Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saitama and Queretaro

For one person, living is cheaper in Saitama: $1,003 a month against $1,417 in Queretaro, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 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
69

Cost of Living Index in Queretaro
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Queretaro Living Index

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Saitama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,003

/mo nomad

Queretaro

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,417

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Saitama and in Queretaro

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

A single person spends $1,003 per month in Saitama vs $1,417 in Queretaro, rent included.

Saitama $1,003
Queretaro $1,417

A couple spends around $1,327 per month in Saitama vs $2,165 in Queretaro, rent included.

Saitama $1,327
Queretaro $2,165

A family of three spends $1,650 per month in Saitama vs $2,913 in Queretaro, rent included.

Saitama $1,650
Queretaro $2,913

Saitama is about 29% cheaper than Queretaro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Saitama sits 26% below the global median, while Queretaro is 5% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.50 ¥869

$11.14 MX$206

-50.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.36 ¥4,955

$62.1 MX$1,148

-49.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.80 ¥758

$9.50 MX$176

-49.47%

Cappuccino

$2.92 ¥461

$3.66 MX$67.7

-20.22%

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

$0.70 ¥111

$1.59 MX$29.35

-55.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥92.0

$1.08 MX$19.97

-46.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.51 ¥396

$3.28 MX$60.6

-23.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 ¥511

$5.41 MX$100

-40.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 ¥220

$1.96 MX$36.26

-29.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 ¥259

$2.74 MX$50.5

-40.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.76 ¥436

$2.01 MX$37.11

37.31%

Eggs

$2.00 ¥315

$2.65 MX$48.95

-24.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.18 ¥1,609

$8.64 MX$160

17.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.44 ¥859

$8.82 MX$163

-38.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.20 ¥2,243

$13.45 MX$249

5.58%

Apples (1kg)

$5.61 ¥887

$3.46 MX$64.0

62.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 ¥342

$1.64 MX$30.31

31.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ¥459

$2.19 MX$40.45

32.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 ¥678

$1.97 MX$36.36

117.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 ¥395

$1.86 MX$34.30

34.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 ¥255

$1.74 MX$32.18

-7.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 ¥205

$1.48 MX$27.43

-12.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ¥114

$1.20 MX$22.09

-40.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.89 ¥615

$4.45 MX$82.2

-12.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.45 ¥1,018

$17.98 MX$332

-64.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 ¥284

$2.16 MX$39.99

-16.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 ¥318

$3.82 MX$70.6

-47.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.32 ¥525

$0.58 MX$10.70

472.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.87 MX$478

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 ¥512

$3.20 MX$59.1

1.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.63 ¥416

$2.54 MX$46.95

3.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.14 ¥3,181

$10.92 MX$202

84.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ¥174

$1.55 MX$28.70

-29.03%

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

$21.4K ¥3.4M

$21.5K MX$397.5K

-0.33%

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

$14.2K ¥2.2M

$23.6K MX$436.3K

-40.00%

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

$133 ¥21.0K

$57.2 MX$1,057

132.07%

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

$18.15 ¥2,867

$26.92 MX$497

-32.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.67 ¥5,162

$24.48 MX$452

33.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.7 ¥9,909

$57.5 MX$1,063

9.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.36 MX$450

Cinema Ticket

$11.09 ¥1,752

$7.43 MX$137

49.26%

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

$634 ¥100.1K

$263 MX$4,869

140.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.5K ¥2.3M

$5,015 MX$92.7K

190.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.01 ¥5,531

$51.7 MX$956

-32.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.25 ¥3,989

$44.24 MX$818

-42.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$55.0 ¥8,686

$99.9 MX$1,847

-44.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$62.6 ¥9,891

$99.7 MX$1,843

-37.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$413 ¥65.3K

$836 MX$15.4K

-50.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$233 ¥36.8K

$554 MX$10.2K

-57.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,463 MX$27.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$824 MX$15.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,253 MX$41.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,275 MX$23.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,550 ¥244.9K

$910 MX$16.8K

70.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.06

11.99

-82.82%

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

Last update for Saitama: October 11, 2026

Last update for Queretaro: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Saitama

$274 27.4%

Queretaro

$305 21.6% 11.4% $31

Accommodation & Living

Saitama

$233 23.2%

Queretaro

$554 39.1% 138% $321

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saitama

$184 18.3%

Queretaro

$109 7.7% 40.8% $75

Eating Out

Saitama

$118 11.7%

Queretaro

$199 14.1% 69.7% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Saitama

$85 8.5%

Queretaro

$72 5.1% 14.7% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Saitama

$80 8%

Queretaro

$133 9.4% 66.2% $53

Getting Around

Saitama

$30 * 3%

Queretaro

$44 3.1% 48.5% $14

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $413 in Saitama versus $836 in Queretaro. 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 70% 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 $62.0 in Queretaro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $274 vs $305 – making Saitama the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Saitama

🇲🇽 Queretaro

🕒 Local time

22:52 10:52 PM

07:52 7:52 AM

15 h behind Saitama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,182,115

804,663

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.78 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Saitama Queretaro 11,110 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Saitama
Queretaro

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 Queretaro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Queretaro costs about 41% more than Saitama, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,504 per month in Saitama and $2,125 in Queretaro. 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 $62.0 in Queretaro. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 11% more in Queretaro, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Saitama, where all-in costs run around $1,003, than in Queretaro at $1,417. In Saitama it covers expenses comfortably, while in Queretaro it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Saitama costs $1,003 versus $1,417 in Queretaro. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Queretaro makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.