Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Chiba

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiba: $1,198 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $19,500 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Chiba
Learn more

Chiba Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Chiba

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,198

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Chiba

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $1,198 in Chiba.

Melbourne $2,821
Chiba $1,198

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,888 in Chiba.

Melbourne $4,235
Chiba $1,888

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $2,578 in Chiba.

Melbourne $5,650
Chiba $2,578

Living in Melbourne is roughly 135% more expensive than in Chiba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Chiba is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$6.16 ¥973

182.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$31.89 ¥5,038

165.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$4.86 ¥767

156.38%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$3.20 ¥505

28.44%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$1.03 ¥162

197.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.77 ¥122

227.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$1.87 ¥296

424.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$1.90 ¥300

351.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.39 ¥219

6.47%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.66 ¥262

77.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$3.65 ¥576

-27.12%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.43 ¥225

287.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$10.20 ¥1,612

3.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$5.94 ¥938

62.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$14.26 ¥2,252

6.73%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$5.79 ¥914

-31.09%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$2.79 ¥441

8.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.94 ¥465

5.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$4.25 ¥672

13.41%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$2.53 ¥400

19.76%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$2.57 ¥406

-5.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.29 ¥203

90.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.80 ¥126

103.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$3.82 ¥604

1053.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$3.53 ¥558

259.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.74 ¥274

218.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$2.00 ¥316

161.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.83 ¥130

350.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$3.24 ¥512

39.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$2.63 ¥416

-48.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$20.75 ¥3,279

46.75%

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

$21.7K ¥3.4M

33.85%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$14.1K ¥2.2M

87.29%

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

$234 A$336

$76.9 ¥12.1K

203.88%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$23.81 ¥3,762

17.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$15.53 ¥2,454

258.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$52.9 ¥8,358

-6.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$10.60 ¥1,674

42.36%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$633 ¥100.1K

274.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$9,743 ¥1.5M

209.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$50.4 ¥7,954

58.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$36.15 ¥5,711

40.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$62.1 ¥9,816

94.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$88.9 ¥14.0K

46.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$863 ¥136.3K

103.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$479 ¥75.6K

190.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$1,318 ¥208.3K

165.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$944 ¥149.1K

164.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$4,539 ¥717.0K

52.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$3,748 ¥592.1K

71.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$1,548 ¥244.6K

183.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

2.11

179.62%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Chiba: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Chiba

$479 39.9% 65.6% $911

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Chiba

$280 23.4% 27.1% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Chiba

$116 9.7% 63.4% $201

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Chiba

$123 10.2% 61% $192

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Chiba

$107 8.9% 37.8% $65

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Chiba

$20 * 1.7% 88% $144

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Chiba

$74 6.2% 6.9% $5.5

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $863 in Chiba. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 183% 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 $32.00 in Chiba for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $280 per month, with Chiba cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇯🇵 Chiba

🕒 Local time

00:05 12:05 AM

22:05 10:05 PM

2 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

974,951

💱 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 Chiba 8,180 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Chiba

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 Chiba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Chiba differ by about 135% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $1,198 including rent). Chiba is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 183% 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 $863 in Chiba. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,371 in Melbourne versus $633 in Chiba. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Chiba – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $85.0 in Melbourne. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,198 in Chiba versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Chiba but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Chiba 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 Chiba 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 Chiba gentler on the wallet – expenses run 135% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.