Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Morioka

For one person, living is cheaper in Morioka: $1,190 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $19,600 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Morioka
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Morioka Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Morioka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,190

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Morioka

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $1,190 in Morioka.

Melbourne $2,821
Morioka $1,190

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,943 in Morioka.

Melbourne $4,235
Morioka $1,943

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $2,696 in Morioka.

Melbourne $5,650
Morioka $2,696

Living in Melbourne is roughly 137% more expensive than in Morioka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Morioka is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$6.13 ¥969

184.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$31.46 ¥4,971

168.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$5.15 ¥813

141.94%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.96 ¥468

38.85%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$1.20 ¥189

155.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.79 ¥124

218.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$2.66 ¥421

268.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$3.11 ¥491

175.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.46 ¥230

1.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.55 ¥244

89.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$4.23 ¥668

-37.12%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.03 ¥320

172.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$9.04 ¥1,428

16.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$7.42 ¥1,172

30.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$17.65 ¥2,788

-13.77%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$3.97 ¥627

0.50%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$2.24 ¥355

34.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$3.10 ¥489

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$4.29 ¥678

12.35%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$2.56 ¥405

18.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$2.22 ¥352

9.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.18 ¥187

108.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.94 ¥148

73.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$4.13 ¥653

967.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$6.81 ¥1,076

86.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.68 ¥266

229.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$2.33 ¥368

124.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$1.50 ¥236

149.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$54.5 ¥8,603

152.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$3.13 ¥494

44.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$2.63 ¥415

-48.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$21.32 ¥3,368

42.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.09 ¥172

34.86%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$20.2K ¥3.2M

43.31%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$15.1K ¥2.4M

75.49%

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

$234 A$336

$132 ¥20.8K

77.39%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$23.69 ¥3,743

17.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$31.46 ¥4,970

77.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$51.7 ¥8,167

-4.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$11.07 ¥1,749

36.31%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$545 ¥86.1K

335.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$12.2K ¥1.9M

147.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$50.8 ¥8,018

57.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$35.59 ¥5,623

42.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$57.1 ¥9,025

111.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$96.3 ¥15.2K

35.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$552 ¥87.1K

218.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$323 ¥51.0K

330.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$1,157 ¥182.8K

202.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$842 ¥133.0K

196.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$4,122 ¥651.2K

68.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$1,502 ¥237.3K

329.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

2.21

166.97%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Morioka: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Morioka

$323 27.1% 76.8% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Morioka

$294 24.7% 23.4% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Morioka

$187 15.7% 41.1% $130

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Morioka

$127 10.7% 59.5% $187

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Morioka

$108 9.1% 37.2% $64

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Morioka

$77 6.5% 53.2% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Morioka

$74 6.2% 7.2% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $552 in Morioka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Melbourne vs $31.00 in Morioka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $294 per month, with Morioka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇯🇵 Morioka

🕒 Local time

18:55 6:55 PM

16:55 4:55 PM

2 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

289,731

💱 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 Morioka 8,630 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 Morioka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Morioka differ by about 137% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $1,190 including rent). Morioka 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 $1,785 in Morioka 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 $552 in Morioka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,371 in Melbourne versus $545 in Morioka. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 31% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,190 in Morioka versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Morioka but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Morioka 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 Morioka 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 Morioka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 137% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.