Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Kanazawa

For one person, living is cheaper in Kanazawa: $1,304 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $18,200 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 Kanazawa
Learn more

Kanazawa Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Kanazawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,304

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Kanazawa

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

A single person spends $2,821 per month in Melbourne vs $1,304 in Kanazawa, rent included.

Melbourne $2,821
Kanazawa $1,304

A couple spends around $4,235 per month in Melbourne vs $2,052 in Kanazawa, rent included.

Melbourne $4,235
Kanazawa $2,052

A family of three spends $5,650 per month in Melbourne vs $2,800 in Kanazawa, rent included.

Melbourne $5,650
Kanazawa $2,800

Melbourne costs about 116% more than Kanazawa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Melbourne sits 109% above the global median, while Kanazawa is 3% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$7.44 ¥1,175

134.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$31.25 ¥4,937

170.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$4.99 ¥788

149.70%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.38 ¥377

72.69%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$1.13 ¥178

170.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.58 ¥92.2

334.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$2.01 ¥318

387.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$2.27 ¥359

277.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.56 ¥247

-5.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.33 ¥210

121.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$5.52 ¥873

-51.81%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.02 ¥320

174.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$12.81 ¥2,024

-17.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$9.52 ¥1,505

1.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$32.49 ¥5,132

-53.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$3.69 ¥584

8.13%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$2.32 ¥366

30.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$6.14 ¥970

-49.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$4.15 ¥655

16.14%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$3.68 ¥582

-17.66%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$3.43 ¥542

-28.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.28 ¥202

92.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.96 ¥151

69.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$3.43 ¥542

1184.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$7.96 ¥1,257

59.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.95 ¥308

184.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$1.52 ¥240

244.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$1.52 ¥240

146.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$54.2 ¥8,568

153.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$3.08 ¥487

46.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$3.11 ¥491

-56.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$26.94 ¥4,257

13.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.05 ¥167

40.00%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$20.1K ¥3.2M

44.17%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$16.4K ¥2.6M

61.47%

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

$234 A$336

$146 ¥23.1K

59.62%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$23.56 ¥3,722

18.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$42.65 ¥6,738

30.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$42.05 ¥6,644

17.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$11.47 ¥1,812

31.56%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$318 ¥50.2K

646.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$6,093 ¥962.6K

395.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$49.09 ¥7,756

62.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$24.98 ¥3,947

102.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$46.39 ¥7,329

159.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$64.3 ¥10.2K

102.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$454 ¥71.8K

287.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$356 ¥56.2K

290.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$1,004 ¥158.6K

247.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$767 ¥121.2K

224.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$4,757 ¥751.5K

45.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$1,885 ¥297.9K

241.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$1,869 ¥295.3K

134.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

2.28

158.77%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Kanazawa: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Kanazawa

$356 27.3% 74.4% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Kanazawa

$384 29.4% 0.1% $0.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Kanazawa

$213 16.3% 33% $105

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Kanazawa

$125 9.6% 60.4% $190

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Kanazawa

$83 6.4% 51.6% $89

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Kanazawa

$79 6.1% 51.8% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Kanazawa

$65 5% 18.3% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,759 in Melbourne versus $454 in Kanazawa. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 134% higher in Melbourne, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85.0 in Melbourne versus $31.00 in Kanazawa. Groceries tell a different story – $384 in Melbourne vs $384 in Kanazawa – so Melbourne wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇯🇵 Kanazawa

🕒 Local time

20:54 8:54 PM

18:54 6:54 PM

2 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

465,699

💱 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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Melbourne Kanazawa 8,310 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Kanazawa

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 Kanazawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne, $1,304 in Kanazawa – roughly 116% 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 $1,955 in Kanazawa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,821 in Melbourne and $1,304 in Kanazawa. That's a gap of about 116%.

Public transport costs about 154% less in Kanazawa. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kanazawa, where all-in costs run around $1,304, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Kanazawa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kanazawa – 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 Kanazawa. 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.