Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kawasaki and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Kawasaki: $1,481 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $16,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

72

Cost of Living Index in Kawasaki
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Kawasaki Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Kawasaki

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,481

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,481 per month in Kawasaki vs $2,821 in Melbourne, rent included.

Kawasaki $1,481
Melbourne $2,821

A couple spends around $2,245 per month in Kawasaki vs $4,235 in Melbourne, rent included.

Kawasaki $2,245
Melbourne $4,235

A family of three spends $3,009 per month in Kawasaki vs $5,650 in Melbourne, rent included.

Kawasaki $3,009
Melbourne $5,650

Kawasaki is about 47% cheaper than Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Kawasaki and Melbourne sit above the global median – Kawasaki by 10%, Melbourne by 109%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.72 ¥1,220

$17.43 A$25.08

-55.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.50 ¥5,924

$84.6 A$122

-55.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.02 ¥793

$12.46 A$17.92

-59.71%

Cappuccino

$2.69 ¥426

$4.11 A$5.91

-34.55%

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

$1.59 ¥251

$3.06 A$4.40

-48.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 ¥137

$2.52 A$3.62

-65.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.22 ¥509

$9.80 A$14.10

-67.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 ¥484

$8.57 A$12.33

-64.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 ¥241

$1.48 A$2.14

2.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 ¥244

$2.94 A$4.23

-47.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.23 ¥669

$2.66 A$3.82

59.02%

Eggs

$2.11 ¥333

$5.54 A$7.97

-61.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.09 ¥1,751

$10.51 A$15.13

5.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.63 ¥1,047

$9.65 A$13.89

-31.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.37 ¥2,587

$15.22 A$21.91

7.56%

Apples (1kg)

$6.27 ¥991

$3.99 A$5.75

57.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.71 ¥428

$3.02 A$4.34

-10.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.95 ¥783

$3.10 A$4.46

59.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.33 ¥842

$4.82 A$6.93

10.58%

Potato (1kg)

$3.27 ¥517

$3.03 A$4.36

7.92%

Onion (1kg)

$3.06 ¥483

$2.44 A$3.52

25.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 ¥179

$2.46 A$3.54

-53.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥130

$1.63 A$2.34

-49.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.83 ¥605

$44.07 A$63.4

-91.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.39 ¥1,483

$12.70 A$18.28

-26.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.39 ¥377

$5.54 A$7.97

-56.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 ¥429

$5.23 A$7.52

-48.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.90 ¥300

$3.74 A$5.38

-49.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$51.1 ¥8,072

$138 A$198

-62.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 ¥485

$4.51 A$6.50

-31.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.06 ¥484

$1.36 A$1.96

125.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.85 ¥2,978

$30.45 A$43.81

-38.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥167

$1.47 A$2.12

-27.89%

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

$22.0K ¥3.5M

$29.0K A$41.7K

-24.18%

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

$15.4K ¥2.4M

$26.5K A$38.1K

-41.86%

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

$124 ¥19.6K

$234 A$336

-46.95%

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

$23.61 ¥3,729

$27.93 A$40.19

-15.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.45 ¥4,810

$55.7 A$80.2

-45.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.2 ¥8,560

$49.40 A$71.1

9.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.22 ¥982

$21.48 A$30.91

-71.04%

Cinema Ticket

$12.18 ¥1,925

$15.09 A$21.72

-19.28%

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

$568 ¥89.8K

$2,371 A$3,412

-76.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.5K ¥2.3M

$30.2K A$43.5K

-52.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.1 ¥7,914

$80.0 A$115

-37.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.45 ¥5,285

$50.7 A$73.0

-34.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.4 ¥10.2K

$121 A$174

-46.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.9 ¥11.2K

$130 A$188

-45.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$754 ¥119.2K

$1,759 A$2,531

-57.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$576 ¥90.9K

$1,390 A$2,000

-58.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,281 ¥202.4K

$3,494 A$5,027

-63.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 ¥161.2K

$2,493 A$3,588

-59.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,698 ¥742.2K

$6,926 A$9,967

-32.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,131 ¥494.7K

$6,445 A$9,274

-51.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,542 ¥401.6K

$4,383 A$6,307

-42.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.02

5.9

-65.76%

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

Last update for Kawasaki: 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

Kawasaki

$576 38.9%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 141% $814

Groceries & Markets

Kawasaki

$332 22.4%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 15.6% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kawasaki

$178 12%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 78.3% $139

Eating Out

Kawasaki

$141 9.5%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 123% $173

Clothing & Footwear

Kawasaki

$98 6.7%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 74.4% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Kawasaki

$79 5.3%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 1.3% $1

Getting Around

Kawasaki

$77 5.2%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 113% $87

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $754 in Kawasaki 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 72% 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 $37.00 in Kawasaki versus $85.0 in Melbourne. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $384 – making Kawasaki the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kawasaki

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

09:48 9:48 AM

11:48 11:48 AM

2 h ahead of Kawasaki

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,538,262

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

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Between locations

Kawasaki Melbourne 8,170 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Kawasaki
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

Kawasaki vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne costs about 90% more than Kawasaki, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,222 per month in Kawasaki 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 Kawasaki, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37.00 in Kawasaki and $85.0 in Melbourne. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,481 in Kawasaki and $2,821 in Melbourne. That's a gap of about 90%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kawasaki, where all-in costs run around $1,481, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Kawasaki it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kawasaki costs $1,481 versus $2,821 in Melbourne. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Kawasaki. 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.