Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Aomori

For one person, living is cheaper in Aomori: $1,197 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 Aomori
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Aomori Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,853

/mo nomad

Aomori

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,197

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Aomori

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,853 in Melbourne versus $1,197 in Aomori.

Melbourne $2,853
Aomori $1,197

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,275 in Melbourne versus $1,893 in Aomori.

Melbourne $4,275
Aomori $1,893

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,697 in Melbourne versus $2,589 in Aomori.

Melbourne $5,697
Aomori $2,589

Living in Melbourne is roughly 138% more expensive than in Aomori, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.20 A$24.75

$6.44 ¥1,018

167.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.1 A$120

$31.48 ¥4,974

164.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.43 A$17.88

$5.09 ¥805

144.20%

Cappuccino

$4.05 A$5.82

$3.12 ¥493

29.81%

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

$3.12 A$4.50

$1.19 ¥187

162.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.79 ¥124

211.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.52 A$13.71

$2.69 ¥425

253.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.16 A$11.74

$3.23 ¥510

152.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 A$2.25

$1.47 ¥232

6.12%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 A$4.18

$1.54 ¥244

88.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$4.08 ¥645

-34.80%

Eggs

$5.37 A$7.72

$2.10 ¥332

155.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.67 A$15.36

$10.27 ¥1,623

3.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 A$14.17

$6.66 ¥1,052

47.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.36 A$22.11

$16.32 ¥2,578

-5.88%

Apples (1kg)

$4.17 A$6.00

$3.67 ¥580

13.62%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.53

$2.26 ¥356

39.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 A$4.69

$2.90 ¥458

12.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.85

$4.09 ¥646

16.38%

Potato (1kg)

$3.06 A$4.41

$2.45 ¥386

24.90%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.55

$2.57 ¥405

-3.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 A$3.52

$1.29 ¥204

89.92%

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

$4.00 ¥631

1029.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.25

$6.60 ¥1,042

92.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.69 A$8.18

$1.81 ¥285

214.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.53

$2.10 ¥332

149.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 A$5.57

$1.46 ¥231

165.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$204

$53.5 ¥8,451

165.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 A$6.53

$3.07 ¥485

47.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 A$2.04

$2.90 ¥458

-51.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.59 A$44.01

$18.51 ¥2,925

65.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.11

$1.01 ¥160

45.54%

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

$28.9K A$41.5K

$21.7K ¥3.4M

33.19%

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

$25.9K A$37.3K

$15.4K ¥2.4M

67.79%

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

$235 A$338

$132 ¥20.9K

77.59%

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

$27.45 A$39.51

$24.30 ¥3,839

12.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.1 A$80.8

$31.31 ¥4,947

79.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.1 A$72.1

$53.0 ¥8,375

-5.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.49 A$30.93

Cinema Ticket

$17.76 A$25.56

$12.04 ¥1,902

47.51%

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

$2,385 A$3,432

$511 ¥80.7K

366.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.7K

$12.7K ¥2.0M

133.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 A$114

$50.5 ¥7,970

56.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.49 A$71.2

$31.64 ¥4,999

56.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 A$170

$61.5 ¥9,708

92.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$190

$89.4 ¥14.1K

47.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 A$2,537

$539 ¥85.1K

227.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,411 A$2,031

$333 ¥52.5K

324.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,522 A$5,069

$1,114 ¥176.0K

216.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 A$3,634

$743 ¥117.4K

239.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,136 A$10.3K

$4,143 ¥654.5K

72.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,355 A$9,144

$1,774 ¥280.2K

258.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,258 A$6,128

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 Aomori: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.5%

Aomori

$333 27.8% 76.4% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$388 13.6%

Aomori

$286 23.9% 26.5% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$319 11.2%

Aomori

$188 15.7% 41% $131

Eating Out

Melbourne

$310 10.9%

Aomori

$132 11% 57.4% $178

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Aomori

$105 8.8% 38.6% $66

Getting Around

Melbourne

$169 5.9%

Aomori

$77 6.4% 54.5% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$86 3%

Aomori

$77 6.4% 10% $8.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,763 in Melbourne and $539 in Aomori. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $83.0 in Melbourne vs $31.00 in Aomori for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $388 vs $286 per month, with Aomori cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇯🇵 Aomori

🕒 Local time

04:40 4:40 AM

02:40 2:40 AM

2 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

275,192

💱 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 Aomori 8,750 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Aomori

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 Aomori: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Aomori differ by about 138% in total monthly costs ($2,853 vs $1,197 including rent). Aomori is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $4,280 in Melbourne and $1,795 in Aomori to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,763 in Melbourne versus $539 in Aomori. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,385 in Melbourne versus $511 in Aomori. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,197 in Aomori versus $2,853 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Aomori but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Aomori 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 Aomori 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 Aomori gentler on the wallet – expenses run 138% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.