Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Kumamoto

For one person, living is cheaper in Kumamoto: $1,275 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $18,600 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
63

Cost of Living Index in Kumamoto
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Kumamoto Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Kumamoto

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,275

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Kumamoto

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $1,275 in Kumamoto.

Melbourne $2,821
Kumamoto $1,275

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,968 in Kumamoto.

Melbourne $4,235
Kumamoto $1,968

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $2,661 in Kumamoto.

Melbourne $5,650
Kumamoto $2,661

Living in Melbourne is roughly 121% more expensive than in Kumamoto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Kumamoto is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$7.11 ¥1,123

145.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$31.31 ¥4,947

170.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$6.04 ¥955

106.29%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$3.21 ¥507

28.04%

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

$0.76 ¥121

231.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$3.75 ¥593

161.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$2.24 ¥353

282.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.35 ¥213

9.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.85 ¥292

58.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$6.70 ¥1,058

-60.30%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.86 ¥293

197.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$18.45 ¥2,915

-43.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$5.47 ¥865

76.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$18.63 ¥2,944

-18.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$3.57 ¥565

11.76%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.85 ¥292

63.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.89 ¥457

7.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$3.39 ¥535

42.18%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$2.19 ¥347

38.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$2.62 ¥414

-6.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.06 ¥168

132.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.98 ¥154

66.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$3.87 ¥611

1038.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$5.63 ¥890

125.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.66 ¥262

233.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$1.90 ¥300

175.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$1.37 ¥217

172.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$57.2 ¥9,037

140.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$3.85 ¥608

17.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$2.08 ¥329

-34.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$18.13 ¥2,865

67.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.10 ¥175

33.64%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$22.0K ¥3.5M

31.79%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$17.7K ¥2.8M

49.51%

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

$234 A$336

$207 ¥32.7K

12.80%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$24.29 ¥3,838

14.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$33.05 ¥5,222

68.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$45.67 ¥7,215

8.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$10.98 ¥1,735

37.43%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$126 ¥20.0K

1776.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$12.1K ¥1.9M

148.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$48.65 ¥7,685

64.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$26.06 ¥4,118

94.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$65.7 ¥10.4K

83.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$46.35 ¥7,323

181.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$524 ¥82.8K

235.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$325 ¥51.3K

328.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$1,110 ¥175.3K

214.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$722 ¥114.1K

245.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$4,521 ¥714.2K

53.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$1,747 ¥276.0K

268.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

1.97

199.49%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Kumamoto: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Kumamoto

$325 25.5% 76.6% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Kumamoto

$313 24.6% 18.4% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Kumamoto

$265 20.8% 16.7% $53

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Kumamoto

$144 11.3% 54.3% $171

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Kumamoto

$84 6.6% 51.1% $88

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Kumamoto

$77 6% 53% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Kumamoto

$68 5.3% 15% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $524 in Kumamoto. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Melbourne vs $31.00 in Kumamoto for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $313 per month, with Kumamoto cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇯🇵 Kumamoto

🕒 Local time

18:56 6:56 PM

16:56 4:56 PM

2 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

738,865

💱 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Kumamoto 7,990 km ≈ 10 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 Kumamoto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Kumamoto differ by about 121% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $1,275 including rent). Kumamoto is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $4,231 in Melbourne and $1,912 in Kumamoto to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,759 in Melbourne versus $524 in Kumamoto. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Kumamoto runs roughly 140% less than in Melbourne. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $2,371 in Melbourne versus $126 in Kumamoto. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,275 in Kumamoto versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kumamoto but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Kumamoto 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 Kumamoto 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 Kumamoto gentler on the wallet – expenses run 121% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.