Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Fukushima

For one person, living is cheaper in Fukushima: $1,165 a month against $2,853 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $20,300 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Fukushima
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Fukushima Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,853

/mo nomad

Fukushima

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,165

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Fukushima

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,853 in Melbourne versus $1,165 in Fukushima.

Melbourne $2,853
Fukushima $1,165

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,275 in Melbourne versus $1,826 in Fukushima.

Melbourne $4,275
Fukushima $1,826

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,697 in Melbourne versus $2,487 in Fukushima.

Melbourne $5,697
Fukushima $2,487

Living in Melbourne is roughly 145% more expensive than in Fukushima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 111% above, Fukushima is 14% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.20 A$24.75

$5.89 ¥930

192.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.1 A$120

$29.92 ¥4,727

177.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.43 A$17.88

$4.45 ¥703

179.33%

Cappuccino

$4.05 A$5.82

$2.55 ¥404

58.82%

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

$3.12 A$4.50

$0.94 ¥148

231.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.67 ¥106

267.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.52 A$13.71

$2.61 ¥412

264.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.16 A$11.74

$3.12 ¥493

161.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 A$2.25

$1.47 ¥232

6.12%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 A$4.18

$1.55 ¥244

87.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$4.08 ¥645

-34.80%

Eggs

$5.37 A$7.72

$2.08 ¥328

158.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.67 A$15.36

$10.38 ¥1,639

2.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 A$14.17

$6.69 ¥1,057

47.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.36 A$22.11

$16.64 ¥2,629

-7.69%

Apples (1kg)

$4.17 A$6.00

$3.77 ¥596

10.61%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.53

$2.26 ¥357

39.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 A$4.69

$2.80 ¥443

16.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.85

$4.07 ¥642

16.95%

Potato (1kg)

$3.06 A$4.41

$2.48 ¥391

23.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.55

$2.57 ¥406

-3.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 A$3.52

$1.29 ¥205

89.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.84 ¥132

94.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.17 A$65.0

$3.89 ¥615

1061.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.25

$6.82 ¥1,077

85.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.69 A$8.18

$1.84 ¥291

209.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.53

$2.13 ¥337

145.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 A$5.57

$1.49 ¥235

159.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$204

$48.19 ¥7,613

194.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 A$6.53

$3.18 ¥502

42.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 A$2.04

$2.69 ¥425

-47.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.59 A$44.01

$21.15 ¥3,342

44.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.11

$1.02 ¥161

44.12%

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

$28.9K A$41.5K

$20.2K ¥3.2M

43.23%

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

$25.9K A$37.3K

$15.6K ¥2.5M

66.24%

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

$235 A$338

$126 ¥19.9K

86.31%

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

$27.45 A$39.51

$21.15 ¥3,342

29.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.1 A$80.8

$30.04 ¥4,746

86.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.1 A$72.1

$51.6 ¥8,154

-2.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.49 A$30.93

Cinema Ticket

$17.76 A$25.56

$11.70 ¥1,849

51.79%

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

$2,385 A$3,432

$453 ¥71.6K

426.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.7K

$11.4K ¥1.8M

160.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 A$114

$46.93 ¥7,414

68.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.49 A$71.2

$36.00 ¥5,688

37.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 A$170

$64.6 ¥10.2K

83.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$190

$84.5 ¥13.3K

56.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 A$2,537

$535 ¥84.5K

229.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,411 A$2,031

$333 ¥52.5K

324.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,522 A$5,069

$1,018 ¥160.9K

245.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 A$3,634

$705 ¥111.4K

258.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,136 A$10.3K

$3,897 ¥615.6K

83.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,355 A$9,144

$1,857 ¥293.4K

242.23%

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 Fukushima: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.5%

Fukushima

$333 28.5% 76.4% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$388 13.6%

Fukushima

$288 24.7% 25.8% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$319 11.2%

Fukushima

$177 15.2% 44.3% $141

Eating Out

Melbourne

$310 10.9%

Fukushima

$117 10% 62.3% $193

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Fukushima

$104 9% 38.8% $66

Getting Around

Melbourne

$169 5.9%

Fukushima

$71 6.1% 58.1% $98

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$86 3%

Fukushima

$75 6.4% 12.4% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,763 in Melbourne and $535 in Fukushima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $83.0 in Melbourne vs $30.00 in Fukushima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $388 vs $288 per month, with Fukushima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇯🇵 Fukushima

🕒 Local time

07:48 7:48 AM

05:48 5:48 AM

2 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

282,693

💱 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 →

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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 Fukushima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fukushima is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 145% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $4,280 in Melbourne and $1,748 in Fukushima 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 $535 in Fukushima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 35% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Fukushima – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $83.0 in Melbourne. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,165 in Fukushima versus $2,853 in Melbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Fukushima but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Fukushima 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 Fukushima 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 Fukushima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 145% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.