Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Okayama

For one person, living is cheaper in Okayama: $975 a month against $2,853 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $22,500 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Okayama
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Okayama Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,853

/mo nomad

Okayama

🇯🇵 Japan

$975

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Okayama

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,853 in Melbourne versus $975 in Okayama.

Melbourne $2,853
Okayama $975

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,275 in Melbourne versus $1,564 in Okayama.

Melbourne $4,275
Okayama $1,564

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,697 in Melbourne versus $2,153 in Okayama.

Melbourne $5,697
Okayama $2,153

Living in Melbourne is roughly 193% more expensive than in Okayama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 111% above, Okayama is 28% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.20 A$24.75

$5.90 ¥933

191.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.1 A$120

$24.92 ¥3,937

233.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.43 A$17.88

$5.01 ¥791

148.10%

Cappuccino

$4.05 A$5.82

$1.71 ¥270

136.84%

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

$3.12 A$4.50

$0.71 ¥111

339.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.68 ¥107

261.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.52 A$13.71

$1.88 ¥296

406.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.16 A$11.74

$1.92 ¥304

325.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 A$2.25

$1.35 ¥214

15.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 A$4.18

$0.61 ¥96.4

375.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$4.11 ¥649

-35.28%

Eggs

$5.37 A$7.72

$1.48 ¥234

262.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.67 A$15.36

$15.36 ¥2,426

-30.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 A$14.17

$6.33 ¥1,000

55.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.36 A$22.11

$17.08 ¥2,698

-10.07%

Apples (1kg)

$4.17 A$6.00

$4.98 ¥787

-16.27%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.53

$2.90 ¥459

8.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 A$4.69

$4.94 ¥781

-34.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.85

$4.44 ¥701

7.21%

Potato (1kg)

$3.06 A$4.41

$2.24 ¥355

36.61%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.55

$1.84 ¥291

34.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 A$3.52

$1.14 ¥180

114.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.67 ¥107

143.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.17 A$65.0

$3.81 ¥602

1085.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.25

$9.59 ¥1,515

32.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.69 A$8.18

$1.94 ¥306

193.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.53

$1.86 ¥294

181.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 A$5.57

$1.45 ¥229

166.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$204

$52.5 ¥8,300

170.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 A$6.53

$3.22 ¥509

40.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 A$2.04

$2.46 ¥388

-42.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.59 A$44.01

$21.52 ¥3,399

42.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.11

$0.99 ¥157

48.48%

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

$28.9K A$41.5K

$22.0K ¥3.5M

31.36%

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

$25.9K A$37.3K

$15.4K ¥2.4M

68.65%

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

$235 A$338

$72.1 ¥11.4K

226.27%

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

$27.45 A$39.51

$14.09 ¥2,227

94.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.1 A$80.8

$25.42 ¥4,016

120.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.1 A$72.1

$52.7 ¥8,321

-4.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.49 A$30.93

Cinema Ticket

$17.76 A$25.56

$11.33 ¥1,790

56.75%

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

$2,385 A$3,432

$578 ¥91.3K

312.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.7K

$14.9K ¥2.4M

98.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 A$114

$49.16 ¥7,766

61.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.49 A$71.2

$35.88 ¥5,668

37.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 A$170

$60.9 ¥9,628

94.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$190

$97.1 ¥15.3K

36.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 A$2,537

$329 ¥52.0K

435.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,411 A$2,031

$192 ¥30.4K

634.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,522 A$5,069

$644 ¥101.7K

447.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 A$3,634

$428 ¥67.7K

489.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,136 A$10.3K

$4,159 ¥657.1K

71.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,355 A$9,144

$1,788 ¥282.4K

255.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,258 A$6,128

$1,377 ¥217.6K

209.14%

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 17, 2026

Last update for Okayama: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.5%

Okayama

$192 19.7% 86.4% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$388 13.6%

Okayama

$311 31.9% 20% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$319 11.2%

Okayama

$112 11.5% 65% $207

Eating Out

Melbourne

$310 10.9%

Okayama

$102 10.4% 67.2% $208

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Okayama

$109 11.2% 35.9% $61

Getting Around

Melbourne

$169 5.9%

Okayama

$74 7.6% 56.3% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$86 3%

Okayama

$75 7.7% 12% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,763 in Melbourne and $329 in Okayama. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 209% 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 $25.00 in Okayama for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $388 vs $311 per month, with Okayama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇯🇵 Okayama

🕒 Local time

08:20 8:20 AM

06:20 6:20 AM

2 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

719,474

💱 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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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 Okayama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Okayama differ by about 193% in total monthly costs ($2,853 vs $975 including rent). Okayama is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 209% 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 $329 in Okayama. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,385 in Melbourne versus $578 in Okayama. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $975 in Okayama versus $2,853 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Okayama but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Okayama 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 Okayama 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 Okayama gentler on the wallet – expenses run 193% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.