Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kurume and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Kurume: $965 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $22,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Kurume
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Kurume Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

Jump to prices

Kurume

🇯🇵 Japan

$965

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $965 in Kurume versus $2,821 in Melbourne.

Kurume $965
Melbourne $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,529 in Kurume versus $4,235 in Melbourne.

Kurume $1,529
Melbourne $4,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,092 in Kurume versus $5,650 in Melbourne.

Kurume $2,092
Melbourne $5,650

Living in Kurume costs roughly 66% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kurume is 29% below, Melbourne is 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.43 ¥700

$17.43 A$25.08

-74.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.67 ¥6,900

$84.6 A$122

-48.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.81 ¥601

$12.46 A$17.92

-69.42%

Cappuccino

$1.91 ¥302

$4.11 A$5.91

-53.53%

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

$0.66 ¥104

$3.06 A$4.40

-78.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 ¥86.2

$2.52 A$3.62

-78.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 ¥505

$9.80 A$14.10

-67.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥252

$8.57 A$12.33

-81.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ¥197

$1.48 A$2.14

-15.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 ¥197

$2.94 A$4.23

-57.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.13 ¥810

$2.66 A$3.82

92.86%

Eggs

$1.88 ¥296

$5.54 A$7.97

-66.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.85 ¥2,821

$10.51 A$15.13

69.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.33 ¥841

$9.65 A$13.89

-44.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.13 ¥3,022

$15.22 A$21.91

25.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 ¥584

$3.99 A$5.75

-7.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 ¥296

$3.02 A$4.34

-38.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.89 ¥456

$3.10 A$4.46

-6.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.26 ¥515

$4.82 A$6.93

-32.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.13 ¥336

$3.03 A$4.36

-29.70%

Onion (1kg)

$2.63 ¥416

$2.44 A$3.52

7.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 ¥168

$2.46 A$3.54

-56.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ¥154

$1.63 A$2.34

-39.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.64 ¥575

$44.07 A$63.4

-91.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.21 ¥981

$12.70 A$18.28

-51.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 ¥260

$5.54 A$7.97

-70.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 ¥181

$5.23 A$7.52

-78.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 ¥238

$3.74 A$5.38

-59.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.98 ¥7,423

$138 A$198

-65.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.96 ¥626

$4.51 A$6.50

-12.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.11 ¥333

$1.36 A$1.96

55.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.62 ¥2,784

$30.45 A$43.81

-42.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.60 ¥94.5

$1.47 A$2.12

-59.18%

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

$21.5K ¥3.4M

$29.0K A$41.7K

-25.94%

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

$17.8K ¥2.8M

$26.5K A$38.1K

-32.92%

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

$210 ¥33.1K

$234 A$336

-10.29%

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

$24.97 ¥3,944

$27.93 A$40.19

-10.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.59 ¥3,570

$55.7 A$80.2

-59.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.2 ¥8,724

$49.40 A$71.1

11.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$6.82 ¥1,078

$15.09 A$21.72

-54.80%

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

$127 ¥20.1K

$2,371 A$3,412

-94.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K ¥2.0M

$30.2K A$43.5K

-58.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.62 ¥7,682

$80.0 A$115

-39.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$12.36 ¥1,953

$50.7 A$73.0

-75.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$24.78 ¥3,915

$121 A$174

-79.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$31.02 ¥4,901

$130 A$188

-76.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$531 ¥83.9K

$1,759 A$2,531

-69.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$126 ¥20.0K

$1,390 A$2,000

-90.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$468 ¥73.9K

$3,494 A$5,027

-86.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$315 ¥49.8K

$2,493 A$3,588

-87.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,267 ¥674.1K

$6,926 A$9,967

-38.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,883 ¥297.4K

$6,445 A$9,274

-70.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,537 ¥242.8K

$4,383 A$6,307

-64.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.97

5.9

-66.61%

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

Last update for Kurume: October 13, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kurume

$299 30.9%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 28.6% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kurume

$257 26.7%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 23.4% $60

Accommodation & Living

Kurume

$126 13.1%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 999% $1.3K

Eating Out

Kurume

$94 9.7%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 235% $221

Sport & Entertainment

Kurume

$69 7.1%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 15.6% $11

Getting Around

Kurume

$68 7%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 143% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Kurume

$53 5.5%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 227% $119

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $531 in Kurume and $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 185% 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: $44.00 in Kurume vs $85.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $299 vs $384 per month, with Kurume cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kurume

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

14:37 2:37 PM

16:37 4:37 PM

2 h ahead of Kurume

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

303,316

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 →

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Between locations

Kurume Melbourne 8,050 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Kurume
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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

Kurume vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kurume and Melbourne differ by about 192% in total monthly costs ($965 vs $2,821 including rent). Kurume is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 185% 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: $531 in Kurume versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 29% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Kurume – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $85.0 in Melbourne. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $965 in Kurume versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kurume but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Kurume 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, Kurume 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 Kurume gentler on the wallet – expenses run 192% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.