Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saitama and Belgrade

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.

49

Cost of Living Index in Saitama
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Saitama Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Belgrade
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Belgrade Living Index

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Saitama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,007

/mo nomad

Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,574

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Saitama and in Belgrade

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

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

Saitama $1,007
Belgrade $1,574

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

Saitama $1,330
Belgrade $2,376

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

Saitama $1,653
Belgrade $3,178

Saitama is about 36% cheaper than Belgrade, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.55 ¥876

$13.44 RSD 1,401

-58.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.14 ¥4,920

$57.8 RSD 6,029

-46.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.86 ¥768

$13.23 RSD 1,380

-63.27%

Cappuccino

$3.07 ¥486

$3.10 RSD 323

-0.97%

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

$0.72 ¥114

$2.73 RSD 285

-73.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 ¥103

$2.31 RSD 241

-71.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.46 ¥389

$3.54 RSD 369

-30.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ¥503

$4.13 RSD 430

-23.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 ¥229

$1.45 RSD 151

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 ¥260

$1.18 RSD 123

38.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 ¥423

$2.61 RSD 272

2.68%

Eggs

$2.00 ¥316

$2.78 RSD 289

-28.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.14 ¥1,601

$11.23 RSD 1,171

-9.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.45 ¥861

$6.72 RSD 701

-18.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.44 ¥2,281

$15.22 RSD 1,586

-5.12%

Apples (1kg)

$5.58 ¥882

$1.59 RSD 166

250.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ¥355

$1.84 RSD 191

22.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.84 ¥449

$1.83 RSD 191

55.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 ¥662

$3.10 RSD 324

35.16%

Potato (1kg)

$2.61 ¥412

$0.95 RSD 98.8

174.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 ¥247

$0.72 RSD 75.1

116.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ¥197

$0.75 RSD 77.8

66.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 ¥126

$0.69 RSD 72.4

15.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.70 ¥585

$4.76 RSD 496

-22.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.32 ¥999

$8.43 RSD 878

-25.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ¥274

$0.94 RSD 97.8

85.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 ¥333

$1.53 RSD 159

37.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.45 ¥545

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ¥492

$2.99 RSD 312

4.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.70 ¥427

$1.02 RSD 106

164.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.19 ¥3,190

$17.54 RSD 1,828

15.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ¥174

$1.85 RSD 193

-40.54%

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

$21.9K ¥3.5M

$30.5K RSD 3.2M

-28.04%

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

$14.4K ¥2.3M

$23.7K RSD 2.5M

-39.29%

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

$131 ¥20.7K

$219 RSD 22.9K

-40.25%

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

$17.62 ¥2,784

$24.82 RSD 2,588

-29.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.87 ¥5,036

$35.79 RSD 3,731

-10.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.5 ¥9,721

$41.37 RSD 4,313

48.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.96 RSD 2,394

Cinema Ticket

$11.12 ¥1,757

$8.32 RSD 867

33.65%

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

$620 ¥97.9K

$423 RSD 44.1K

46.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ¥2.3M

$11.4K RSD 1.2M

30.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.90 ¥5,514

$111 RSD 11.6K

-68.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.61 ¥4,047

$47.48 RSD 4,950

-46.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$55.5 ¥8,772

$116 RSD 12.1K

-52.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$61.9 ¥9,773

$158 RSD 16.4K

-60.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$414 ¥65.3K

$823 RSD 85.8K

-49.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$237 ¥37.4K

$560 RSD 58.3K

-57.71%

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)

$1,505 ¥237.7K

$1,214 RSD 126.5K

23.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.06

4.61

-55.31%

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

Last update for Saitama: October 19, 2026

Last update for Belgrade: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Saitama

$275 27.4%

Belgrade

$243 15.4% 11.8% $33

Accommodation & Living

Saitama

$237 23.5%

Belgrade

$560 35.6% 137% $323

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saitama

$181 17.9%

Belgrade

$280 17.8% 55.1% $99

Eating Out

Saitama

$120 11.9%

Belgrade

$231 14.7% 92.1% $111

Sport & Entertainment

Saitama

$84 8.3%

Belgrade

$58 3.7% 30.8% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Saitama

$80 8%

Belgrade

$195 12.4% 143% $115

Getting Around

Saitama

$30 * 3%

Belgrade

$8.1 * 0.5% 73.4% $22

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $414 in Saitama versus $823 in Belgrade. 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 $31.00 in Saitama versus $58.0 in Belgrade. Groceries tell a different story – $275 in Saitama vs $243 in Belgrade – so Belgrade wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Saitama

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🕒 Local time

22:18 10:18 PM

15:18 3:18 PM

7 h behind Saitama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,182,115

1,197,714 Capital

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

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).

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).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Saitama Belgrade 9,160 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Saitama
Belgrade

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

Saitama vs Belgrade: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,510 per month in Saitama and $2,360 in Belgrade. 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 $31.00 in Saitama and $58.0 in Belgrade. 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.