Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Kashiwa

For one person, living is cheaper in Kashiwa: $1,230 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $19,100 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
60

Cost of Living Index in Kashiwa
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Kashiwa Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Kashiwa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,230

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Kashiwa

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

A single person spends $2,821 per month in Melbourne vs $1,230 in Kashiwa, rent included.

Melbourne $2,821
Kashiwa $1,230

A couple spends around $4,235 per month in Melbourne vs $1,857 in Kashiwa, rent included.

Melbourne $4,235
Kashiwa $1,857

A family of three spends $5,650 per month in Melbourne vs $2,484 in Kashiwa, rent included.

Melbourne $5,650
Kashiwa $2,484

Melbourne costs about 129% more than Kashiwa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Melbourne sits 109% above the global median, while Kashiwa is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$6.44 ¥1,018

170.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$24.90 ¥3,933

239.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$5.13 ¥811

142.88%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$3.46 ¥546

18.79%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.69 ¥108

343.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.79 ¥125

218.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$2.47 ¥391

296.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$3.13 ¥494

173.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.22 ¥193

21.31%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.13 ¥179

160.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$3.59 ¥567

-25.91%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.86 ¥293

197.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$6.39 ¥1,010

64.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$6.06 ¥958

59.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$9.37 ¥1,480

62.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$5.66 ¥893

-29.51%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$2.71 ¥428

11.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.94 ¥465

5.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$4.09 ¥646

17.85%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$2.49 ¥394

21.69%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$2.64 ¥417

-7.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.60 ¥95.4

310.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.61 ¥96.6

167.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$3.88 ¥614

1035.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$6.35 ¥1,003

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.80 ¥284

207.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$1.91 ¥301

173.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$1.44 ¥228

159.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$53.4 ¥8,439

157.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$3.10 ¥490

45.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$1.56 ¥246

-12.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$20.60 ¥3,255

47.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.00 ¥159

47.00%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$21.6K ¥3.4M

34.03%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$18.5K ¥2.9M

43.32%

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

$234 A$336

$127 ¥20.1K

83.94%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$24.24 ¥3,830

15.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$31.65 ¥5,000

76.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$52.9 ¥8,356

-6.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$12.83 ¥2,027

17.61%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$628 ¥99.2K

277.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$14.7K ¥2.3M

105.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$62.1 ¥9,813

28.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$37.38 ¥5,906

35.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$61.5 ¥9,714

96.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$101 ¥15.9K

29.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$523 ¥82.6K

236.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$400 ¥63.2K

247.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$1,123 ¥177.5K

211.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$743 ¥117.5K

235.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$4,183 ¥660.9K

65.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$1,934 ¥305.5K

233.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$2,653 ¥419.2K

65.17%

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 Kashiwa: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Kashiwa

$400 32.5% 71.2% $990

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Kashiwa

$248 20.1% 35.5% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Kashiwa

$183 14.9% 42.4% $134

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Kashiwa

$133 10.8% 57.7% $182

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Kashiwa

$118 9.6% 31.4% $54

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Kashiwa

$70 5.7% 57.2% $94

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Kashiwa

$79 6.4% 1.3% $1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,759 in Melbourne versus $523 in Kashiwa. 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 65% 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 $25.00 in Kashiwa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $248 – making Kashiwa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇯🇵 Kashiwa

🕒 Local time

08:07 8:07 AM

06:07 6:07 AM

2 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

417,394

💱 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 Kashiwa 8,210 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 Kashiwa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne, $1,230 in Kashiwa – roughly 129% 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 $1,845 in Kashiwa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $2,371 per month in Melbourne and $628 in Kashiwa. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 55% more in Melbourne, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kashiwa, where all-in costs run around $1,230, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Kashiwa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Kashiwa has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,230 in Kashiwa to $2,821 in Melbourne. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Kashiwa. 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.