Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Nagasaki

For one person, living is cheaper in Nagasaki: $1,277 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $18,500 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 Nagasaki
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Nagasaki Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Nagasaki

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,277

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Nagasaki

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $1,277 in Nagasaki.

Melbourne $2,821
Nagasaki $1,277

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,859 in Nagasaki.

Melbourne $4,235
Nagasaki $1,859

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $2,441 in Nagasaki.

Melbourne $5,650
Nagasaki $2,441

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Nagasaki is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$5.00 ¥789

248.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$18.95 ¥2,994

346.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$4.92 ¥778

153.25%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$3.76 ¥594

9.31%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$1.05 ¥166

191.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.72 ¥113

250.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$2.24 ¥355

337.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$2.25 ¥356

280.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.55 ¥244

-4.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.89 ¥299

55.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$6.32 ¥998

-57.91%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.02 ¥319

174.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$9.69 ¥1,531

8.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$3.18 ¥502

203.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$19.16 ¥3,028

-20.56%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$3.71 ¥586

7.55%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.88 ¥296

60.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.76 ¥435

12.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$3.35 ¥530

43.88%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$2.15 ¥340

40.93%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$2.55 ¥402

-4.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.07 ¥170

129.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.92 ¥146

77.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$3.97 ¥628

1010.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$6.18 ¥977

105.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.64 ¥260

237.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$1.85 ¥292

182.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$1.65 ¥261

126.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$53.9 ¥8,518

155.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$3.96 ¥625

13.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$2.03 ¥321

-33.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$17.87 ¥2,823

70.40%

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

$22.0K ¥3.5M

31.92%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$17.7K ¥2.8M

49.81%

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

$234 A$336

$209 ¥33.0K

11.84%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$24.63 ¥3,892

13.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$32.77 ¥5,178

70.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$46.08 ¥7,281

7.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$11.22 ¥1,772

34.49%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$126 ¥19.8K

1788.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$12.3K ¥1.9M

145.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$49.78 ¥7,864

60.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$26.03 ¥4,113

94.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$66.6 ¥10.5K

81.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$47.35 ¥7,480

175.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$535 ¥84.6K

228.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$380 ¥60.1K

265.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$1,193 ¥188.5K

192.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$683 ¥108.0K

264.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$4,200 ¥663.6K

64.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$1,759 ¥277.9K

266.34%

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 Nagasaki: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Nagasaki

$380 29.8% 72.6% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Nagasaki

$279 21.9% 27.3% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Nagasaki

$266 20.9% 16.1% $51

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Nagasaki

$123 9.6% 61% $192

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Nagasaki

$85 6.7% 50.3% $86

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Nagasaki

$75 5.8% 54.4% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Nagasaki

$69 5.4% 13.9% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $535 in Nagasaki. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Melbourne vs $19.00 in Nagasaki for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $279 per month, with Nagasaki cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇯🇵 Nagasaki

🕒 Local time

18:30 6:30 PM

16:30 4:30 PM

2 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

409,118

💱 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 Nagasaki 8,000 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 Nagasaki: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Nagasaki differ by about 121% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $1,277 including rent). Nagasaki 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 $1,915 in Nagasaki 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 $535 in Nagasaki. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

Supermarket bills run roughly 38% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,277 in Nagasaki versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Nagasaki but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Nagasaki 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 Nagasaki 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 Nagasaki 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.