Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Akita

For one person, living is cheaper in Akita: $1,213 a month against $2,853 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $19,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Akita
Learn more

Akita Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,853

/mo nomad

Akita

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,213

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Akita

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Melbourne and in Akita actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,853 per month in Melbourne vs $1,213 in Akita, rent included.

Melbourne $2,853
Akita $1,213

A couple spends around $4,275 per month in Melbourne vs $1,904 in Akita, rent included.

Melbourne $4,275
Akita $1,904

A family of three spends $5,697 per month in Melbourne vs $2,596 in Akita, rent included.

Melbourne $5,697
Akita $2,596

Melbourne costs about 135% more than Akita, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Melbourne sits 111% above the global median, while Akita is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.20 A$24.75

$6.21 ¥981

176.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.1 A$120

$31.98 ¥5,052

159.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.43 A$17.88

$4.90 ¥775

153.67%

Cappuccino

$4.05 A$5.82

$3.54 ¥559

14.41%

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

$3.12 A$4.50

$0.99 ¥156

215.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.81 ¥128

203.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.52 A$13.71

$1.93 ¥306

393.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.16 A$11.74

$3.12 ¥493

161.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 A$2.25

$1.52 ¥240

2.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 A$4.18

$1.59 ¥252

82.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$4.11 ¥650

-35.28%

Eggs

$5.37 A$7.72

$2.04 ¥323

163.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.67 A$15.36

$10.19 ¥1,610

4.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 A$14.17

$6.52 ¥1,031

51.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.36 A$22.11

$16.23 ¥2,565

-5.36%

Apples (1kg)

$4.17 A$6.00

$3.63 ¥573

14.88%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.53

$2.25 ¥355

40.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 A$4.69

$2.83 ¥448

15.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.85

$4.20 ¥663

13.33%

Potato (1kg)

$3.06 A$4.41

$2.43 ¥384

25.93%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.55

$2.48 ¥392

-0.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 A$3.52

$1.29 ¥204

89.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.81 ¥127

101.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.17 A$65.0

$4.01 ¥634

1026.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.25

$6.58 ¥1,039

92.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.69 A$8.18

$1.88 ¥296

202.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.53

$2.07 ¥327

152.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 A$5.57

$1.51 ¥239

156.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$204

$54.0 ¥8,525

163.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 A$6.53

$3.19 ¥503

42.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 A$2.04

$2.79 ¥440

-49.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.59 A$44.01

$18.55 ¥2,931

64.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.11

$1.31 ¥207

12.21%

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

$28.9K A$41.5K

$21.7K ¥3.4M

33.11%

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

$25.9K A$37.3K

$15.2K ¥2.4M

70.99%

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

$235 A$338

$135 ¥21.3K

74.69%

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

$27.45 A$39.51

$24.50 ¥3,871

12.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.1 A$80.8

$31.46 ¥4,971

78.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.1 A$72.1

$52.7 ¥8,332

-5.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.49 A$30.93

Cinema Ticket

$17.76 A$25.56

$11.84 ¥1,870

50.00%

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

$2,385 A$3,432

$507 ¥80.1K

370.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.7K

$12.7K ¥2.0M

134.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 A$114

$41.47 ¥6,552

90.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.49 A$71.2

$46.21 ¥7,301

7.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 A$170

$84.7 ¥13.4K

39.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$190

$88.0 ¥13.9K

50.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 A$2,537

$526 ¥83.1K

235.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,411 A$2,031

$336 ¥53.1K

319.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,522 A$5,069

$1,089 ¥172.1K

223.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 A$3,634

$723 ¥114.1K

249.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,136 A$10.3K

$4,173 ¥659.3K

70.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,355 A$9,144

$1,782 ¥281.5K

256.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,258 A$6,128

$1,613 ¥254.9K

163.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

2.21

166.97%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 17, 2026

Last update for Akita: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.5%

Akita

$336 27.7% 76.2% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$388 13.6%

Akita

$285 23.5% 26.6% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$319 11.2%

Akita

$191 15.7% 40.2% $128

Eating Out

Melbourne

$310 10.9%

Akita

$130 10.7% 58.1% $180

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Akita

$117 9.7% 31.3% $54

Getting Around

Melbourne

$169 5.9%

Akita

$77 6.4% 54.4% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$86 3%

Akita

$76 6.3% 10.8% $9.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,763 in Melbourne versus $526 in Akita. 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 164% 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 $83.0 in Melbourne versus $32.00 in Akita. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $388 vs $285 – making Akita the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇯🇵 Akita

🕒 Local time

01:17 1:17 AM

23:17 11:17 PM

2 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

307,672

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Akita 8,640 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Akita

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

Melbourne vs Akita: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne costs about 135% more than Akita, 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 $4,280 per month in Melbourne and $1,819 in Akita. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Akita, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 163% less in Akita. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,385 per month in Melbourne and $507 in Akita. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Akita, where all-in costs run around $1,213, than in Melbourne at $2,853. In Akita it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Akita – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Akita. 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.