Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Amagasaki

For one person, living is cheaper in Amagasaki: $1,196 a month against $2,853 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $19,900 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 Amagasaki
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Amagasaki Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,853

/mo nomad

Amagasaki

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,196

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Amagasaki

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 Amagasaki actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,853 in Melbourne versus $1,196 in Amagasaki.

Melbourne $2,853
Amagasaki $1,196

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,275 in Melbourne versus $1,898 in Amagasaki.

Melbourne $4,275
Amagasaki $1,898

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,697 in Melbourne versus $2,600 in Amagasaki.

Melbourne $5,697
Amagasaki $2,600

Living in Melbourne is roughly 139% more expensive than in Amagasaki, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 111% above, Amagasaki is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.20 A$24.75

$6.12 ¥967

181.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.1 A$120

$31.29 ¥4,944

165.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.43 A$17.88

$5.18 ¥819

139.96%

Cappuccino

$4.05 A$5.82

$3.09 ¥488

31.07%

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

$3.12 A$4.50

$1.23 ¥195

153.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.81 ¥127

203.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.52 A$13.71

$2.66 ¥420

257.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.16 A$11.74

$3.07 ¥484

165.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 A$2.25

$1.46 ¥231

6.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 A$4.18

$1.62 ¥256

79.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$4.08 ¥645

-34.80%

Eggs

$5.37 A$7.72

$2.09 ¥330

156.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.67 A$15.36

$10.32 ¥1,630

3.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 A$14.17

$6.73 ¥1,064

46.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.36 A$22.11

$16.78 ¥2,651

-8.46%

Apples (1kg)

$4.17 A$6.00

$3.77 ¥595

10.61%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.53

$2.30 ¥363

36.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 A$4.69

$2.92 ¥461

11.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.85

$4.19 ¥662

13.60%

Potato (1kg)

$3.06 A$4.41

$2.43 ¥384

25.93%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.55

$2.50 ¥395

-1.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 A$3.52

$1.24 ¥196

97.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.80 ¥127

103.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.17 A$65.0

$3.84 ¥607

1076.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.25

$6.75 ¥1,066

87.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.69 A$8.18

$1.85 ¥293

207.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.53

$2.16 ¥342

142.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 A$5.57

$1.51 ¥239

156.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$204

$53.1 ¥8,384

167.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 A$6.53

$3.17 ¥500

43.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 A$2.04

$2.92 ¥462

-51.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.59 A$44.01

$18.76 ¥2,964

63.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.11

$1.11 ¥175

32.43%

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

$28.9K A$41.5K

$21.3K ¥3.4M

35.78%

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

$25.9K A$37.3K

$15.0K ¥2.4M

72.86%

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

$235 A$338

$136 ¥21.5K

72.80%

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

$27.45 A$39.51

$23.70 ¥3,745

15.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.1 A$80.8

$30.82 ¥4,870

82.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.1 A$72.1

$53.0 ¥8,378

-5.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.49 A$30.93

Cinema Ticket

$17.76 A$25.56

$12.12 ¥1,915

46.53%

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

$2,385 A$3,432

$510 ¥80.5K

368.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.7K

$12.4K ¥2.0M

138.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 A$114

$49.84 ¥7,875

58.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.49 A$71.2

$31.38 ¥4,957

57.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 A$170

$62.0 ¥9,798

90.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$190

$88.3 ¥13.9K

49.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 A$2,537

$530 ¥83.8K

232.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,411 A$2,031

$329 ¥51.9K

329.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,522 A$5,069

$1,124 ¥177.6K

213.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 A$3,634

$751 ¥118.6K

236.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,136 A$10.3K

$4,292 ¥678.0K

66.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,355 A$9,144

$1,754 ¥277.1K

262.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,258 A$6,128

$3,008 ¥475.2K

41.59%

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 Amagasaki: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.5%

Amagasaki

$329 27.5% 76.7% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$388 13.6%

Amagasaki

$290 24.2% 25.4% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$319 11.2%

Amagasaki

$191 15.9% 40.2% $128

Eating Out

Melbourne

$310 10.9%

Amagasaki

$129 10.8% 58.3% $181

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Amagasaki

$104 8.7% 39% $66

Getting Around

Melbourne

$169 5.9%

Amagasaki

$77 6.4% 54.5% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$86 3%

Amagasaki

$77 6.5% 9.8% $8.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,763 in Melbourne and $530 in Amagasaki. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 42% 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: $83.0 in Melbourne vs $31.00 in Amagasaki for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $388 vs $290 per month, with Amagasaki cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇯🇵 Amagasaki

🕒 Local time

15:05 3:05 PM

13:05 1:05 PM

2 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

459,593

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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 →

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Melbourne Amagasaki 8,130 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

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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

Melbourne vs Amagasaki: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Amagasaki differ by about 139% in total monthly costs ($2,853 vs $1,196 including rent). Amagasaki is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 42% higher in Melbourne, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,763 in Melbourne versus $530 in Amagasaki. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Amagasaki – a meal for two runs $31.00 versus $83.0 in Melbourne. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,196 in Amagasaki versus $2,853 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Amagasaki but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Amagasaki 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, Melbourne and Amagasaki 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 Amagasaki gentler on the wallet – expenses run 139% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.