Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kashiwa and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Kashiwa: $1,230 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $19,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Kashiwa
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,230
/mo nomad
Melbourne
🇦🇺 Australia
$2,821
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,230 per month in Kashiwa vs $2,821 in Melbourne, rent included.

  • Kashiwa $1,230
  • Melbourne $2,821

A couple spends around $1,857 per month in Kashiwa vs $4,235 in Melbourne, rent included.

  • Kashiwa $1,857
  • Melbourne $4,235

A family of three spends $2,484 per month in Kashiwa vs $5,650 in Melbourne, rent included.

  • Kashiwa $2,484
  • Melbourne $5,650

Kashiwa is about 56% cheaper than Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Kashiwa sits 9% below the global median, while Melbourne is 109% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kashiwa
Melbourne
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.44 ¥1,018
$17.43 A$25.08
-63.05%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$24.90 ¥3,933
$84.6 A$122
-70.55%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.13 ¥811
$12.46 A$17.92
-58.83%
Cappuccino
$3.46 ¥546
$4.11 A$5.91
-15.82%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.69 ¥108
$3.06 A$4.40
-77.45%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.79 ¥125
$2.52 A$3.62
-68.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.47 ¥391
$9.80 A$14.10
-74.80%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.13 ¥494
$8.57 A$12.33
-63.48%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kashiwa
Melbourne
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.22 ¥193
$1.48 A$2.14
-17.57%
White Bread (500g)
$1.13 ¥179
$2.94 A$4.23
-61.56%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.59 ¥567
$2.66 A$3.82
34.96%
Eggs
$1.86 ¥293
$5.54 A$7.97
-66.43%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.39 ¥1,010
$10.51 A$15.13
-39.20%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.06 ¥958
$9.65 A$13.89
-37.20%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.37 ¥1,480
$15.22 A$21.91
-38.44%
Apples (1kg)
$5.66 ¥893
$3.99 A$5.75
41.85%
Banana (1kg)
$2.71 ¥428
$3.02 A$4.34
-10.26%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.94 ¥465
$3.10 A$4.46
-5.16%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.09 ¥646
$4.82 A$6.93
-15.15%
Potato (1kg)
$2.49 ¥394
$3.03 A$4.36
-17.82%
Onion (1kg)
$2.64 ¥417
$2.44 A$3.52
8.20%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.60 ¥95.4
$2.46 A$3.54
-75.61%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.61 ¥96.6
$1.63 A$2.34
-62.58%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.88 ¥614
$44.07 A$63.4
-91.20%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.35 ¥1,003
$12.70 A$18.28
-50.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.80 ¥284
$5.54 A$7.97
-67.51%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.91 ¥301
$5.23 A$7.52
-63.48%
🚌 Getting Around
Kashiwa
Melbourne
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.44 ¥228
$3.74 A$5.38
-61.50%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$53.4 ¥8,439
$138 A$198
-61.15%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.10 ¥490
$4.51 A$6.50
-31.26%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.56 ¥246
$1.36 A$1.96
14.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$20.60 ¥3,255
$30.45 A$43.81
-32.35%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.00 ¥159
$1.47 A$2.12
-31.97%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.6K ¥3.4M
$29.0K A$41.7K
-25.39%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$18.5K ¥2.9M
$26.5K A$38.1K
-30.22%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kashiwa
Melbourne
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$127 ¥20.1K
$234 A$336
-45.64%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.24 ¥3,830
$27.93 A$40.19
-13.21%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$31.65 ¥5,000
$55.7 A$80.2
-43.22%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kashiwa
Melbourne
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52.9 ¥8,356
$49.40 A$71.1
7.06%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$21.48 A$30.91
-
Cinema Ticket
$12.83 ¥2,027
$15.09 A$21.72
-14.98%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kashiwa
Melbourne
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$628 ¥99.2K
$2,371 A$3,412
-73.53%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.7K ¥2.3M
$30.2K A$43.5K
-51.42%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kashiwa
Melbourne
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.1 ¥9,813
$80.0 A$115
-22.33%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$37.38 ¥5,906
$50.7 A$73.0
-26.27%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$61.5 ¥9,714
$121 A$174
-49.02%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$101 ¥15.9K
$130 A$188
-22.74%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kashiwa
Melbourne
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$523 ¥82.6K
$1,759 A$2,531
-70.28%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$400 ¥63.2K
$1,390 A$2,000
-71.21%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,123 ¥177.5K
$3,494 A$5,027
-67.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$743 ¥117.5K
$2,493 A$3,588
-70.18%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,183 ¥660.9K
$6,926 A$9,967
-39.60%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,934 ¥305.5K
$6,445 A$9,274
-69.99%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kashiwa
Melbourne
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,653 ¥419.2K
$4,383 A$6,307
-39.46%
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 Kashiwa: October 12, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Kashiwa
$400
Melbourne
$1.4K 247% $990
Groceries & Markets
Kashiwa
$248
Melbourne
$384 55.1% $136
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kashiwa
$183
Melbourne
$317 73.5% $134
Eating Out
Kashiwa
$133
Melbourne
$315 137% $182
Clothing & Footwear
Kashiwa
$118
Melbourne
$172 45.8% $54
Sport & Entertainment
Kashiwa
$79
Melbourne
$80 1.3% $1
Getting Around
Kashiwa
$70
Melbourne
$164 134% $94

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $523 in Kashiwa 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.

Salaries run about 65% higher in Melbourne, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25.00 in Kashiwa versus $85.0 in Melbourne. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $248 vs $384 – making Kashiwa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇯🇵 Kashiwa
🇦🇺 Melbourne
🕒 Local time
23:09 11:09 PM
01:09 1:09 AM
2 h ahead of Kashiwa
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
417,394
5,031,195
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 19, 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Kashiwa Melbourne 8,210 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Kashiwa
  • 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
Kashiwa vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Kashiwa and in Melbourne compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,230 in Kashiwa, $2,821 in Melbourne – roughly 129% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Kashiwa compared to Melbourne?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,845 per month in Kashiwa and $4,231 in Melbourne. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Kashiwa and Melbourne?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Kashiwa, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Kashiwa and Melbourne?
Kindergarten costs $628 per month in Kashiwa and $2,371 in Melbourne. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 55% more in Melbourne, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kashiwa, where all-in costs run around $1,230, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Kashiwa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Kashiwa and Melbourne?
It depends on your priorities. Kashiwa has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,230 in Kashiwa to $2,821 in Melbourne. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Kashiwa or Melbourne safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Kashiwa and Melbourne?
If budget matters most, go with Kashiwa. 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.

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