Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Kitakyushu

For one person, living is cheaper in Kitakyushu: $1,240 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $19,000 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 Kitakyushu
Learn more

Kitakyushu Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Kitakyushu

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,240

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Kitakyushu

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

A single person spends $2,821 per month in Melbourne vs $1,240 in Kitakyushu, rent included.

Melbourne $2,821
Kitakyushu $1,240

A couple spends around $4,235 per month in Melbourne vs $1,919 in Kitakyushu, rent included.

Melbourne $4,235
Kitakyushu $1,919

A family of three spends $5,650 per month in Melbourne vs $2,599 in Kitakyushu, rent included.

Melbourne $5,650
Kitakyushu $2,599

Melbourne costs about 128% more than Kitakyushu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Melbourne sits 109% above the global median, while Kitakyushu is 8% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$7.30 ¥1,153

138.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$33.63 ¥5,314

151.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$5.49 ¥868

126.96%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$3.32 ¥525

23.80%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.99 ¥157

209.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.75 ¥118

236.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$3.00 ¥475

226.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$2.20 ¥348

289.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.49 ¥236

-0.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.32 ¥209

122.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$5.31 ¥839

-49.91%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.30 ¥363

140.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$9.46 ¥1,494

11.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$5.29 ¥835

82.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$18.56 ¥2,932

-18.00%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$3.71 ¥586

7.55%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.78 ¥282

69.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.91 ¥459

6.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$2.88 ¥455

67.36%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$2.20 ¥347

37.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$2.53 ¥399

-3.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.06 ¥168

132.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.92 ¥145

77.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$3.97 ¥626

1010.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$6.44 ¥1,017

97.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.72 ¥272

222.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$1.70 ¥269

207.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$1.65 ¥261

126.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$53.2 ¥8,405

158.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$3.91 ¥617

15.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$2.09 ¥331

-34.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$17.98 ¥2,840

69.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.04 ¥164

41.35%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$20.8K ¥3.3M

39.42%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$17.8K ¥2.8M

48.87%

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

$234 A$336

$195 ¥30.9K

19.62%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$24.96 ¥3,944

11.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$32.31 ¥5,105

72.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$51.4 ¥8,126

-3.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$3.22 ¥508

567.08%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$11.19 ¥1,768

34.85%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$371 ¥58.7K

538.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$12.4K ¥2.0M

144.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$49.57 ¥7,832

61.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$25.75 ¥4,069

96.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$66.4 ¥10.5K

81.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$54.8 ¥8,658

137.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$522 ¥82.5K

236.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$333 ¥52.6K

317.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$1,106 ¥174.7K

215.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$725 ¥114.6K

243.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$4,174 ¥659.5K

65.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$1,729 ¥273.1K

272.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$1,510 ¥238.5K

190.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

1.69

249.11%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Kitakyushu: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Kitakyushu

$333 26.9% 76% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Kitakyushu

$276 22.3% 28.1% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Kitakyushu

$253 20.4% 20.4% $65

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Kitakyushu

$141 11.4% 55.1% $173

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Kitakyushu

$88 7.1% 48.5% $83

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Kitakyushu

$74 6% 54.7% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Kitakyushu

$74 6% 7.2% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,759 in Melbourne versus $522 in Kitakyushu. 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 190% 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 $34.00 in Kitakyushu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $276 – making Kitakyushu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇯🇵 Kitakyushu

🕒 Local time

17:25 5:25 PM

15:25 3:25 PM

2 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

939,029

💱 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 Kitakyushu 8,100 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Kitakyushu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne, $1,240 in Kitakyushu – roughly 128% 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 $1,859 in Kitakyushu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 39% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $85.0 in Melbourne and $34.00 in Kitakyushu. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kitakyushu, where all-in costs run around $1,240, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Kitakyushu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Kitakyushu has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,240 in Kitakyushu 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 Kitakyushu. 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.