Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Australia and Japan

Name: Japan
Address: JP

For one person, living is cheaper in Japan: $1,297 a month against $2,539 in Australia, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Australia
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Australia Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Japan
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Japan Living Index

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🇦🇺 Australia

$2,539

/mo nomad

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,297

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Australia and in Japan

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

A single person spends $2,539 per month in Australia vs $1,297 in Japan, rent included.

Australia $2,539
Japan $1,297

A couple spends around $3,716 per month in Australia vs $1,998 in Japan, rent included.

Australia $3,716
Japan $1,998

A family of three spends $4,892 per month in Australia vs $2,699 in Japan, rent included.

Australia $4,892
Japan $2,699

The regional cost range is wider in Australia ($1,635–$3,245) than in Japan ($724–$1,648), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Australia is about 96% higher than in Japan on average.

Australia sits 87% above the global median, while Japan is 4% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.35 A$24.97

$6.39 ¥1,010

171.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.5 A$122

$32.17 ¥5,082

162.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 A$15.79

$5.17 ¥816

112.38%

Cappuccino

$3.84 A$5.53

$3.07 ¥486

25.08%

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

$2.89 A$4.16

$1.16 ¥183

149.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 A$3.29

$0.79 ¥125

189.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.79 A$11.21

$3.24 ¥512

140.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.42 A$12.12

$3.70 ¥585

127.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 A$2.52

$1.48 ¥233

18.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.44 ¥228

93.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 A$3.33

$4.77 ¥754

-51.57%

Eggs

$4.89 A$7.04

$2.09 ¥331

133.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.95 A$14.32

$11.54 ¥1,823

-13.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.06 A$13.03

$6.05 ¥956

49.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.92 A$21.46

$17.21 ¥2,718

-13.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.65 A$5.25

$4.80 ¥758

-23.96%

Banana (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$2.41 ¥380

25.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.24 A$4.66

$4.11 ¥649

-21.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.69 A$6.76

$4.40 ¥695

6.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.85 A$4.11

$2.74 ¥433

4.01%

Onion (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.34

$2.58 ¥408

-10.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 A$3.50

$1.26 ¥199

92.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 A$2.39

$0.82 ¥130

102.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$38.47 A$55.4

$3.99 ¥630

864.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.84 A$19.92

$7.35 ¥1,161

88.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.87 A$7.01

$1.92 ¥303

153.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.28 A$7.59

$2.59 ¥409

103.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.71 A$3.90

$1.40 ¥222

93.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.0 A$135

$58.4 ¥9,225

60.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.57 A$5.14

$3.68 ¥582

-2.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 A$2.35

$3.21 ¥507

-49.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.04 A$57.6

$19.82 ¥3,131

102.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 A$1.91

$1.06 ¥168

25.47%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$21.7K ¥3.4M

34.43%

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

$25.7K A$37.0K

$15.8K ¥2.5M

62.98%

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

$205 A$296

$151 ¥23.9K

36.03%

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

$28.24 A$40.63

$24.37 ¥3,851

15.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 A$82.0

$32.59 ¥5,149

74.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.4 A$79.7

$52.1 ¥8,228

6.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.46 A$28.01

$18.37 ¥2,903

5.93%

Cinema Ticket

$15.06 A$21.66

$12.39 ¥1,957

21.55%

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

$2,097 A$3,017

$529 ¥83.7K

295.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K A$26.0K

$11.8K ¥1.9M

53.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.0 A$112

$46.12 ¥7,287

69.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 A$79.6

$29.36 ¥4,639

88.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 A$161

$61.7 ¥9,750

81.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 A$175

$77.2 ¥12.2K

57.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,559 A$2,244

$565 ¥89.3K

175.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,215 A$1,748

$389 ¥61.4K

212.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,435 A$3,504

$1,321 ¥208.8K

84.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,924 A$2,769

$761 ¥120.3K

152.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,175 A$11.8K

$5,415 ¥855.5K

50.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,060 A$8,721

$2,746 ¥433.8K

120.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,038 A$5,811

$2,068 ¥326.6K

95.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.94

2.13

178.87%

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

Last update for Australia: October 19, 2026

Last update for Japan: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Australia

$1.2K 47.8%

Japan

$389 30% 68% $826

Groceries & Markets

Australia

$372 14.7%

Japan

$308 23.7% 17.3% $64

Eating Out

Australia

$294 11.6%

Japan

$135 10.4% 54.2% $159

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Australia

$291 11.4%

Japan

$208 16% 28.4% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Australia

$165 6.5%

Japan

$96 7.4% 41.6% $69

Getting Around

Australia

$117 4.6%

Japan

$84 6.5% 28.2% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Australia

$85 3.4%

Japan

$77 5.9% 10.1% $8.6

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,364 in Australia vs $522 in Japan. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,719 in Canberra and $1,288 in Tokyo.

Average salary: $3,853 in Australia vs $1,926 in Japan. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 161% higher in Australia.

Dining out costs 148% more in Australia.

Public transport is 47% more expensive in Australia.

Salaries are 100% higher in Australia.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Australia

🇯🇵 Japan

🕒 Local time

18:14 6:14 PM

16:14 4:14 PM

2 h behind Australia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,473,055

125,440,000

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Between locations

Australia Japan 7,950 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Australia
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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

Australia vs Japan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Japan is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 96% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Australia: a central one-bedroom averages $1,364 versus $522 in Japan.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Japan, adding to the overall 96% price gap.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Japan, but in Australia it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Japan is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.