Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Hamamatsu

For one person, living is cheaper in Hamamatsu: $775 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $24,600 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Hamamatsu
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Hamamatsu Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Hamamatsu

🇯🇵 Japan

$775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Hamamatsu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $775 in Hamamatsu.

Melbourne $2,821
Hamamatsu $775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,251 in Hamamatsu.

Melbourne $4,235
Hamamatsu $1,251

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $1,727 in Hamamatsu.

Melbourne $5,650
Hamamatsu $1,727

Living in Melbourne is roughly 264% more expensive than in Hamamatsu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Hamamatsu is 43% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$3.86 ¥610

351.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$40.71 ¥6,432

107.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$5.07 ¥801

145.76%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$3.34 ¥528

23.05%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$1.04 ¥165

194.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.75 ¥118

236.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$2.49 ¥393

293.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$3.22 ¥508

166.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.01 ¥160

46.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.64 ¥260

79.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$3.65 ¥577

-27.12%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.60 ¥253

246.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$10.37 ¥1,638

1.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$5.92 ¥935

63.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$14.44 ¥2,282

5.40%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$5.69 ¥899

-29.88%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$2.80 ¥443

7.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.95 ¥467

5.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$4.14 ¥654

16.43%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$2.63 ¥415

15.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$2.54 ¥401

-3.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.24 ¥196

98.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.65 ¥102

150.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$3.86 ¥610

1041.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$6.19 ¥977

105.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.76 ¥278

214.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$2.11 ¥333

147.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$50.8 ¥8,017

170.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$3.21 ¥507

40.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$2.74 ¥433

-50.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$20.75 ¥3,278

46.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.10 ¥173

33.64%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$21.0K ¥3.3M

38.33%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$18.1K ¥2.9M

46.67%

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

$234 A$336

$131 ¥20.7K

78.60%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$8.51 ¥1,345

228.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$32.52 ¥5,137

71.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$16.81 ¥2,655

27.78%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$12.81 ¥2,024

17.80%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$643 ¥101.5K

269.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$14.9K ¥2.4M

101.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$61.5 ¥9,712

30.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$36.85 ¥5,822

37.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$61.0 ¥9,639

97.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$102 ¥16.1K

27.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$7,748 ¥1.2M

-10.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$5,222 ¥825.0K

23.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$1,580 ¥249.7K

177.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

2.64

123.48%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Hamamatsu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Hamamatsu

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Hamamatsu

$280 36.2% 27% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Hamamatsu

$172 22.2% 45.8% $145

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Hamamatsu

$112 14.5% 64.3% $202

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Hamamatsu

$118 15.2% 31.5% $54

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Hamamatsu

$68 * 8.7% 58.7% $96

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Hamamatsu

$26 * 3.3% 67.8% $54

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

Cost Breakdown

Melbourne pays 177% 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 $41.00 in Hamamatsu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $280 per month, with Hamamatsu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇯🇵 Hamamatsu

🕒 Local time

19:26 7:26 PM

17:26 5:26 PM

2 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

797,033

💱 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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Between locations

Melbourne Hamamatsu 8,100 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Hamamatsu

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 Hamamatsu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Hamamatsu differ by about 264% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $775 including rent). Hamamatsu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 177% higher in Melbourne, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Supermarket bills run roughly 37% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Hamamatsu – a meal for two runs $41.00 versus $85.0 in Melbourne. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $775 in Hamamatsu versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Hamamatsu but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Hamamatsu 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 Hamamatsu 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 Hamamatsu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 264% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.