Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Otsu

For one person, living is cheaper in Otsu: $1,300 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $18,300 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
63

Cost of Living Index in Otsu
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Otsu Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Otsu

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,300

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Otsu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $1,300 in Otsu.

Melbourne $2,821
Otsu $1,300

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,886 in Otsu.

Melbourne $4,235
Otsu $1,886

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $2,472 in Otsu.

Melbourne $5,650
Otsu $2,472

Living in Melbourne is roughly 117% more expensive than in Otsu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Otsu is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$8.63 ¥1,364

101.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$32.03 ¥5,061

163.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$5.00 ¥790

149.20%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$3.24 ¥511

26.85%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$1.23 ¥195

148.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.88 ¥139

186.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$3.17 ¥501

209.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$4.29 ¥678

99.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.51 ¥239

-1.99%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.54 ¥243

90.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$4.52 ¥714

-41.15%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.12 ¥334

161.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$15.86 ¥2,506

-33.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$6.89 ¥1,089

40.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$17.02 ¥2,689

-10.58%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$4.90 ¥775

-18.57%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$2.47 ¥390

22.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$4.88 ¥771

-36.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$4.36 ¥689

10.55%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$2.18 ¥344

38.99%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$1.92 ¥303

27.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.14 ¥181

115.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.94 ¥149

73.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$3.89 ¥614

1032.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$9.69 ¥1,530

31.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.96 ¥310

182.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$2.17 ¥343

141.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$1.49 ¥235

151.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$52.6 ¥8,303

161.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$3.13 ¥494

44.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$2.80 ¥442

-51.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$28.90 ¥4,566

5.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.07 ¥169

37.38%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$21.6K ¥3.4M

34.39%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$15.2K ¥2.4M

73.84%

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

$234 A$336

$115 ¥18.2K

102.88%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$23.03 ¥3,639

21.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$30.88 ¥4,878

80.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$51.2 ¥8,082

-3.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$9.67 ¥1,528

122.13%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$12.33 ¥1,948

22.38%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$569 ¥89.9K

316.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$12.4K ¥2.0M

143.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$56.7 ¥8,955

41.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$35.70 ¥5,639

42.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$69.3 ¥10.9K

74.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$98.8 ¥15.6K

31.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$450 ¥71.1K

291.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$376 ¥59.4K

269.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$625 ¥98.7K

459.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$461 ¥72.8K

441.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$4,259 ¥672.9K

62.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$1,749 ¥276.3K

268.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$1,814 ¥286.6K

141.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

2.1

180.95%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Otsu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Otsu

$376 28.9% 73% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Otsu

$331 25.4% 13.9% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Otsu

$169 13% 46.7% $148

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Otsu

$156 12% 50.5% $159

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Otsu

$117 9% 31.8% $55

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Otsu

$76 5.8% 53.8% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Otsu

$76 5.8% 4.7% $3.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $450 in Otsu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 142% 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 $32.00 in Otsu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $331 per month, with Otsu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇯🇵 Otsu

🕒 Local time

19:25 7:25 PM

17:25 5:25 PM

2 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

341,314

💱 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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Melbourne Otsu 8,150 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 Otsu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Otsu differ by about 117% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $1,300 including rent). Otsu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 142% 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 $450 in Otsu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,371 in Melbourne versus $569 in Otsu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,300 in Otsu versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Otsu but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Otsu 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 Otsu 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 Otsu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 117% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.