Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Asahikawa and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Asahikawa: $1,159 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $19,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Asahikawa
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Asahikawa Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Asahikawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,159

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Asahikawa and in Melbourne

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

A single person spends $1,159 per month in Asahikawa vs $2,821 in Melbourne, rent included.

Asahikawa $1,159
Melbourne $2,821

A couple spends around $1,832 per month in Asahikawa vs $4,235 in Melbourne, rent included.

Asahikawa $1,832
Melbourne $4,235

A family of three spends $2,506 per month in Asahikawa vs $5,650 in Melbourne, rent included.

Asahikawa $2,506
Melbourne $5,650

Asahikawa is about 59% cheaper than Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Asahikawa sits 14% below the global median, while Melbourne is 109% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.40 ¥853

$17.43 A$25.08

-69.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.56 ¥5,618

$84.6 A$122

-57.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 ¥873

$12.46 A$17.92

-55.62%

Cappuccino

$2.94 ¥465

$4.11 A$5.91

-28.47%

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

$1.16 ¥184

$3.06 A$4.40

-62.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 ¥120

$2.52 A$3.62

-69.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.86 ¥451

$9.80 A$14.10

-70.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 ¥544

$8.57 A$12.33

-59.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 ¥255

$1.48 A$2.14

8.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 ¥240

$2.94 A$4.23

-48.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.77 ¥595

$2.66 A$3.82

41.73%

Eggs

$2.06 ¥326

$5.54 A$7.97

-62.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.07 ¥1,749

$10.51 A$15.13

5.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 ¥944

$9.65 A$13.89

-38.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.60 ¥2,938

$15.22 A$21.91

22.21%

Apples (1kg)

$3.45 ¥545

$3.99 A$5.75

-13.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.35 ¥372

$3.02 A$4.34

-22.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.83 ¥448

$3.10 A$4.46

-8.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 ¥747

$4.82 A$6.93

-1.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.28 ¥360

$3.03 A$4.36

-24.75%

Onion (1kg)

$2.62 ¥413

$2.44 A$3.52

7.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ¥181

$2.46 A$3.54

-53.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ¥138

$1.63 A$2.34

-46.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.46 ¥705

$44.07 A$63.4

-89.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.16 ¥1,130

$12.70 A$18.28

-43.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 ¥277

$5.54 A$7.97

-68.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ¥358

$5.23 A$7.52

-56.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 ¥204

$3.74 A$5.38

-65.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.6 ¥9,570

$138 A$198

-55.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.36 ¥531

$4.51 A$6.50

-25.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.74 ¥433

$1.36 A$1.96

101.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.41 ¥2,751

$30.45 A$43.81

-42.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥168

$1.47 A$2.12

-27.89%

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

$21.9K ¥3.5M

$29.0K A$41.7K

-24.35%

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

$13.5K ¥2.1M

$26.5K A$38.1K

-49.03%

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

$117 ¥18.5K

$234 A$336

-49.90%

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

$25.69 ¥4,059

$27.93 A$40.19

-8.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.71 ¥4,378

$55.7 A$80.2

-50.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.78 ¥7,864

$49.40 A$71.1

0.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$13.53 ¥2,138

$15.09 A$21.72

-10.34%

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

$500 ¥79.0K

$2,371 A$3,412

-78.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K ¥1.9M

$30.2K A$43.5K

-59.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.15 ¥7,607

$80.0 A$115

-39.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.48 ¥5,290

$50.7 A$73.0

-33.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.1 ¥10.4K

$121 A$174

-45.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.5 ¥13.5K

$130 A$188

-34.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$453 ¥71.6K

$1,759 A$2,531

-74.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$306 ¥48.3K

$1,390 A$2,000

-78.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,104 ¥174.4K

$3,494 A$5,027

-68.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$640 ¥101.1K

$2,493 A$3,588

-74.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,448 ¥702.8K

$6,926 A$9,967

-35.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,801 ¥284.5K

$6,445 A$9,274

-72.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.21

5.9

-62.54%

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

Last update for Asahikawa: October 11, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Asahikawa

$306 26.4%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 355% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Asahikawa

$295 25.4%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 30.3% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Asahikawa

$170 14.7%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 86.2% $147

Eating Out

Asahikawa

$124 10.7%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 154% $191

Clothing & Footwear

Asahikawa

$105 9.1%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 63.7% $67

Getting Around

Asahikawa

$83 7.1%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 97.8% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Asahikawa

$77 6.6%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 3.6% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $453 in Asahikawa versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36.00 in Asahikawa versus $85.0 in Melbourne. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $384 – making Asahikawa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Asahikawa

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

12:23 12:23 PM

14:23 2:23 PM

2 h ahead of Asahikawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

329,306

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Asahikawa Melbourne 9,080 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Asahikawa
Melbourne

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

Asahikawa vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,159 in Asahikawa, $2,821 in Melbourne – roughly 143% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,739 per month in Asahikawa and $4,231 in Melbourne. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Asahikawa, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 127% less in Asahikawa. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $500 per month in Asahikawa and $2,371 in Melbourne. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Asahikawa, where all-in costs run around $1,159, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Asahikawa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Asahikawa – 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 Asahikawa. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Melbourne makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.