $77

Groceries & Markets

Novi Sad

$244 17.5%

Sendai

$306 26.3% 25.7% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Novi Sad

$189 13.6%

Sendai

$80 6.9% 57.7% $109

Eating Out

Novi Sad

$188 13.5%

Sendai

$134 11.5% 28.6% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Novi Sad

$49 3.5%

Sendai

$65 5.6% 34.2% $17

Getting Around

Novi Sad

$35 2.5%

Sendai

$49 * 4.2% 41.3% $14

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $509 in Novi Sad and $573 in Sendai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Novi Sad pays 26% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $50 in Novi Sad vs $35 in Sendai. Groceries flip the comparison at $244 vs $306, with Novi Sad cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Novi Sad

🇯🇵 Sendai

🕒 Local time

19:47 7:47 PM

03:47 3:47 AM

8 h ahead of Novi Sad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

260,438

1,082,159

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.49 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 105 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.49 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

USD to RSD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Novi Sad Sendai 9,020 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Novi Sad
Sendai

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

Novi Sad vs Sendai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sendai is cheaper overall, especially in clothing and eating out. The 20% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 26% higher in Novi Sad, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $509 in Novi Sad versus $573 in Sendai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Sendai – a meal for two runs $35 versus $50 in Novi Sad. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,393 per month in Novi Sad versus $1,164 in Sendai – a 20% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Sendai is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Novi Sad and Sendai are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

It comes down to priorities – Sendai wins on affordability, Novi Sad on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.