Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Maebashi

For one person, living is cheaper in Maebashi: $1,216 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $19,300 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Maebashi
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Maebashi Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Maebashi

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,216

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Maebashi

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

A single person spends $2,821 per month in Melbourne vs $1,216 in Maebashi, rent included.

Melbourne $2,821
Maebashi $1,216

A couple spends around $4,235 per month in Melbourne vs $1,956 in Maebashi, rent included.

Melbourne $4,235
Maebashi $1,956

A family of three spends $5,650 per month in Melbourne vs $2,696 in Maebashi, rent included.

Melbourne $5,650
Maebashi $2,696

Melbourne costs about 132% more than Maebashi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Melbourne sits 109% above the global median, while Maebashi is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$4.39 ¥694

297.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$31.47 ¥4,972

168.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$5.16 ¥815

141.47%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.48 ¥392

65.73%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.77 ¥122

297.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.61 ¥96.7

313.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$2.25 ¥355

335.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$3.23 ¥510

165.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.22 ¥192

21.31%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.53 ¥241

92.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$1.35 ¥213

97.04%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.63 ¥258

239.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$15.66 ¥2,473

-32.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$4.42 ¥698

118.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$16.95 ¥2,679

-10.21%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$8.15 ¥1,288

-51.04%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$3.03 ¥478

-0.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$4.91 ¥776

-36.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$7.65 ¥1,208

-36.99%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$3.96 ¥626

-23.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$4.75 ¥751

-48.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.17 ¥184

110.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.49 ¥77.8

232.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$3.94 ¥623

1018.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$9.35 ¥1,477

35.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.50 ¥395

121.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$2.07 ¥327

152.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$1.51 ¥238

147.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$52.8 ¥8,335

160.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$3.18 ¥502

41.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$2.83 ¥447

-51.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$31.19 ¥4,927

-2.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.07 ¥169

37.38%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$21.3K ¥3.4M

36.01%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$15.3K ¥2.4M

72.64%

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

$234 A$336

$118 ¥18.6K

98.44%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$23.00 ¥3,633

21.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$31.59 ¥4,992

76.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$51.5 ¥8,141

-4.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$31.51 ¥4,978

-31.83%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$11.16 ¥1,764

35.22%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$575 ¥90.8K

312.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$14.4K ¥2.3M

110.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$49.39 ¥7,803

61.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$35.13 ¥5,550

44.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$60.7 ¥9,586

98.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$98.9 ¥15.6K

31.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$529 ¥83.6K

232.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$337 ¥53.3K

312.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$1,091 ¥172.3K

220.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$743 ¥117.4K

235.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$3,756 ¥593.4K

84.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$1,859 ¥293.6K

246.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$1,696 ¥267.9K

158.43%

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 Maebashi: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Maebashi

$337 27.7% 75.7% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Maebashi

$343 28.2% 10.6% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Maebashi

$172 14.2% 45.7% $145

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Maebashi

$104 8.5% 67.1% $211

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Maebashi

$110 9% 36.1% $62

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Maebashi

$76 6.3% 53.5% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Maebashi

$74 6.1% 7.2% $5.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,759 in Melbourne versus $529 in Maebashi. 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 158% 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 Maebashi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $343 – making Maebashi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇯🇵 Maebashi

🕒 Local time

19:45 7:45 PM

17:45 5:45 PM

2 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

324,644

💱 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 Maebashi 8,270 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

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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 Maebashi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Melbourne is pricier by about 132%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,231 per month in Melbourne and $1,824 in Maebashi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Maebashi, 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 $31.00 in Maebashi. 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 $1,216 in Maebashi. That's a gap of about 132%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Maebashi, where all-in costs run around $1,216, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Maebashi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Maebashi – 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 Maebashi. 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.