Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Ichihara

For one person, living is cheaper in Ichihara: $1,194 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 Ichihara
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Ichihara Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Ichihara

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,194

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Ichihara

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $1,194 in Ichihara.

Melbourne $2,821
Ichihara $1,194

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,963 in Ichihara.

Melbourne $4,235
Ichihara $1,963

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $2,731 in Ichihara.

Melbourne $5,650
Ichihara $2,731

Living in Melbourne is roughly 136% more expensive than in Ichihara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Ichihara is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$6.25 ¥987

178.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$41.68 ¥6,585

102.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$4.96 ¥784

151.21%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$3.45 ¥545

19.13%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$1.05 ¥166

191.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.74 ¥117

240.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$2.50 ¥395

292.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$3.09 ¥488

177.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.40 ¥221

5.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.66 ¥263

77.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$3.60 ¥568

-26.11%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.99 ¥315

178.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$10.39 ¥1,641

1.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$5.90 ¥933

63.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$14.55 ¥2,298

4.60%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$5.75 ¥908

-30.61%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$2.77 ¥438

9.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.81 ¥445

10.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$4.12 ¥650

16.99%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$2.59 ¥409

16.99%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$2.58 ¥408

-5.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.27 ¥201

93.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.79 ¥125

106.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$3.87 ¥612

1038.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$6.27 ¥991

102.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.72 ¥271

222.09%

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

$1.49 ¥236

151.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$53.1 ¥8,389

158.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$3.08 ¥486

46.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$2.75 ¥435

-50.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$20.19 ¥3,190

50.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.11 ¥176

32.43%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$21.6K ¥3.4M

34.16%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$18.4K ¥2.9M

43.53%

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

$234 A$336

$129 ¥20.4K

80.89%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$24.13 ¥3,812

15.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$31.50 ¥4,976

76.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$46.03 ¥7,272

7.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$12.43 ¥1,964

21.40%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$632 ¥99.9K

275.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$14.7K ¥2.3M

105.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$63.2 ¥9,981

26.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$36.21 ¥5,721

40.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$61.6 ¥9,726

95.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$100 ¥15.9K

29.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$470 ¥74.2K

274.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$326 ¥51.5K

326.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$1,055 ¥166.7K

231.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$816 ¥128.8K

205.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$4,722 ¥746.0K

46.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$1,935 ¥305.7K

233.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

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 Ichihara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Ichihara

$326 27.3% 76.6% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Ichihara

$287 24.1% 25.2% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Ichihara

$185 15.5% 41.8% $133

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Ichihara

$132 11.1% 58% $182

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Ichihara

$118 9.9% 31.5% $54

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Ichihara

$76 6.4% 53.7% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Ichihara

$71 5.9% 10.9% $8.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $470 in Ichihara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Melbourne vs $42.00 in Ichihara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $287 per month, with Ichihara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇯🇵 Ichihara

🕒 Local time

04:12 4:12 AM

02:12 2:12 AM

2 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

269,524

💱 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 →

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Melbourne Ichihara 8,170 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Ichihara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ichihara is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 136% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $4,231 in Melbourne and $1,791 in Ichihara 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: $1,759 in Melbourne versus $470 in Ichihara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,371 in Melbourne versus $632 in Ichihara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,194 in Ichihara versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Ichihara but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Ichihara 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 Ichihara 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 Ichihara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 136% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.