Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Himeji

For one person, living is cheaper in Himeji: $1,283 a month against $2,853 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $18,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
Learn more

Melbourne Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Himeji
Learn more

Himeji Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,853

/mo nomad

Himeji

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,283

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Himeji

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

A single person spends $2,853 per month in Melbourne vs $1,283 in Himeji, rent included.

Melbourne $2,853
Himeji $1,283

A couple spends around $4,275 per month in Melbourne vs $2,047 in Himeji, rent included.

Melbourne $4,275
Himeji $2,047

A family of three spends $5,697 per month in Melbourne vs $2,811 in Himeji, rent included.

Melbourne $5,697
Himeji $2,811

Melbourne costs about 122% more than Himeji, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Melbourne sits 111% above the global median, while Himeji is 5% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.20 A$24.75

$8.46 ¥1,336

103.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.1 A$120

$31.07 ¥4,909

167.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.43 A$17.88

$5.11 ¥807

143.25%

Cappuccino

$4.05 A$5.82

$2.35 ¥371

72.34%

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

$3.12 A$4.50

$1.24 ¥196

151.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.82 ¥129

200.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.52 A$13.71

$3.20 ¥505

197.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.16 A$11.74

$3.06 ¥483

166.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 A$2.25

$1.56 ¥247

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 A$4.18

$1.48 ¥233

95.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$4.12 ¥650

-35.44%

Eggs

$5.37 A$7.72

$2.18 ¥344

146.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.67 A$15.36

$15.50 ¥2,449

-31.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 A$14.17

$6.78 ¥1,072

45.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.36 A$22.11

$16.88 ¥2,667

-9.00%

Apples (1kg)

$4.17 A$6.00

$8.37 ¥1,323

-50.18%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.53

$2.97 ¥470

6.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 A$4.69

$5.06 ¥799

-35.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.85

$7.86 ¥1,241

-39.44%

Potato (1kg)

$3.06 A$4.41

$3.90 ¥617

-21.54%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.55

$4.70 ¥743

-47.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 A$3.52

$1.12 ¥177

118.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.89 ¥141

83.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.17 A$65.0

$3.87 ¥611

1067.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.25

$9.74 ¥1,539

30.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.69 A$8.18

$2.61 ¥412

118.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.53

$2.10 ¥332

149.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 A$5.57

$1.44 ¥228

168.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$204

$53.0 ¥8,373

167.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 A$6.53

$3.13 ¥494

45.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 A$2.04

$2.82 ¥446

-49.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.59 A$44.01

$15.45 ¥2,441

97.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.11

$1.07 ¥168

37.38%

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

$28.9K A$41.5K

$21.5K ¥3.4M

34.20%

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

$25.9K A$37.3K

$15.1K ¥2.4M

71.64%

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

$235 A$338

$118 ¥18.6K

99.89%

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

$27.45 A$39.51

$23.44 ¥3,704

17.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.1 A$80.8

$31.67 ¥5,003

77.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.1 A$72.1

$52.6 ¥8,314

-4.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.49 A$30.93

Cinema Ticket

$17.76 A$25.56

$11.36 ¥1,795

56.34%

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

$2,385 A$3,432

$564 ¥89.1K

322.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.7K

$14.7K ¥2.3M

101.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 A$114

$49.92 ¥7,886

58.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.49 A$71.2

$35.51 ¥5,611

39.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 A$170

$61.6 ¥9,739

92.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$190

$99.2 ¥15.7K

33.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 A$2,537

$541 ¥85.4K

226.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,411 A$2,031

$328 ¥51.8K

330.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,522 A$5,069

$1,100 ¥173.8K

220.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 A$3,634

$729 ¥115.2K

246.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,136 A$10.3K

$4,304 ¥680.0K

65.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,355 A$9,144

$1,725 ¥272.5K

268.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,258 A$6,128

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 17, 2026

Last update for Himeji: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.5%

Himeji

$328 25.6% 76.7% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$388 13.6%

Himeji

$379 29.5% 2.5% $9.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$319 11.2%

Himeji

$173 13.5% 45.8% $146

Eating Out

Melbourne

$310 10.9%

Himeji

$142 11% 54.3% $168

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Himeji

$111 8.6% 35.1% $60

Getting Around

Melbourne

$169 5.9%

Himeji

$76 5.9% 55% $93

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$86 3%

Himeji

$75 5.9% 12% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,763 in Melbourne versus $541 in Himeji. 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 $83.0 in Melbourne versus $31.00 in Himeji. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $388 vs $379 – making Himeji the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇯🇵 Himeji

🕒 Local time

11:22 11:22 AM

09:22 9:22 AM

2 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

535,571

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Melbourne Himeji 8,150 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Himeji

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 Himeji: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Melbourne is pricier by about 122%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,280 per month in Melbourne and $1,925 in Himeji. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 3% more in Melbourne, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $83.0 in Melbourne and $31.00 in Himeji. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Himeji, where all-in costs run around $1,283, than in Melbourne at $2,853. In Himeji it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Himeji – 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 Himeji. 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.