Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Suginami-ku

For one person, living is cheaper in Suginami-ku: $1,256 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $18,800 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Suginami-ku
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Suginami-ku Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Suginami-ku

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,256

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Suginami-ku

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 Suginami-ku actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $1,256 in Suginami-ku.

Melbourne $2,821
Suginami-ku $1,256

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,994 in Suginami-ku.

Melbourne $4,235
Suginami-ku $1,994

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $2,732 in Suginami-ku.

Melbourne $5,650
Suginami-ku $2,732

Living in Melbourne is roughly 125% more expensive than in Suginami-ku, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Suginami-ku is 7% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$6.34 ¥1,002

174.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$40.62 ¥6,418

108.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$5.12 ¥810

143.36%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$3.47 ¥548

18.44%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$1.05 ¥166

191.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.78 ¥124

223.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$2.56 ¥404

282.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$3.18 ¥503

169.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.44 ¥227

2.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.70 ¥269

72.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$3.65 ¥576

-27.12%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.97 ¥312

181.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$10.52 ¥1,661

-0.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$5.99 ¥946

61.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$14.18 ¥2,241

7.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$5.81 ¥917

-31.33%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$2.75 ¥434

9.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.80 ¥442

10.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$4.08 ¥645

18.14%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$2.65 ¥418

14.34%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$2.64 ¥416

-7.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.23 ¥194

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.81 ¥128

101.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$3.82 ¥604

1053.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$6.48 ¥1,024

95.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.79 ¥283

209.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$2.03 ¥320

157.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$1.39 ¥219

169.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$46.37 ¥7,326

196.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$3.21 ¥508

40.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$2.76 ¥435

-50.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$20.79 ¥3,285

46.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.11 ¥175

32.43%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$21.0K ¥3.3M

38.18%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$18.1K ¥2.9M

46.60%

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

$234 A$336

$130 ¥20.6K

79.15%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$23.89 ¥3,774

16.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$31.49 ¥4,974

77.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$58.1 ¥9,175

-14.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$12.85 ¥2,030

17.43%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$631 ¥99.7K

275.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$14.8K ¥2.3M

103.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$61.4 ¥9,697

30.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$36.64 ¥5,789

38.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$60.3 ¥9,528

99.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$102 ¥16.1K

27.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$477 ¥75.3K

268.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$377 ¥59.6K

268.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$979 ¥154.7K

256.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$803 ¥126.9K

210.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$4,685 ¥740.1K

47.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$1,700 ¥268.6K

279.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$2,799 ¥442.2K

56.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

195.00%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Suginami-ku: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Suginami-ku

$377 30% 72.8% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Suginami-ku

$289 23% 24.8% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Suginami-ku

$186 14.8% 41.4% $132

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Suginami-ku

$134 10.7% 57.3% $180

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Suginami-ku

$117 9.3% 31.8% $55

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Suginami-ku

$69 5.5% 57.9% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Suginami-ku

$84 6.7% 5.3% $4.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $477 in Suginami-ku. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 57% 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 $41.00 in Suginami-ku for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $289 per month, with Suginami-ku cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇯🇵 Suginami-ku

🕒 Local time

01:09 1:09 AM

23:09 11:09 PM

2 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

540,180

💱 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 Suginami-ku 8,190 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

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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 Suginami-ku: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Suginami-ku differ by about 125% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $1,256 including rent). Suginami-ku is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 57% 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 $477 in Suginami-ku. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,371 in Melbourne versus $631 in Suginami-ku. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,256 in Suginami-ku versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Suginami-ku but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Suginami-ku 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 Suginami-ku 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 Suginami-ku gentler on the wallet – expenses run 125% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.