Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Okazaki

For one person, living is cheaper in Okazaki: $1,313 a month against $2,821 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
62

Cost of Living Index in Okazaki
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Okazaki Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Okazaki

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,313

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Okazaki

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $1,313 in Okazaki.

Melbourne $2,821
Okazaki $1,313

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $2,013 in Okazaki.

Melbourne $4,235
Okazaki $2,013

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $2,713 in Okazaki.

Melbourne $5,650
Okazaki $2,713

Living in Melbourne is roughly 115% more expensive than in Okazaki, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Okazaki is 3% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$7.60 ¥1,200

129.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$31.06 ¥4,907

172.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$4.97 ¥785

150.70%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.39 ¥378

71.97%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$1.19 ¥189

157.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.62 ¥98.0

306.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$2.10 ¥332

366.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$2.24 ¥354

282.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.48 ¥233

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.31 ¥207

124.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$5.53 ¥874

-51.90%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.04 ¥322

171.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$12.85 ¥2,030

-18.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$9.61 ¥1,518

0.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$32.52 ¥5,138

-53.20%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$3.70 ¥585

7.84%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$2.34 ¥369

29.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$6.44 ¥1,017

-51.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$4.09 ¥646

17.85%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$3.84 ¥607

-21.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$3.45 ¥544

-29.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.30 ¥205

89.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$1.01 ¥160

61.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$3.45 ¥545

1177.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$7.99 ¥1,262

58.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.03 ¥321

172.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$1.51 ¥239

246.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$1.30 ¥205

187.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$54.6 ¥8,619

152.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$3.13 ¥495

44.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$3.06 ¥484

-55.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$26.40 ¥4,171

15.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.09 ¥172

34.86%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$20.3K ¥3.2M

42.56%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$16.6K ¥2.6M

59.87%

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

$234 A$336

$142 ¥22.5K

64.33%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$23.62 ¥3,731

18.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$43.51 ¥6,875

28.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$52.0 ¥8,211

-4.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$9.70 ¥1,532

55.57%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$319 ¥50.3K

644.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$6,212 ¥981.4K

386.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$49.66 ¥7,845

61.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$25.32 ¥4,000

100.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$45.94 ¥7,258

162.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$66.2 ¥10.5K

97.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$531 ¥83.9K

231.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$357 ¥56.4K

289.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$1,239 ¥195.7K

182.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$663 ¥104.7K

276.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$4,681 ¥739.6K

47.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$1,743 ¥275.4K

269.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

2.28

158.77%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Okazaki: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Okazaki

$357 27.2% 74.3% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Okazaki

$386 29.4% 0.5% $1.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Okazaki

$209 16% 34% $108

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Okazaki

$127 9.7% 59.7% $188

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Okazaki

$84 6.4% 51% $88

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Okazaki

$78 6% 52.3% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Okazaki

$71 5.4% 10.3% $8.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $531 in Okazaki. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Melbourne vs $31.00 in Okazaki. Groceries flip the comparison at $384 vs $386, with Melbourne cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇯🇵 Okazaki

🕒 Local time

19:25 7:25 PM

17:25 5:25 PM

2 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

382,846

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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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Between locations

Melbourne Okazaki 8,130 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Okazaki

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 Okazaki: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Okazaki differ by about 115% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $1,313 including rent). Okazaki is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $4,231 in Melbourne and $1,969 in Okazaki to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,759 in Melbourne versus $531 in Okazaki. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,371 in Melbourne versus $319 in Okazaki. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Melbourne pay roughly 1% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,313 in Okazaki versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Okazaki but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Okazaki 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 Okazaki 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 Okazaki gentler on the wallet – expenses run 115% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.