Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Kamakura

For one person, living is cheaper in Kamakura: $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
57

Cost of Living Index in Kamakura
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Kamakura Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Kamakura

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,194

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Kamakura

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

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

Melbourne $2,821
Kamakura $1,194

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,888 in Kamakura.

Melbourne $4,235
Kamakura $1,888

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $2,582 in Kamakura.

Melbourne $5,650
Kamakura $2,582

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$6.34 ¥1,002

174.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$31.78 ¥5,020

166.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$4.98 ¥787

150.20%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.48 ¥392

65.73%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$1.08 ¥171

183.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.80 ¥127

215.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$2.57 ¥406

281.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$3.22 ¥509

166.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.38 ¥219

7.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.50 ¥237

96.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$3.67 ¥580

-27.52%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.99 ¥315

178.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$10.47 ¥1,654

0.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$6.18 ¥976

56.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$14.39 ¥2,274

5.77%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$5.61 ¥886

-28.88%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$2.69 ¥424

12.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.89 ¥457

7.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$4.30 ¥679

12.09%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$2.50 ¥395

21.20%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$2.55 ¥403

-4.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.13 ¥179

117.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.76 ¥120

114.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$3.71 ¥587

1087.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$6.44 ¥1,017

97.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.81 ¥286

206.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$2.04 ¥322

156.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$1.50 ¥237

149.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$56.5 ¥8,926

143.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$3.08 ¥487

46.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$2.76 ¥436

-50.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$15.85 ¥2,505

92.11%

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

$21.6K ¥3.4M

34.07%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$15.3K ¥2.4M

73.39%

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

$234 A$336

$118 ¥18.6K

98.69%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$23.42 ¥3,700

19.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$31.10 ¥4,913

79.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$52.8 ¥8,335

-6.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$12.67 ¥2,001

19.10%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$584 ¥92.3K

305.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$14.8K ¥2.3M

104.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$50.9 ¥8,044

57.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$35.32 ¥5,580

43.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$59.9 ¥9,456

101.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$97.5 ¥15.4K

33.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$568 ¥89.7K

209.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$346 ¥54.7K

301.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$1,212 ¥191.4K

188.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$748 ¥118.3K

233.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$4,369 ¥690.2K

58.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$1,979 ¥312.6K

225.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$1,785 ¥282.0K

145.52%

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 Kamakura: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Kamakura

$346 29% 75.1% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Kamakura

$286 24% 25.4% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Kamakura

$172 14.4% 45.8% $145

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Kamakura

$122 10.2% 61.1% $192

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Kamakura

$110 9.2% 36.2% $62

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Kamakura

$79 6.7% 51.5% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Kamakura

$78 6.5% 1.9% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $568 in Kamakura. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 146% 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 $32.00 in Kamakura for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $286 per month, with Kamakura cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇯🇵 Kamakura

🕒 Local time

12:27 12:27 PM

10:27 10:27 AM

2 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

172,710

💱 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 Kamakura 8,150 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Kamakura

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 Kamakura: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 146% higher in Melbourne, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,759 in Melbourne versus $568 in Kamakura. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,371 in Melbourne versus $584 in Kamakura. 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 Kamakura versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Kamakura but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Kamakura 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 Kamakura 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 Kamakura 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.