Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ichikawa and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Ichikawa: $1,167 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $19,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Ichikawa
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Ichikawa Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Ichikawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,167

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ichikawa 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 Ichikawa and in Melbourne actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,167 in Ichikawa versus $2,821 in Melbourne.

Ichikawa $1,167
Melbourne $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,876 in Ichikawa versus $4,235 in Melbourne.

Ichikawa $1,876
Melbourne $4,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,585 in Ichikawa versus $5,650 in Melbourne.

Ichikawa $2,585
Melbourne $5,650

Living in Ichikawa costs roughly 59% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ichikawa is 14% below, Melbourne is 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.13 ¥811

$17.43 A$25.08

-70.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.09 ¥4,912

$84.6 A$122

-63.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.30 ¥680

$12.46 A$17.92

-65.49%

Cappuccino

$2.23 ¥352

$4.11 A$5.91

-45.74%

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

$0.72 ¥113

$3.06 A$4.40

-76.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥55.7

$2.52 A$3.62

-86.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.50 ¥395

$9.80 A$14.10

-74.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ¥502

$8.57 A$12.33

-62.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 ¥218

$1.48 A$2.14

-6.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 ¥261

$2.94 A$4.23

-43.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.66 ¥578

$2.66 A$3.82

37.59%

Eggs

$1.97 ¥311

$5.54 A$7.97

-64.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.53 ¥1,663

$10.51 A$15.13

0.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.86 ¥926

$9.65 A$13.89

-39.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.38 ¥2,272

$15.22 A$21.91

-5.52%

Apples (1kg)

$5.53 ¥874

$3.99 A$5.75

38.60%

Banana (1kg)

$2.80 ¥442

$3.02 A$4.34

-7.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.81 ¥444

$3.10 A$4.46

-9.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.26 ¥673

$4.82 A$6.93

-11.62%

Potato (1kg)

$2.61 ¥413

$3.03 A$4.36

-13.86%

Onion (1kg)

$2.56 ¥404

$2.44 A$3.52

4.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 ¥202

$2.46 A$3.54

-47.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ¥118

$1.63 A$2.34

-53.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.73 ¥590

$44.07 A$63.4

-91.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.38 ¥1,007

$12.70 A$18.28

-49.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ¥281

$5.54 A$7.97

-67.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ¥320

$5.23 A$7.52

-61.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 ¥213

$3.74 A$5.38

-63.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.9 ¥9,457

$138 A$198

-56.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 ¥494

$4.51 A$6.50

-30.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.73 ¥432

$1.36 A$1.96

100.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.59 ¥3,253

$30.45 A$43.81

-32.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ¥166

$1.47 A$2.12

-28.57%

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

$21.2K ¥3.4M

$29.0K A$41.7K

-26.87%

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

$18.5K ¥2.9M

$26.5K A$38.1K

-30.02%

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

$132 ¥20.8K

$234 A$336

-43.58%

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

$23.97 ¥3,788

$27.93 A$40.19

-14.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.98 ¥5,052

$55.7 A$80.2

-42.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.04 ¥7,431

$49.40 A$71.1

-4.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$12.80 ¥2,022

$15.09 A$21.72

-15.18%

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

$642 ¥101.4K

$2,371 A$3,412

-72.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K ¥2.3M

$30.2K A$43.5K

-51.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.0 ¥9,801

$80.0 A$115

-22.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.27 ¥5,889

$50.7 A$73.0

-26.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.5 ¥9,559

$121 A$174

-49.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 ¥16.1K

$130 A$188

-21.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$495 ¥78.3K

$1,759 A$2,531

-71.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$317 ¥50.1K

$1,390 A$2,000

-77.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,186 ¥187.3K

$3,494 A$5,027

-66.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$763 ¥120.5K

$2,493 A$3,588

-69.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,455 ¥703.9K

$6,926 A$9,967

-35.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,881 ¥297.2K

$6,445 A$9,274

-70.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.64

5.9

-55.25%

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

Last update for Ichikawa: October 13, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ichikawa

$317 27.1%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 339% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Ichikawa

$287 24.6%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 34% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ichikawa

$188 16.1%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 69% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Ichikawa

$118 10.1%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 45.9% $54

Eating Out

Ichikawa

$104 8.9%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 203% $211

Getting Around

Ichikawa

$82 7%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 99.6% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Ichikawa

$73 6.2%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 9.6% $7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $495 in Ichikawa and $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $31.00 in Ichikawa vs $85.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $287 vs $384 per month, with Ichikawa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Ichikawa

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

04:28 4:28 AM

06:28 6:28 AM

2 h ahead of Ichikawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

496,676

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 →

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Between locations

Ichikawa Melbourne 8,190 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Ichikawa
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

Ichikawa vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ichikawa and Melbourne differ by about 142% in total monthly costs ($1,167 vs $2,821 including rent). Ichikawa is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,751 in Ichikawa and $4,231 in Melbourne to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $495 in Ichikawa versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Ichikawa – a meal for two runs $31.00 versus $85.0 in Melbourne. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,167 in Ichikawa versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ichikawa but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Ichikawa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Ichikawa and Melbourne 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 Ichikawa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 142% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.