Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saitama and Herceg Novi

For one person, living is cheaper in Saitama: $1,007 a month against $1,257 in Herceg Novi, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 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
61

Cost of Living Index in Herceg Novi
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Herceg Novi Living Index

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Saitama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,007

/mo nomad

Herceg Novi

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,257

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Saitama and in Herceg Novi

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 Herceg Novi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,007 in Saitama versus $1,234 in Herceg Novi.

Saitama $1,007
Herceg Novi $1,234

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,330 in Saitama versus $1,969 in Herceg Novi.

Saitama $1,330
Herceg Novi $1,969

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,653 in Saitama versus $2,705 in Herceg Novi.

Saitama $1,653
Herceg Novi $2,705

Living in Saitama costs roughly 18% less than in Herceg Novi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Saitama 26% lower, Herceg Novi 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.55 ¥876

$11.23 €9.99

-50.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.14 ¥4,920

$36.29 €32.28

-14.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.86 ¥768

$9.16 €8.15

-46.94%

Cappuccino

$3.07 ¥486

$2.65 €2.36

15.85%

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

$0.72 ¥114

$2.50 €2.23

-71.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 ¥103

$1.63 €1.45

-60.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.46 ¥389

$2.84 €2.53

-13.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ¥503

$3.34 €2.97

-4.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 ¥229

$1.20 €1.07

20.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 ¥260

$1.01 €0.90

62.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 ¥423

$2.93 €2.61

-8.53%

Eggs

$2.00 ¥316

$2.98 €2.65

-32.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.14 ¥1,601

$9.02 €8.02

12.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.45 ¥861

$7.43 €6.61

-26.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.44 ¥2,281

$12.99 €11.56

11.16%

Apples (1kg)

$5.58 ¥882

$1.33 €1.18

319.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ¥355

$1.57 €1.39

43.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.84 ¥449

$1.63 €1.45

74.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 ¥662

$2.96 €2.63

41.55%

Potato (1kg)

$2.61 ¥412

$0.95 €0.85

174.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 ¥247

$1.29 €1.15

20.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ¥197

$1.54 €1.37

-18.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 ¥126

$0.95 €0.85

-15.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.70 ¥585

$4.00 €3.56

-7.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.32 ¥999

$4.37 €3.89

44.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ¥274

$1.28 €1.14

35.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 ¥333

$1.74 €1.55

21.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.45 ¥545

$1.64 €1.46

110.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.46 €39.55

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ¥492

$2.84 €2.53

9.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.70 ¥427

$1.10 €0.97

145.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.19 ¥3,190

$17.09 €15.20

18.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ¥174

$1.72 €1.53

-36.05%

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

$21.9K ¥3.5M

$32.3K €28.8K

-32.20%

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

$14.4K ¥2.3M

$21.4K €19.0K

-32.70%

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

$131 ¥20.7K

$136 €121

-3.80%

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

$17.62 ¥2,784

$13.14 €11.69

34.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.87 ¥5,036

$33.88 €30.14

-5.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.5 ¥9,721

$56.6 €50.3

8.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.39 €10.13

Cinema Ticket

$11.12 ¥1,757

$7.81 €6.94

42.38%

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

$620 ¥97.9K

$444 €395

39.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ¥2.3M

$7,024 €6,248

111.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.90 ¥5,514

$84.3 €75.0

-58.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.61 ¥4,047

$33.74 €30.01

-24.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$55.5 ¥8,772

$72.7 €64.7

-23.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$61.9 ¥9,773

$95.8 €85.2

-35.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$414 ¥65.3K

$651 €579

-36.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$237 ¥37.4K

$399 €355

-40.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,257 €1,118

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$888 €790

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,685 €3,278

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,421 €2,153

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,505 ¥237.7K

$1,031 €917

45.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.06

-58.80%

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

Last update for Saitama: October 19, 2026

Last update for Herceg Novi: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Saitama

$275 27.4%

Herceg Novi

$228 18.1% 17.2% $47

Accommodation & Living

Saitama

$237 23.5%

Herceg Novi

$399 31.7% 68.5% $162

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saitama

$181 17.9%

Herceg Novi

$183 14.6% 1.5% $2.7

Eating Out

Saitama

$120 11.9%

Herceg Novi

$187 14.8% 55.5% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Saitama

$84 8.3%

Herceg Novi

$72 5.7% 13.8% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Saitama

$80 8%

Herceg Novi

$129 10.3% 61% $49

Getting Around

Saitama

$30 * 3%

Herceg Novi

$59 4.7% 95.1% $29

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 $414 in Saitama and $661 in Herceg Novi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Saitama pays 43% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $31.00 in Saitama vs $37.00 in Herceg Novi. Groceries flip the comparison at $275 vs $226, with Herceg Novi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Saitama

🇲🇪 Herceg Novi

🕒 Local time

19:00 7:00 PM

12:00 12:00 PM

7 h behind Saitama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,182,115

11,059

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Saitama Herceg Novi 9,460 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Saitama
Herceg Novi

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 Herceg Novi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Saitama and Herceg Novi differ by about 23% in total monthly costs ($1,007 vs $1,234 including rent). Saitama is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 43% higher in Saitama, 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: $414 in Saitama versus $661 in Herceg Novi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $620 in Saitama versus $442 in Herceg Novi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Saitama – a meal for two runs $31.00 versus $37.00 in Herceg Novi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,007 in Saitama versus $1,234 in Herceg Novi, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Saitama but tight or insufficient in Herceg Novi. The gap between the two cities makes Saitama the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Saitama and Herceg Novi are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Saitama gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Herceg Novi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.