Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Naha

For one person, living is cheaper in Naha: $1,343 a month against $2,853 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $18,100 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
65

Cost of Living Index in Naha
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Naha Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,853

/mo nomad

Naha

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,343

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Naha

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,853 in Melbourne versus $1,343 in Naha.

Melbourne $2,853
Naha $1,343

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,275 in Melbourne versus $2,092 in Naha.

Melbourne $4,275
Naha $2,092

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,697 in Melbourne versus $2,840 in Naha.

Melbourne $5,697
Naha $2,840

Living in Melbourne is roughly 112% more expensive than in Naha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 111% above, Naha is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.20 A$24.75

$5.12 ¥808

235.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.1 A$120

$30.17 ¥4,767

175.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.43 A$17.88

$5.20 ¥821

139.04%

Cappuccino

$4.05 A$5.82

$3.12 ¥493

29.81%

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

$3.12 A$4.50

$1.29 ¥203

141.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.87 ¥137

182.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.52 A$13.71

$2.56 ¥405

271.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.16 A$11.74

$3.92 ¥619

108.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 A$2.25

$1.56 ¥247

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 A$4.18

$2.07 ¥327

40.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$3.87 ¥612

-31.27%

Eggs

$5.37 A$7.72

$1.74 ¥276

208.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.67 A$15.36

$17.91 ¥2,829

-40.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 A$14.17

$4.80 ¥758

105.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.36 A$22.11

$22.38 ¥3,536

-31.37%

Apples (1kg)

$4.17 A$6.00

$3.67 ¥580

13.62%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.53

$2.69 ¥425

17.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 A$4.69

$2.22 ¥351

46.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.85

$5.15 ¥814

-7.57%

Potato (1kg)

$3.06 A$4.41

$2.39 ¥377

28.03%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.55

$2.47 ¥390

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 A$3.52

$1.24 ¥196

97.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.79 ¥124

106.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.17 A$65.0

$3.88 ¥613

1064.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.25

$6.28 ¥992

101.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.69 A$8.18

$1.92 ¥304

196.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.53

$3.23 ¥510

61.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 A$5.57

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$204

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 A$6.53

$3.96 ¥626

14.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 A$2.04

$3.40 ¥537

-58.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.59 A$44.01

$11.52 ¥1,820

165.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.11

$1.06 ¥168

38.68%

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

$28.9K A$41.5K

$21.0K ¥3.3M

37.75%

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

$25.9K A$37.3K

$15.5K ¥2.4M

67.64%

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

$235 A$338

$96.0 ¥15.2K

144.86%

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

$27.45 A$39.51

$24.81 ¥3,919

10.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.1 A$80.8

$52.6 ¥8,305

6.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.1 A$72.1

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.49 A$30.93

Cinema Ticket

$17.76 A$25.56

$12.17 ¥1,922

45.93%

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

$2,385 A$3,432

$329 ¥52.0K

624.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.7K

$5,565 ¥879.2K

432.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 A$114

$49.25 ¥7,782

60.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.49 A$71.2

$22.99 ¥3,632

115.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 A$170

$78.8 ¥12.4K

50.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$190

$96.3 ¥15.2K

37.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 A$2,537

$717 ¥113.3K

145.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,411 A$2,031

$562 ¥88.8K

151.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,522 A$5,069

$1,158 ¥183.0K

204.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 A$3,634

$1,138 ¥179.8K

121.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,136 A$10.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,355 A$9,144

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,258 A$6,128

$1,337 ¥211.2K

218.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

2.23

164.57%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 17, 2026

Last update for Naha: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.5%

Naha

$562 41.9% 60.2% $849

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$388 13.6%

Naha

$328 24.4% 15.6% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$319 11.2%

Naha

$173 12.9% 45.6% $145

Eating Out

Melbourne

$310 10.9%

Naha

$123 9.2% 60.2% $186

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Naha

$111 8.3% 34.8% $59

Getting Around

Melbourne

$169 5.9%

Naha

$21 * 1.6% 87.6% $148

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$86 3%

Naha

$24 * 1.8% 71.6% $61

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,763 in Melbourne and $717 in Naha. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 219% 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: $83.0 in Melbourne vs $30.00 in Naha for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $388 vs $328 per month, with Naha cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇯🇵 Naha

🕒 Local time

03:51 3:51 AM

01:51 1:51 AM

2 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

317,625

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Naha 7,340 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 Naha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Naha differ by about 112% in total monthly costs ($2,853 vs $1,343 including rent). Naha is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 219% 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: $1,763 in Melbourne versus $717 in Naha. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,853 per month in Melbourne versus $1,343 in Naha – a 112% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,343 in Naha versus $2,853 in Melbourne, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Naha but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Naha 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 Naha 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 Naha gentler on the wallet – expenses run 112% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.