Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sendai and Novi Sad

For one person, living is cheaper in Sendai: $1,161 a month against $1,384 in Novi Sad, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Sendai
Learn more

Sendai Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Novi Sad
Learn more

Novi Sad Living Index

Jump to prices

Sendai

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,161

/mo nomad

Novi Sad

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,384

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,161 in Sendai versus $1,384 in Novi Sad.

Sendai $1,161
Novi Sad $1,384

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,835 in Sendai versus $2,109 in Novi Sad.

Sendai $1,835
Novi Sad $2,109

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,510 in Sendai versus $2,835 in Novi Sad.

Sendai $2,510
Novi Sad $2,835

Living in Sendai costs roughly 16% less than in Novi Sad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.23 ¥984

$9.93 RSD 1,036

-37.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.65 ¥5,474

$49.93 RSD 5,205

-30.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.50 ¥711

$11.73 RSD 1,223

-61.64%

Cappuccino

$3.62 ¥571

$2.75 RSD 287

31.64%

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

$0.94 ¥149

$2.42 RSD 253

-61.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 ¥124

$1.83 RSD 191

-57.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.87 ¥295

$2.93 RSD 306

-36.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 ¥505

$3.79 RSD 395

-15.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 ¥229

$1.43 RSD 149

1.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ¥227

$1.02 RSD 106

41.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.64 ¥1,048

$2.74 RSD 286

142.34%

Eggs

$2.09 ¥330

$2.58 RSD 269

-18.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.89 ¥1,721

$13.18 RSD 1,374

-17.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.91 ¥1,881

$7.15 RSD 745

66.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.00 ¥1,422

$14.05 RSD 1,464

-35.94%

Apples (1kg)

$3.55 ¥560

$1.76 RSD 184

101.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ¥348

$1.97 RSD 205

11.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.47 ¥707

$1.62 RSD 169

175.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 ¥512

$2.47 RSD 258

31.17%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 ¥407

$1.03 RSD 107

150.49%

Onion (1kg)

$2.27 ¥358

$0.63 RSD 65.4

260.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 ¥222

$0.94 RSD 97.8

50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 ¥198

$0.68 RSD 71.2

83.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.44 ¥701

$4.63 RSD 483

-4.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.01 ¥1,107

$7.70 RSD 803

-8.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 ¥248

$0.91 RSD 94.9

72.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 ¥413

$2.30 RSD 240

13.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 ¥232

$0.93 RSD 97.0

58.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.26 ¥5,886

$24.42 RSD 2,546

52.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.23 ¥826

$2.27 RSD 236

130.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.89 RSD 92.7

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.42 ¥2,910

$10.41 RSD 1,085

76.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥168

$1.88 RSD 196

-43.62%

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

$15.8K ¥2.5M

$31.0K RSD 3.2M

-48.98%

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

$24.8K ¥3.9M

$23.6K RSD 2.5M

5.22%

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

$138 ¥21.8K

$221 RSD 23.1K

-37.62%

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

$30.52 ¥4,822

$20.70 RSD 2,158

47.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.78 ¥5,495

$34.22 RSD 3,567

1.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.60 ¥7,046

$36.77 RSD 3,834

21.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.84 ¥2,029

$11.08 RSD 1,155

15.88%

Cinema Ticket

$10.07 ¥1,590

$7.27 RSD 758

38.51%

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

$229 ¥36.2K

$376 RSD 39.2K

-39.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,792 ¥599.0K

$7,613 RSD 793.6K

-50.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 ¥8,868

$117 RSD 12.2K

-52.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.92 ¥5,359

$44.26 RSD 4,614

-23.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$35.34 ¥5,583

$136 RSD 14.1K

-73.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.5 ¥8,455

$125 RSD 13.0K

-57.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$560 ¥88.4K

$485 RSD 50.5K

15.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$327 ¥51.7K

$401 RSD 41.8K

-18.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$692 ¥109.4K

$959 RSD 99.9K

-27.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 ¥112.9K

$743 RSD 77.5K

-3.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,638 ¥416.8K

$3,588 RSD 374.1K

-26.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,424 ¥225.0K

$2,664 RSD 277.7K

-46.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$996 ¥157.3K

$1,223 RSD 127.5K

-18.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.73

5.17

-47.20%

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

Last update for Sendai: October 19, 2026

Last update for Novi Sad: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sendai

$327 28.2%

Novi Sad

$401 29% 22.6% $74

Groceries & Markets

Sendai

$308 26.5%

Novi Sad

$244 17.6% 20.9% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sendai

$203 17.5%

Novi Sad

$276 20% 35.8% $73

Eating Out

Sendai

$129 11.1%

Novi Sad

$187 13.5% 44.5% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Sendai

$81 6.9%

Novi Sad

$190 13.7% 136% $110

Sport & Entertainment

Sendai

$65 5.6%

Novi Sad

$51 3.7% 20.7% $13

Getting Around

Sendai

$48 * 4.2%

Novi Sad

$35 2.5% 27.9% $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 $560 in Sendai and $485 in Novi Sad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Novi Sad pays 23% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $35.00 in Sendai vs $50.0 in Novi Sad. Groceries flip the comparison at $308 vs $244, with Novi Sad cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Sendai

🇷🇸 Novi Sad

🕒 Local time

19:49 7:49 PM

12:49 12:49 PM

7 h behind Sendai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,082,159

260,438

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Sendai
Novi Sad

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

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

Sendai is cheaper overall, especially in eating out and clothing. The 19% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 23% lower in Novi Sad. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $560 in Sendai versus $485 in Novi Sad. 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 $35.00 versus $50.0 in Novi Sad. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,161 per month in Sendai versus $1,384 in Novi Sad – a 19% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,161 in Sendai versus $1,384 in Novi Sad, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sendai but tight or insufficient in Novi Sad. The gap between the two cities makes Sendai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Sendai is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Novi Sad, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Sendai and Novi Sad 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 Sendai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Novi Sad. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.