Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Narita

For one person, living is cheaper in Narita: $1,198 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $19,500 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Narita
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Narita Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Narita

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,198

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Narita

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $1,198 in Narita.

Melbourne $2,821
Narita $1,198

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,862 in Narita.

Melbourne $4,235
Narita $1,862

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $2,527 in Narita.

Melbourne $5,650
Narita $2,527

Living in Melbourne is roughly 136% more expensive than in Narita, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Narita is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$5.72 ¥904

204.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$40.53 ¥6,403

108.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$4.32 ¥682

188.43%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$3.08 ¥486

33.44%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.74 ¥117

313.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.80 ¥126

215.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$2.09 ¥330

368.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$3.10 ¥489

176.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.29 ¥203

14.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.74 ¥275

68.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$3.59 ¥567

-25.91%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.01 ¥317

175.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$10.31 ¥1,628

1.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$5.88 ¥929

64.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$14.64 ¥2,312

3.96%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$5.75 ¥909

-30.61%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$2.68 ¥423

12.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.88 ¥455

7.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$4.26 ¥673

13.15%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$2.52 ¥398

20.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$2.53 ¥399

-3.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.28 ¥203

92.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.79 ¥125

106.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$3.83 ¥606

1050.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$6.12 ¥968

107.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.74 ¥275

218.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$2.08 ¥328

151.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$1.45 ¥229

157.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$59.9 ¥9,458

129.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$3.17 ¥500

42.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$1.62 ¥257

-16.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$20.39 ¥3,221

49.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.04 ¥165

41.35%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$21.2K ¥3.4M

36.66%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$18.6K ¥2.9M

42.62%

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

$234 A$336

$134 ¥21.1K

74.61%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$24.48 ¥3,867

14.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$27.93 ¥4,413

99.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$52.2 ¥8,250

-5.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$11.31 ¥1,786

33.42%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$631 ¥99.7K

275.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$14.9K ¥2.4M

102.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$63.4 ¥10.0K

26.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$37.27 ¥5,888

36.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$61.1 ¥9,657

97.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$101 ¥15.9K

29.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$541 ¥85.5K

224.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$336 ¥53.1K

313.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$996 ¥157.3K

250.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$633 ¥100.0K

294.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$4,458 ¥704.3K

55.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$1,527 ¥241.3K

321.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$1,280 ¥202.2K

242.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

2.64

123.48%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Narita: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Narita

$336 28.1% 75.8% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Narita

$287 24% 25.3% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Narita

$186 15.6% 41.3% $131

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Narita

$118 9.9% 62.3% $196

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Narita

$118 9.9% 31.3% $54

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Narita

$77 6.4% 53% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Narita

$75 6.3% 6% $4.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $541 in Narita. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 242% 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 $41.00 in Narita for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $287 per month, with Narita cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇯🇵 Narita

🕒 Local time

08:04 8:04 AM

06:04 6:04 AM

2 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

131,613

💱 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 Narita 8,200 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

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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 Narita: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Narita differ by about 136% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $1,198 including rent). Narita is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 242% 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 $541 in Narita. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,371 in Melbourne versus $631 in Narita. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,198 in Narita versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Narita but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Narita 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 Narita 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 Narita gentler on the wallet – expenses run 136% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.