Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Shizuoka

For one person, living is cheaper in Shizuoka: $1,138 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $20,200 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Shizuoka
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Shizuoka Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Shizuoka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,138

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Shizuoka

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $1,138 in Shizuoka.

Melbourne $2,821
Shizuoka $1,138

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,789 in Shizuoka.

Melbourne $4,235
Shizuoka $1,789

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $2,441 in Shizuoka.

Melbourne $5,650
Shizuoka $2,441

Living in Melbourne is roughly 148% more expensive than in Shizuoka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Shizuoka is 16% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$6.42 ¥1,015

171.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$31.81 ¥5,026

165.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$5.08 ¥802

145.28%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.96 ¥468

38.85%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.97 ¥152

215.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.76 ¥119

231.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$2.75 ¥435

256.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$3.83 ¥605

123.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.51 ¥239

-1.99%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.25 ¥198

135.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$4.49 ¥709

-40.76%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.83 ¥289

202.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$7.11 ¥1,123

47.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$5.40 ¥853

78.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$14.11 ¥2,229

7.87%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$3.29 ¥519

21.28%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.93 ¥305

56.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$3.42 ¥541

-9.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$3.13 ¥495

53.99%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$1.51 ¥239

100.66%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$1.13 ¥179

115.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.11 ¥176

121.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.86 ¥135

89.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$3.86 ¥610

1041.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$8.70 ¥1,375

45.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.48 ¥233

274.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$3.24 ¥512

61.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$1.79 ¥283

108.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$53.9 ¥8,514

155.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$3.46 ¥546

30.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$1.86 ¥293

-26.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$19.01 ¥3,003

60.18%

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

$21.7K ¥3.4M

33.72%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$15.3K ¥2.4M

73.30%

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

$234 A$336

$138 ¥21.8K

69.27%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$15.18 ¥2,398

83.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$30.16 ¥4,764

84.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$52.6 ¥8,316

-6.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$10.82 ¥1,709

98.52%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$12.21 ¥1,928

23.59%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$320 ¥50.5K

641.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$13.3K ¥2.1M

127.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$18.49 ¥2,921

332.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$21.38 ¥3,378

137.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$61.6 ¥9,725

95.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$90.5 ¥14.3K

44.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$331 ¥52.3K

431.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$333 ¥52.6K

317.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$1,084 ¥171.2K

222.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$731 ¥115.5K

240.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$4,146 ¥655.0K

67.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$1,741 ¥275.0K

270.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$2,232 ¥352.7K

96.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

490.00%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Shizuoka: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Shizuoka

$333 29.3% 76.1% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Shizuoka

$254 22.3% 33.9% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Shizuoka

$183 16.1% 42.2% $134

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Shizuoka

$131 11.5% 58.5% $184

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Shizuoka

$86 7.6% 49.7% $85

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Shizuoka

$74 6.5% 54.9% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Shizuoka

$77 6.8% 3.2% $2.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $331 in Shizuoka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 96% 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 Shizuoka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $254 per month, with Shizuoka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇯🇵 Shizuoka

🕒 Local time

21:39 9:39 PM

19:39 7:39 PM

2 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

701,803

💱 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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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 Shizuoka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Shizuoka differ by about 148% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $1,138 including rent). Shizuoka is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 96% 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 $331 in Shizuoka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,371 in Melbourne versus $320 in Shizuoka. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 51% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,138 in Shizuoka versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Shizuoka but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Shizuoka 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 Shizuoka 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 Shizuoka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 148% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.