Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Niigata

For one person, living is cheaper in Niigata: $723 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $25,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
Learn more

Melbourne Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Niigata
Learn more

Niigata Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Niigata

🇯🇵 Japan

$723

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Niigata

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $723 in Niigata.

Melbourne $2,821
Niigata $723

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,092 in Niigata.

Melbourne $4,235
Niigata $1,092

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $1,462 in Niigata.

Melbourne $5,650
Niigata $1,462

Living in Melbourne is roughly 290% more expensive than in Niigata, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Niigata is 46% 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

$15.60 ¥2,465

441.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$5.00 ¥790

149.20%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.60 ¥410

58.08%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$1.56 ¥246

96.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.80 ¥127

215.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$2.58 ¥408

279.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$2.65 ¥419

223.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.22 ¥193

21.31%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$0.97 ¥154

203.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$2.55 ¥403

4.31%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.23 ¥352

148.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$7.68 ¥1,214

36.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$6.68 ¥1,055

44.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$16.34 ¥2,581

-6.85%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$3.24 ¥513

23.15%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.23 ¥195

145.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.55 ¥402

21.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$2.27 ¥359

112.33%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$1.91 ¥302

58.64%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$1.95 ¥308

25.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.93 ¥148

164.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.65 ¥102

150.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$3.78 ¥598

1065.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$4.30 ¥679

195.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.70 ¥269

225.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$1.91 ¥301

173.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$1.26 ¥199

196.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$2.60 ¥410

73.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$3.09 ¥488

-55.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$18.34 ¥2,897

66.03%

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

$18.6K ¥2.9M

55.59%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$12.5K ¥2.0M

112.39%

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

$234 A$336

$147 ¥23.2K

59.23%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$21.26 ¥3,360

31.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$25.41 ¥4,015

119.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$52.0 ¥8,210

-4.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$6.24 ¥985

244.23%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$11.85 ¥1,872

27.34%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$63.2 ¥9,991

3649.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$18.0K ¥2.8M

67.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$31.35 ¥4,953

155.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$32.21 ¥5,089

57.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$37.87 ¥5,982

218.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$63.6 ¥10.0K

105.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$350 ¥55.3K

402.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$1,267 ¥200.2K

245.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

1.48

298.65%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Niigata: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Niigata

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Niigata

$234 32.3% 39.1% $150

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Niigata

$193 26.8% 39% $124

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Niigata

$123 17% 60.9% $192

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Niigata

$74 10.3% 56.8% $98

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Niigata

$23 * 3.2% 85.9% $141

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Niigata

$76 10.5% 4.9% $3.9

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 $1,759 in Melbourne and $350 in Niigata. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 246% 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 $16.00 in Niigata for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $234 per month, with Niigata cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇯🇵 Niigata

🕒 Local time

18:20 6:20 PM

16:20 4:20 PM

2 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

811,639

💱 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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Melbourne Niigata 8,440 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Niigata

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 Niigata: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Niigata differ by about 290% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $723 including rent). Niigata is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 246% 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 $350 in Niigata. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 64% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,821 per month in Melbourne versus $723 in Niigata – a 290% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $723 in Niigata versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Niigata but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Niigata 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 Niigata 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 Niigata gentler on the wallet – expenses run 290% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.