Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Nagoya

For one person, living is cheaper in Nagoya: $1,369 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $17,400 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
67

Cost of Living Index in Nagoya
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Nagoya Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Nagoya

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,369

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Nagoya

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $1,369 in Nagoya.

Melbourne $2,821
Nagoya $1,369

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $2,170 in Nagoya.

Melbourne $4,235
Nagoya $2,170

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $2,972 in Nagoya.

Melbourne $5,650
Nagoya $2,972

Living in Melbourne is roughly 106% more expensive than in Nagoya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Nagoya 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$8.57 ¥1,355

103.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$31.14 ¥4,919

171.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$5.11 ¥808

143.84%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.39 ¥377

71.97%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$1.24 ¥195

146.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.85 ¥135

196.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$3.09 ¥489

217.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$3.20 ¥505

167.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.51 ¥239

-1.99%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.52 ¥241

93.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$4.03 ¥637

-34.00%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.15 ¥339

157.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$15.68 ¥2,477

-32.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$7.14 ¥1,129

35.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$16.92 ¥2,674

-10.05%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$8.42 ¥1,330

-52.61%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$2.90 ¥459

4.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$4.86 ¥768

-36.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$7.84 ¥1,238

-38.52%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$4.08 ¥645

-25.74%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$4.75 ¥750

-48.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.14 ¥180

115.79%

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

$3.86 ¥610

1041.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$9.47 ¥1,496

34.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.49 ¥393

122.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$2.18 ¥345

139.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$1.49 ¥235

151.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$118 ¥18.6K

16.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$3.20 ¥505

40.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$2.85 ¥451

-52.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$15.80 ¥2,495

92.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.10 ¥173

33.64%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$21.6K ¥3.4M

34.05%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$14.9K ¥2.4M

77.84%

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

$234 A$336

$115 ¥18.2K

103.11%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$23.65 ¥3,736

18.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$31.18 ¥4,926

78.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$50.5 ¥7,971

-2.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$13.41 ¥2,119

60.18%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$11.29 ¥1,784

33.66%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$572 ¥90.3K

314.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$14.8K ¥2.3M

104.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$49.53 ¥7,826

61.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$35.86 ¥5,666

41.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$59.7 ¥9,427

102.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$99.5 ¥15.7K

31.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$537 ¥84.9K

227.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$352 ¥55.6K

295.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$1,199 ¥189.5K

191.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$749 ¥118.3K

232.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$2,031 ¥320.8K

241.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$1,030 ¥162.7K

525.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$1,882 ¥297.4K

132.83%

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 Nagoya: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Nagoya

$352 25.7% 74.7% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Nagoya

$380 27.8% 1% $4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Nagoya

$170 12.4% 46.5% $147

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Nagoya

$143 10.4% 54.6% $172

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Nagoya

$110 8% 35.9% $62

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Nagoya

$141 10.3% 13.7% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Nagoya

$73 5.3% 8.2% $6.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $537 in Nagoya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 133% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $85.0 in Melbourne vs $31.00 in Nagoya for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $380 per month, with Nagoya cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇯🇵 Nagoya

🕒 Local time

18:19 6:19 PM

16:19 4:19 PM

2 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

2,236,000

💱 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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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Melbourne vs Nagoya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Nagoya differ by about 106% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $1,369 including rent). Nagoya is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 133% higher in Melbourne, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,759 in Melbourne versus $537 in Nagoya. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,371 in Melbourne versus $572 in Nagoya. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 1% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,369 in Nagoya versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Nagoya but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Nagoya 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 Nagoya 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 Nagoya gentler on the wallet – expenses run 106% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.