Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Kawasaki

For one person, living is cheaper in Kawasaki: $1,481 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $16,100 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
72

Cost of Living Index in Kawasaki
Learn more

Kawasaki Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Kawasaki

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,481

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Kawasaki

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

A single person spends $2,821 per month in Melbourne vs $1,481 in Kawasaki, rent included.

Melbourne $2,821
Kawasaki $1,481

A couple spends around $4,235 per month in Melbourne vs $2,245 in Kawasaki, rent included.

Melbourne $4,235
Kawasaki $2,245

A family of three spends $5,650 per month in Melbourne vs $3,009 in Kawasaki, rent included.

Melbourne $5,650
Kawasaki $3,009

Melbourne costs about 90% more than Kawasaki, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Melbourne and Kawasaki sit above the global median – Melbourne by 109%, Kawasaki by 10%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$7.72 ¥1,220

125.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$37.50 ¥5,924

125.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$5.02 ¥793

148.21%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.69 ¥426

52.79%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$1.59 ¥251

92.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.87 ¥137

189.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$3.22 ¥509

204.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$3.06 ¥484

180.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.52 ¥241

-2.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.55 ¥244

89.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$4.23 ¥669

-37.12%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.11 ¥333

162.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$11.09 ¥1,751

-5.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$6.63 ¥1,047

45.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$16.37 ¥2,587

-7.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$6.27 ¥991

-36.36%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$2.71 ¥428

11.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$4.95 ¥783

-37.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$5.33 ¥842

-9.57%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$3.27 ¥517

-7.34%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$3.06 ¥483

-20.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.14 ¥179

115.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.82 ¥130

98.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$3.83 ¥605

1050.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$9.39 ¥1,483

35.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.39 ¥377

131.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$2.71 ¥429

92.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$1.90 ¥300

96.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$51.1 ¥8,072

169.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$3.07 ¥485

46.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$3.06 ¥484

-55.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$18.85 ¥2,978

61.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.06 ¥167

38.68%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$22.0K ¥3.5M

31.89%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$15.4K ¥2.4M

72.01%

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

$234 A$336

$124 ¥19.6K

88.50%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$23.61 ¥3,729

18.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$30.45 ¥4,810

83.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$54.2 ¥8,560

-8.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$6.22 ¥982

245.34%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$12.18 ¥1,925

23.89%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$568 ¥89.8K

317.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$14.5K ¥2.3M

108.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$50.1 ¥7,914

59.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$33.45 ¥5,285

51.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$64.4 ¥10.2K

87.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$70.9 ¥11.2K

84.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$754 ¥119.2K

133.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$576 ¥90.9K

141.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$1,281 ¥202.4K

172.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$1,021 ¥161.2K

144.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$4,698 ¥742.2K

47.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$3,131 ¥494.7K

105.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$2,542 ¥401.6K

72.42%

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 Kawasaki: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Kawasaki

$576 38.9% 58.6% $814

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Kawasaki

$332 22.4% 13.5% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Kawasaki

$178 12% 43.9% $139

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Kawasaki

$141 9.5% 55.1% $173

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Kawasaki

$98 6.7% 42.7% $73

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Kawasaki

$77 5.2% 52.9% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Kawasaki

$79 5.3% 1.3% $1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,759 in Melbourne versus $754 in Kawasaki. 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 72% 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 $37.00 in Kawasaki. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $332 – making Kawasaki the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇯🇵 Kawasaki

🕒 Local time

12:23 12:23 PM

10:23 10:23 AM

2 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

1,538,262

💱 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

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Between locations

Melbourne Kawasaki 8,170 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Kawasaki

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 Kawasaki: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne costs about 90% more than Kawasaki, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,231 per month in Melbourne and $2,222 in Kawasaki. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kawasaki, 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 $37.00 in Kawasaki. 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 $1,481 in Kawasaki. That's a gap of about 90%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kawasaki, where all-in costs run around $1,481, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Kawasaki it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kawasaki costs $1,481 versus $2,821 in Melbourne. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Kawasaki. 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.