Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Asahikawa

For one person, living is cheaper in Asahikawa: $1,159 a month against $2,821 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 Asahikawa
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Asahikawa Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Asahikawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,159

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Asahikawa

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

A single person spends $2,821 per month in Melbourne vs $1,159 in Asahikawa, rent included.

Melbourne $2,821
Asahikawa $1,159

A couple spends around $4,235 per month in Melbourne vs $1,832 in Asahikawa, rent included.

Melbourne $4,235
Asahikawa $1,832

A family of three spends $5,650 per month in Melbourne vs $2,506 in Asahikawa, rent included.

Melbourne $5,650
Asahikawa $2,506

Melbourne costs about 143% more than Asahikawa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Melbourne sits 109% above the global median, while Asahikawa is 14% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$5.40 ¥853

222.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$35.56 ¥5,618

137.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$5.53 ¥873

125.32%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.94 ¥465

39.80%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$1.16 ¥184

163.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.76 ¥120

231.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$2.86 ¥451

242.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$3.44 ¥544

149.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.61 ¥255

-8.07%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.52 ¥240

93.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$3.77 ¥595

-29.44%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.06 ¥326

168.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$11.07 ¥1,749

-5.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$5.98 ¥944

61.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$18.60 ¥2,938

-18.17%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$3.45 ¥545

15.65%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$2.35 ¥372

28.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.83 ¥448

9.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$4.73 ¥747

1.90%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$2.28 ¥360

32.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$2.62 ¥413

-6.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.15 ¥181

113.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.87 ¥138

87.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$4.46 ¥705

888.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$7.16 ¥1,130

77.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.76 ¥277

214.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$2.26 ¥358

131.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$1.29 ¥204

189.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$60.6 ¥9,570

127.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$3.36 ¥531

34.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$2.74 ¥433

-50.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$17.41 ¥2,751

74.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.06 ¥168

38.68%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$21.9K ¥3.5M

32.18%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$13.5K ¥2.1M

96.21%

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

$234 A$336

$117 ¥18.5K

99.61%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$25.69 ¥4,059

8.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$27.71 ¥4,378

101.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$49.78 ¥7,864

-0.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$13.53 ¥2,138

11.53%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$500 ¥79.0K

374.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$12.2K ¥1.9M

148.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$48.15 ¥7,607

66.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$33.48 ¥5,290

51.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$66.1 ¥10.4K

82.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$85.5 ¥13.5K

52.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$453 ¥71.6K

287.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$306 ¥48.3K

354.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$1,104 ¥174.4K

216.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$640 ¥101.1K

289.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$4,448 ¥702.8K

55.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$1,801 ¥284.5K

257.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

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 10, 2026

Last update for Asahikawa: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Asahikawa

$306 26.4% 78% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Asahikawa

$295 25.4% 23.3% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Asahikawa

$170 14.7% 46.3% $147

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Asahikawa

$124 10.7% 60.6% $191

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Asahikawa

$105 9.1% 38.9% $67

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Asahikawa

$83 7.1% 49.5% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Asahikawa

$77 6.6% 3.5% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,759 in Melbourne versus $453 in Asahikawa. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85.0 in Melbourne versus $36.00 in Asahikawa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $295 – making Asahikawa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇯🇵 Asahikawa

🕒 Local time

16:56 4:56 PM

14:56 2:56 PM

2 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

329,306

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Asahikawa 9,080 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Asahikawa

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 Asahikawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne, $1,159 in Asahikawa – roughly 143% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,231 per month in Melbourne and $1,739 in Asahikawa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 127% less in Asahikawa. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,371 per month in Melbourne and $500 in Asahikawa. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Asahikawa, where all-in costs run around $1,159, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Asahikawa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Asahikawa – 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 Asahikawa. 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.