Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kawagoe and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Kawagoe: $1,084 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $20,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Kawagoe
Learn more

Kawagoe Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
Learn more

Melbourne Living Index

Jump to prices

Kawagoe

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,084

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,084 in Kawagoe versus $2,821 in Melbourne.

Kawagoe $1,084
Melbourne $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,747 in Kawagoe versus $4,235 in Melbourne.

Kawagoe $1,747
Melbourne $4,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,409 in Kawagoe versus $5,650 in Melbourne.

Kawagoe $2,409
Melbourne $5,650

Living in Kawagoe costs roughly 62% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kawagoe is 20% below, Melbourne is 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.38 ¥1,008

$17.43 A$25.08

-63.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.89 ¥6,460

$84.6 A$122

-51.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.02 ¥793

$12.46 A$17.92

-59.71%

Cappuccino

$3.41 ¥539

$4.11 A$5.91

-17.03%

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

$0.93 ¥146

$3.06 A$4.40

-69.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ¥78.0

$2.52 A$3.62

-80.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.92 ¥304

$9.80 A$14.10

-80.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 ¥417

$8.57 A$12.33

-69.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 ¥183

$1.48 A$2.14

-21.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.29 ¥203

$2.94 A$4.23

-56.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.59 ¥566

$2.66 A$3.82

34.96%

Eggs

$2.02 ¥320

$5.54 A$7.97

-63.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.14 ¥970

$10.51 A$15.13

-41.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.24 ¥987

$9.65 A$13.89

-35.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.67 ¥2,318

$15.22 A$21.91

-3.61%

Apples (1kg)

$5.61 ¥887

$3.99 A$5.75

40.60%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ¥364

$3.02 A$4.34

-23.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.81 ¥445

$3.10 A$4.46

-9.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.11 ¥492

$4.82 A$6.93

-35.48%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 ¥403

$3.03 A$4.36

-15.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 ¥296

$2.44 A$3.52

-23.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 ¥206

$2.46 A$3.54

-47.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 ¥117

$1.63 A$2.34

-54.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.86 ¥609

$44.07 A$63.4

-91.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.87 ¥770

$12.70 A$18.28

-61.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ¥275

$5.54 A$7.97

-68.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 ¥320

$5.23 A$7.52

-61.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.98 ¥471

$3.74 A$5.38

-20.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.7 ¥8,488

$138 A$198

-60.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.19 ¥504

$4.51 A$6.50

-29.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.73 ¥431

$1.36 A$1.96

100.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.42 ¥3,226

$30.45 A$43.81

-32.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥175

$1.47 A$2.12

-24.49%

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

$15.7K ¥2.5M

$29.0K A$41.7K

-45.76%

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

$12.9K ¥2.0M

$26.5K A$38.1K

-51.40%

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

$131 ¥20.7K

$234 A$336

-43.99%

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

$22.38 ¥3,536

$27.93 A$40.19

-19.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.77 ¥5,020

$55.7 A$80.2

-43.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.88 ¥6,932

$49.40 A$71.1

-11.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$32.08 ¥5,068

$21.48 A$30.91

49.35%

Cinema Ticket

$11.12 ¥1,757

$15.09 A$21.72

-26.31%

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

$315 ¥49.8K

$2,371 A$3,412

-86.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,305 ¥996.1K

$30.2K A$43.5K

-79.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.87 ¥5,035

$80.0 A$115

-60.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.30 ¥5,261

$50.7 A$73.0

-34.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$43.84 ¥6,926

$121 A$174

-63.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.3 ¥15.2K

$130 A$188

-26.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$417 ¥65.8K

$1,759 A$2,531

-76.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$273 ¥43.1K

$1,390 A$2,000

-80.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$844 ¥133.4K

$3,494 A$5,027

-75.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$594 ¥93.8K

$2,493 A$3,588

-76.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,561 ¥404.5K

$6,926 A$9,967

-63.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,760 ¥278.0K

$6,445 A$9,274

-72.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,614 ¥255.0K

$4,383 A$6,307

-63.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.6

5.9

-72.88%

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

Last update for Kawagoe: 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

Kawagoe

$273 25.2%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 409% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Kawagoe

$257 23.7%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 49.3% $127

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kawagoe

$185 17.1%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 71.5% $132

Eating Out

Kawagoe

$128 11.8%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 146% $187

Clothing & Footwear

Kawagoe

$92 8.5%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 85.9% $79

Getting Around

Kawagoe

$83 7.6%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 98.5% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Kawagoe

$66 6.1%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 20.4% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $417 in Kawagoe and $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 172% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $41.00 in Kawagoe vs $85.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $384 per month, with Kawagoe cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kawagoe

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

11:52 11:52 AM

13:52 1:52 PM

2 h ahead of Kawagoe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

350,745

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 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).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kawagoe Melbourne 8,220 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Kawagoe
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

Kawagoe vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kawagoe and Melbourne differ by about 160% in total monthly costs ($1,084 vs $2,821 including rent). Kawagoe is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 172% lower in Melbourne. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $417 in Kawagoe versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Kawagoe – a meal for two runs $41.00 versus $85.0 in Melbourne. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,084 per month in Kawagoe versus $2,821 in Melbourne – a 160% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,084 in Kawagoe versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kawagoe but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Kawagoe 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, Kawagoe 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 Kawagoe gentler on the wallet – expenses run 160% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.