Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Ichinomiya

For one person, living is cheaper in Ichinomiya: $1,141 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $20,200 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Ichinomiya
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Ichinomiya Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Ichinomiya

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,141

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Ichinomiya

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

A single person spends $2,821 per month in Melbourne vs $1,141 in Ichinomiya, rent included.

Melbourne $2,821
Ichinomiya $1,141

A couple spends around $4,235 per month in Melbourne vs $1,891 in Ichinomiya, rent included.

Melbourne $4,235
Ichinomiya $1,891

A family of three spends $5,650 per month in Melbourne vs $2,640 in Ichinomiya, rent included.

Melbourne $5,650
Ichinomiya $2,640

Melbourne costs about 147% more than Ichinomiya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Melbourne sits 109% above the global median, while Ichinomiya is 15% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$5.96 ¥941

192.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$31.97 ¥5,051

164.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$4.51 ¥712

176.27%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$3.33 ¥527

23.42%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$1.35 ¥214

126.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.82 ¥129

207.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$2.45 ¥388

300.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$3.08 ¥486

178.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.43 ¥225

3.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.72 ¥272

70.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$4.64 ¥733

-42.67%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.01 ¥318

175.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$11.03 ¥1,743

-4.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$6.91 ¥1,092

39.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$15.14 ¥2,392

0.53%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$3.52 ¥556

13.35%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$2.53 ¥400

19.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$3.14 ¥495

-1.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$4.03 ¥637

19.60%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$2.74 ¥434

10.58%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$2.46 ¥389

-0.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.37 ¥217

79.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.80 ¥126

103.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$4.24 ¥669

939.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$6.26 ¥989

102.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.67 ¥263

231.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$1.95 ¥308

168.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$1.40 ¥221

167.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$46.94 ¥7,416

192.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$3.62 ¥572

24.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$3.10 ¥490

-56.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$18.36 ¥2,900

65.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.14 ¥180

28.95%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$22.1K ¥3.5M

31.22%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$14.9K ¥2.4M

77.89%

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

$234 A$336

$115 ¥18.2K

103.01%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$20.66 ¥3,265

35.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$27.00 ¥4,265

106.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$56.2 ¥8,883

-12.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$12.04 ¥1,903

25.33%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$537 ¥84.8K

341.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$11.5K ¥1.8M

162.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$42.65 ¥6,739

87.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$29.32 ¥4,632

72.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$67.7 ¥10.7K

78.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$79.0 ¥12.5K

65.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$490 ¥77.4K

259.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$310 ¥49.0K

347.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$997 ¥157.5K

250.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$840 ¥132.6K

196.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$4,161 ¥657.4K

66.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$1,986 ¥313.8K

224.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

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 10, 2026

Last update for Ichinomiya: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Ichinomiya

$310 27.2% 77.7% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Ichinomiya

$290 25.4% 24.6% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Ichinomiya

$163 14.3% 48.7% $155

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Ichinomiya

$128 11.2% 59.2% $186

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Ichinomiya

$98 8.6% 42.7% $73

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Ichinomiya

$72 6.3% 56.3% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Ichinomiya

$80 7% 0.9% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,759 in Melbourne versus $490 in Ichinomiya. 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 $32.00 in Ichinomiya. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $290 – making Ichinomiya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇯🇵 Ichinomiya

🕒 Local time

22:32 10:32 PM

20:32 8:32 PM

2 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

379,728

💱 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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Melbourne Ichinomiya 8,170 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

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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 Ichinomiya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Melbourne is pricier by about 147%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,231 per month in Melbourne and $1,712 in Ichinomiya. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ichinomiya, 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 $32.00 in Ichinomiya. 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 $1,141 in Ichinomiya. That's a gap of about 147%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ichinomiya, where all-in costs run around $1,141, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Ichinomiya it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ichinomiya – 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 Ichinomiya. 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.