Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Hiratsuka

For one person, living is cheaper in Hiratsuka: $1,267 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $18,600 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
61

Cost of Living Index in Hiratsuka
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Hiratsuka Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Hiratsuka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,267

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Hiratsuka

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

A single person spends $2,821 per month in Melbourne vs $1,267 in Hiratsuka, rent included.

Melbourne $2,821
Hiratsuka $1,267

A couple spends around $4,235 per month in Melbourne vs $2,003 in Hiratsuka, rent included.

Melbourne $4,235
Hiratsuka $2,003

A family of three spends $5,650 per month in Melbourne vs $2,738 in Hiratsuka, rent included.

Melbourne $5,650
Hiratsuka $2,738

Melbourne costs about 123% more than Hiratsuka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Melbourne sits 109% above the global median, while Hiratsuka is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$6.20 ¥979

181.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$28.45 ¥4,494

197.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$4.89 ¥773

154.81%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.49 ¥393

65.06%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$1.12 ¥176

173.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.61 ¥96.2

313.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$2.48 ¥392

295.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$2.74 ¥433

212.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.42 ¥224

4.23%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.50 ¥236

96.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$4.10 ¥648

-35.12%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.22 ¥351

149.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$15.81 ¥2,498

-33.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$6.83 ¥1,080

41.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$17.22 ¥2,721

-11.61%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$8.47 ¥1,338

-52.89%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$3.04 ¥480

-0.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$5.12 ¥808

-39.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$7.57 ¥1,195

-36.33%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$3.87 ¥612

-21.71%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$4.67 ¥738

-47.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.18 ¥186

108.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.93 ¥148

75.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$3.82 ¥604

1053.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$9.61 ¥1,518

32.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.44 ¥385

127.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$2.16 ¥341

142.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$1.64 ¥259

128.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$51.0 ¥8,050

169.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$3.10 ¥490

45.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$2.90 ¥458

-53.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$15.88 ¥2,508

91.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.02 ¥161

44.12%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$21.8K ¥3.4M

33.33%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$14.9K ¥2.4M

77.53%

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

$234 A$336

$117 ¥18.5K

99.37%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$23.06 ¥3,643

21.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$31.40 ¥4,961

77.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$51.1 ¥8,067

-3.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

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

$328 ¥51.7K

623.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$14.8K ¥2.3M

104.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$49.15 ¥7,765

62.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$36.28 ¥5,733

39.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$60.1 ¥9,489

100.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$99.4 ¥15.7K

31.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$530 ¥83.7K

231.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$338 ¥53.3K

311.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$1,245 ¥196.7K

180.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$722 ¥114.1K

245.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$4,684 ¥739.9K

47.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$1,984 ¥313.4K

224.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

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 Hiratsuka: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Hiratsuka

$338 26.7% 75.7% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Hiratsuka

$379 29.9% 1.3% $4.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Hiratsuka

$172 13.6% 45.9% $146

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Hiratsuka

$119 9.4% 62.2% $196

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Hiratsuka

$110 8.7% 35.8% $62

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Hiratsuka

$75 5.9% 54.1% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Hiratsuka

$74 5.9% 6.8% $5.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,759 in Melbourne versus $530 in Hiratsuka. 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 $85.0 in Melbourne versus $28.00 in Hiratsuka. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $379 – making Hiratsuka the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇯🇵 Hiratsuka

🕒 Local time

16:25 4:25 PM

14:25 2:25 PM

2 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

258,422

💱 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 Hiratsuka 8,150 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
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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 Hiratsuka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne, $1,267 in Hiratsuka – roughly 123% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,231 per month in Melbourne and $1,900 in Hiratsuka. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85.0 in Melbourne and $28.00 in Hiratsuka. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,821 in Melbourne and $1,267 in Hiratsuka. That's a gap of about 123%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Hiratsuka, where all-in costs run around $1,267, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Hiratsuka it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Hiratsuka – 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 Hiratsuka. 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.