Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Nishinomiya

For one person, living is cheaper in Nishinomiya: $1,282 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
61

Cost of Living Index in Nishinomiya
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Nishinomiya Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Nishinomiya

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,282

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Nishinomiya

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $1,282 in Nishinomiya.

Melbourne $2,821
Nishinomiya $1,282

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $2,060 in Nishinomiya.

Melbourne $4,235
Nishinomiya $2,060

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $2,839 in Nishinomiya.

Melbourne $5,650
Nishinomiya $2,839

Living in Melbourne is roughly 120% more expensive than in Nishinomiya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$8.48 ¥1,339

105.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$31.23 ¥4,934

170.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$5.17 ¥817

141.01%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.29 ¥362

79.48%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$1.19 ¥188

157.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.62 ¥98.1

306.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$2.01 ¥318

387.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$2.36 ¥373

263.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.50 ¥238

-1.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.49 ¥236

97.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$5.45 ¥860

-51.19%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.12 ¥334

161.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$12.62 ¥1,994

-16.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$9.42 ¥1,489

2.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$31.69 ¥5,006

-51.97%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$5.12 ¥809

-22.07%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.73 ¥273

74.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$3.06 ¥483

1.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$6.11 ¥965

-21.11%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$1.62 ¥256

87.04%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$2.56 ¥405

-4.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.17 ¥185

110.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.89 ¥141

83.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$3.40 ¥537

1196.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$9.29 ¥1,467

36.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.38 ¥377

132.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$1.45 ¥230

260.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$1.47 ¥232

154.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$58.4 ¥9,229

135.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$3.24 ¥512

39.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$2.78 ¥440

-51.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$15.48 ¥2,446

96.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.11 ¥176

32.43%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$20.3K ¥3.2M

42.62%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$15.2K ¥2.4M

74.18%

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

$234 A$336

$118 ¥18.6K

98.49%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$22.94 ¥3,624

21.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$30.96 ¥4,891

80.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$62.6 ¥9,885

-21.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$11.45 ¥1,808

31.79%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$326 ¥51.5K

627.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$6,020 ¥951.1K

401.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$50.8 ¥8,022

57.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$25.03 ¥3,954

102.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$46.31 ¥7,316

160.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$65.4 ¥10.3K

99.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$608 ¥96.1K

189.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$348 ¥55.1K

298.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$970 ¥153.3K

260.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$802 ¥126.7K

210.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$4,842 ¥764.9K

43.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$1,783 ¥281.6K

261.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$1,988 ¥314.0K

120.51%

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 Nishinomiya: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Nishinomiya

$348 27.2% 74.9% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Nishinomiya

$378 29.5% 1.6% $6.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Nishinomiya

$172 13.4% 45.9% $146

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Nishinomiya

$133 10.4% 57.8% $182

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Nishinomiya

$84 6.6% 50.9% $87

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Nishinomiya

$81 6.4% 50.3% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Nishinomiya

$85 6.7% 7.4% $5.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $608 in Nishinomiya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 121% 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 Nishinomiya for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $378 per month, with Nishinomiya cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇯🇵 Nishinomiya

🕒 Local time

21:40 9:40 PM

19:40 7:40 PM

2 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

488,873

💱 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 Nishinomiya 8,130 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

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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 Nishinomiya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Nishinomiya differ by about 120% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $1,282 including rent). Nishinomiya is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 121% 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 $608 in Nishinomiya. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,371 in Melbourne versus $326 in Nishinomiya. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 2% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,282 in Nishinomiya versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Nishinomiya but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Nishinomiya 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 Nishinomiya 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 Nishinomiya gentler on the wallet – expenses run 120% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.