Cost of living comparison
compared to
Saitama vs. Athens Cost of Living Summary
Saitama is 14.2% cheaper than Athens.
- Restaurants
-
pay 45.9% less in Saitama
- Groceries
-
pay 43.6% more in Saitama
- Transportation
-
pay 3.5% more in Saitama
- Housing
-
pay 35.0% less in Saitama
- Childcare
-
pay 3.3% more in Saitama
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 19.0% less in Saitama
- Clothing
-
pay 49.9% less in Saitama
The cost of groceries, transportation, and childcare in Saitama are more expensive than in Athens. Expenses including clothing, restaurants, housing, and entertainment and sports are lower in Saitama.
Saitama vs. Athens Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Saitama instead of Athens, you would:
pay 45.9% less for restaurants
|
Athens
|
Saitama
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.52
€15.05
|
$5.68
¥882
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.51
€9.03
|
$4.68
¥727
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.48
€2.13
|
$0.74
¥114
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.62
€0.53
|
$0.68
¥106
|
|
Athens vs. Saitama - Cost of restaurants
pay 43.6% more for groceries
|
Athens
|
Saitama
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.39
€1.19
|
$1.75
¥272
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.54
€6.47
|
$4.86
¥755
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.20
€6.18
|
$5.51
¥857
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.70
€4.04
|
$2.21
¥343
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.85
€4.16
|
$2.64
¥410
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.03
€0.88
|
$2.63
¥408
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.97
€0.83
|
$1.06
¥164
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.71
€0.61
|
$1.76
¥273
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.07
€0.92
|
$2.64
¥410
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.67
€0.57
|
$1.44
¥224
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.57
€0.49
|
$0.76
¥118
|
|
Athens vs. Saitama - Cost of groceries
pay 3.5% more for transportation
|
Athens
|
Saitama
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$7.94
€6.82
|
$4.43
¥688
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$35.04
€30.09
|
?? | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$29,198.27
€25,075.80
|
$22,332.63
¥3,469,597
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.02
€12.04
|
$24.99
¥3,883
|
|
Athens vs. Saitama - Cost of transportation
pay 35.0% less for housing
|
Athens
|
Saitama
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$34.45
€29.59
|
$32.74
¥5,087
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$685.67
€588.86
|
$417.65
¥64,886
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$609.10
€523.10
|
$245.02
¥38,067
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$165.77
€142.37
|
$105.54
¥16,396
|
|
Athens vs. Saitama - Cost of housing
pay 3.3% more for childcare
|
Athens
|
Saitama
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$566.82
€486.79
|
$271.75
¥42,219
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$11,581.98
€9,946.73
|
$18,376.64
¥2,854,995
|
|
Athens vs. Saitama - Cost of childcare
pay 19.0% less for entertainment and sports
|
Athens
|
Saitama
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.84
€5.02
|
$2.00
¥311
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.12
€3.54
|
$3.01
¥467
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$5.84
€5.02
|
$4.01
¥623
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$56.30
€48.35
|
$66.16
¥10,278
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$10.51
€9.03
|
$11.69
¥1,817
|
|
Athens vs. Saitama - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 49.9% less for clothing
|
Athens
|
Saitama
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$101.47
€87.15
|
$36.75
¥5,710
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$47.68
€40.95
|
$26.73
¥4,153
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$105.26
€90.40
|
$57.87
¥8,991
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$125.94
€108.16
|
$66.82
¥10,382
|
|
Athens vs. Saitama - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
Change currency:
Compare countries by overall cost of living
See the
cost of living in Greece vs. Japan.
This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Greece and Japan.
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Saitama or Athens. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.