Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Atsugi

For one person, living is cheaper in Atsugi: $1,244 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $18,900 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
61

Cost of Living Index in Atsugi
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Atsugi Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Atsugi

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Atsugi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $1,244 in Atsugi.

Melbourne $2,821
Atsugi $1,244

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $2,157 in Atsugi.

Melbourne $4,235
Atsugi $2,157

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $3,070 in Atsugi.

Melbourne $5,650
Atsugi $3,070

Living in Melbourne is roughly 127% more expensive than in Atsugi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Atsugi is 8% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$7.93 ¥1,252

119.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$25.65 ¥4,052

229.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$4.95 ¥782

151.72%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$1.90 ¥301

116.32%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.93 ¥147

229.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.68 ¥107

270.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$2.72 ¥429

260.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$3.07 ¥484

179.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.51 ¥238

-1.99%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.48 ¥233

98.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$4.05 ¥640

-34.32%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.08 ¥328

166.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$15.93 ¥2,517

-34.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$4.48 ¥708

115.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$12.30 ¥1,943

23.74%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$5.30 ¥838

-24.72%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.98 ¥312

52.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$3.80 ¥601

-18.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$2.70 ¥426

78.52%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$2.64 ¥417

14.77%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$1.92 ¥304

27.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.16 ¥184

112.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.90 ¥142

81.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$3.52 ¥557

1151.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$9.35 ¥1,477

35.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.61 ¥255

244.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$2.15 ¥340

143.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$2.61 ¥412

43.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$52.4 ¥8,275

162.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$3.11 ¥491

45.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$2.81 ¥445

-51.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$9.62 ¥1,520

216.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.05 ¥166

40.00%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$12.7K ¥2.0M

128.45%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$15.3K ¥2.4M

73.33%

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

$234 A$336

$230 ¥36.3K

1.73%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$14.11 ¥2,230

97.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$30.54 ¥4,825

82.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$51.6 ¥8,147

-4.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$7.46 ¥1,179

187.94%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$11.56 ¥1,827

30.54%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$321 ¥50.7K

639.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$6,085 ¥961.3K

396.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$40.67 ¥6,425

96.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$24.20 ¥3,824

109.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$53.4 ¥8,433

125.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$31.98 ¥5,053

307.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$523 ¥82.6K

236.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$334 ¥52.7K

316.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$1,090 ¥172.2K

220.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$1,260 ¥199.1K

97.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$3,945 ¥623.3K

75.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$1,794 ¥283.4K

259.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$3,774 ¥596.3K

16.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

2.02

192.08%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Atsugi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Atsugi

$334 26.8% 76% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Atsugi

$287 23.1% 25.3% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Atsugi

$274 22.1% 13.5% $43

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Atsugi

$127 10.2% 59.5% $187

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Atsugi

$68 5.4% 60.6% $104

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Atsugi

$80 6.4% 51.2% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Atsugi

$75 6% 6.2% $4.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $523 in Atsugi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 16% 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: $85.0 in Melbourne vs $26.00 in Atsugi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $287 per month, with Atsugi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇯🇵 Atsugi

🕒 Local time

14:57 2:57 PM

12:57 12:57 PM

2 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

223,705

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 Atsugi 8,170 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

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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 Atsugi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Atsugi differ by about 127% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $1,244 including rent). Atsugi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 16% 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: $1,759 in Melbourne versus $523 in Atsugi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Atsugi – a meal for two runs $26.00 versus $85.0 in Melbourne. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,821 per month in Melbourne versus $1,244 in Atsugi – a 127% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,244 in Atsugi versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Atsugi but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Atsugi 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 Atsugi 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 Atsugi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 127% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.