Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kobe and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Kobe: $1,381 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $17,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Kobe
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Kobe Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Kobe

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,381

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,381 in Kobe versus $2,821 in Melbourne.

Kobe $1,381
Melbourne $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,056 in Kobe versus $4,235 in Melbourne.

Kobe $2,056
Melbourne $4,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,732 in Kobe versus $5,650 in Melbourne.

Kobe $2,732
Melbourne $5,650

Living in Kobe costs roughly 51% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Kobe 2% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.75 ¥1,224

$17.43 A$25.08

-55.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.99 ¥4,896

$84.6 A$122

-63.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.76 ¥752

$12.46 A$17.92

-61.80%

Cappuccino

$2.34 ¥370

$4.11 A$5.91

-43.07%

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

$1.14 ¥180

$3.06 A$4.40

-62.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 ¥97.6

$2.52 A$3.62

-75.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.05 ¥324

$9.80 A$14.10

-79.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 ¥369

$8.57 A$12.33

-72.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 ¥242

$1.48 A$2.14

3.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 ¥198

$2.94 A$4.23

-57.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.19 ¥662

$2.66 A$3.82

57.52%

Eggs

$2.00 ¥317

$5.54 A$7.97

-63.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.57 ¥1,985

$10.51 A$15.13

19.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.06 ¥1,115

$9.65 A$13.89

-26.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.20 ¥2,717

$15.22 A$21.91

13.01%

Apples (1kg)

$7.99 ¥1,263

$3.99 A$5.75

100.25%

Banana (1kg)

$2.94 ¥464

$3.02 A$4.34

-2.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.09 ¥804

$3.10 A$4.46

64.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.64 ¥1,208

$4.82 A$6.93

58.51%

Potato (1kg)

$3.86 ¥610

$3.03 A$4.36

27.39%

Onion (1kg)

$3.37 ¥533

$2.44 A$3.52

38.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 ¥186

$2.46 A$3.54

-52.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ¥140

$1.63 A$2.34

-46.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.40 ¥538

$44.07 A$63.4

-92.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.29 ¥1,309

$12.70 A$18.28

-34.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 ¥310

$5.54 A$7.97

-64.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 ¥237

$5.23 A$7.52

-71.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 ¥232

$3.74 A$5.38

-60.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.1 ¥10.1K

$138 A$198

-53.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 ¥501

$4.51 A$6.50

-29.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.17 ¥501

$1.36 A$1.96

133.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.12 ¥4,127

$30.45 A$43.81

-14.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ¥173

$1.47 A$2.12

-25.17%

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

$20.1K ¥3.2M

$29.0K A$41.7K

-30.59%

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

$15.5K ¥2.4M

$26.5K A$38.1K

-41.59%

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

$143 ¥22.6K

$234 A$336

-38.90%

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

$23.62 ¥3,732

$27.93 A$40.19

-15.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.28 ¥4,942

$55.7 A$80.2

-43.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.38 ¥7,170

$49.40 A$71.1

-8.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.47 ¥1,813

$21.48 A$30.91

-46.60%

Cinema Ticket

$11.46 ¥1,810

$15.09 A$21.72

-24.06%

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

$317 ¥50.0K

$2,371 A$3,412

-86.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,099 ¥963.6K

$30.2K A$43.5K

-79.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.73 ¥7,857

$80.0 A$115

-37.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.25 ¥3,988

$50.7 A$73.0

-50.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$46.07 ¥7,279

$121 A$174

-61.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.8 ¥10.2K

$130 A$188

-50.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$683 ¥107.8K

$1,759 A$2,531

-61.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$459 ¥72.5K

$1,390 A$2,000

-66.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,057 ¥166.9K

$3,494 A$5,027

-69.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$741 ¥117.1K

$2,493 A$3,588

-70.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,263 ¥673.4K

$6,926 A$9,967

-38.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,821 ¥445.7K

$6,445 A$9,274

-56.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,962 ¥310.0K

$4,383 A$6,307

-55.23%

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 Kobe: 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

Kobe

$459 33.3%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 203% $930

Groceries & Markets

Kobe

$356 25.8%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 7.7% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kobe

$198 14.3%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 60.5% $120

Eating Out

Kobe

$126 9.2%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 149% $188

Getting Around

Kobe

$89 6.5%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 84% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Kobe

$84 6.1%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 105% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Kobe

$68 5%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 16.5% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $683 in Kobe and $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 123% 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: $31.00 in Kobe vs $85.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $356 vs $384 per month, with Kobe cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kobe

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

14:47 2:47 PM

16:47 4:47 PM

2 h ahead of Kobe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,537,272

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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Kobe Melbourne 8,130 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Kobe
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

Kobe vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kobe wins on cost – living expenses run 104% lower than in Melbourne. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kobe the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 123% 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: $683 in Kobe versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Kobe runs roughly 115% less than in Melbourne. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $317 in Kobe versus $2,371 in Melbourne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,381 in Kobe versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kobe but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Kobe the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Kobe delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,381 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Kobe hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Kobe 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 Kobe gentler on the wallet – expenses run 104% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.