Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Takamatsu

For one person, living is cheaper in Takamatsu: $1,191 a month against $2,853 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $19,900 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Takamatsu
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Takamatsu Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,853

/mo nomad

Takamatsu

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,191

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Takamatsu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,853 in Melbourne versus $1,191 in Takamatsu.

Melbourne $2,853
Takamatsu $1,191

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,275 in Melbourne versus $1,881 in Takamatsu.

Melbourne $4,275
Takamatsu $1,881

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,697 in Melbourne versus $2,571 in Takamatsu.

Melbourne $5,697
Takamatsu $2,571

Living in Melbourne is roughly 139% more expensive than in Takamatsu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 111% above, Takamatsu is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.20 A$24.75

$6.20 ¥980

177.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.1 A$120

$31.99 ¥5,054

159.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.43 A$17.88

$5.12 ¥809

142.77%

Cappuccino

$4.05 A$5.82

$3.13 ¥495

29.39%

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

$3.12 A$4.50

$1.19 ¥189

162.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.80 ¥126

207.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.52 A$13.71

$2.60 ¥410

266.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.16 A$11.74

$3.22 ¥508

153.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 A$2.25

$1.50 ¥238

4.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 A$4.18

$1.60 ¥252

81.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$1.76 ¥278

51.14%

Eggs

$5.37 A$7.72

$2.29 ¥361

134.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.67 A$15.36

$10.37 ¥1,639

2.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 A$14.17

$6.60 ¥1,043

49.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.36 A$22.11

$16.83 ¥2,659

-8.73%

Apples (1kg)

$4.17 A$6.00

$3.69 ¥583

13.01%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.53

$2.28 ¥360

38.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 A$4.69

$2.90 ¥458

12.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.85

$4.24 ¥671

12.26%

Potato (1kg)

$3.06 A$4.41

$2.48 ¥391

23.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.55

$2.46 ¥389

0.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 A$3.52

$1.27 ¥201

92.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.79 ¥124

106.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.17 A$65.0

$3.67 ¥580

1130.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.25

$6.63 ¥1,048

91.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.69 A$8.18

$1.88 ¥298

202.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.53

$2.11 ¥333

147.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 A$5.57

$1.46 ¥231

165.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$204

$53.3 ¥8,414

166.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 A$6.53

$3.18 ¥503

42.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 A$2.04

$2.79 ¥442

-49.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.59 A$44.01

$18.60 ¥2,938

64.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.11

$1.06 ¥168

38.68%

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

$28.9K A$41.5K

$21.5K ¥3.4M

34.29%

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

$25.9K A$37.3K

$15.1K ¥2.4M

71.72%

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

$235 A$338

$137 ¥21.6K

71.93%

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

$27.45 A$39.51

$23.78 ¥3,757

15.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.1 A$80.8

$30.79 ¥4,865

82.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.1 A$72.1

$51.7 ¥8,161

-3.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.49 A$30.93

$3.11 ¥491

591.00%

Cinema Ticket

$17.76 A$25.56

$11.79 ¥1,862

50.64%

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

$2,385 A$3,432

$521 ¥82.3K

358.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.7K

$12.7K ¥2.0M

134.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 A$114

$48.96 ¥7,736

61.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.49 A$71.2

$31.24 ¥4,936

58.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 A$170

$60.1 ¥9,499

96.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$190

$90.5 ¥14.3K

45.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 A$2,537

$529 ¥83.6K

233.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,411 A$2,031

$334 ¥52.8K

322.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,522 A$5,069

$1,089 ¥172.0K

223.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 A$3,634

$735 ¥116.1K

243.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,136 A$10.3K

$4,144 ¥654.7K

72.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,355 A$9,144

$1,783 ¥281.6K

256.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,258 A$6,128

$1,761 ¥278.1K

141.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

2.21

166.97%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 17, 2026

Last update for Takamatsu: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.5%

Takamatsu

$334 28.1% 76.3% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$388 13.6%

Takamatsu

$280 23.5% 27.8% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$319 11.2%

Takamatsu

$191 16.1% 40% $127

Eating Out

Melbourne

$310 10.9%

Takamatsu

$130 10.9% 58% $180

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Takamatsu

$104 8.7% 39.1% $67

Getting Around

Melbourne

$169 5.9%

Takamatsu

$76 6.4% 54.9% $93

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$86 3%

Takamatsu

$75 6.3% 12.1% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,763 in Melbourne and $529 in Takamatsu. 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: $83.0 in Melbourne vs $32.00 in Takamatsu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $388 vs $280 per month, with Takamatsu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇯🇵 Takamatsu

🕒 Local time

14:37 2:37 PM

12:37 12:37 PM

2 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

426,514

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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 Takamatsu 8,100 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
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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 Takamatsu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Takamatsu differ by about 139% in total monthly costs ($2,853 vs $1,191 including rent). Takamatsu 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: $1,763 in Melbourne versus $529 in Takamatsu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,385 in Melbourne versus $521 in Takamatsu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 38% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,191 in Takamatsu versus $2,853 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Takamatsu but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Takamatsu 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 Takamatsu 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 Takamatsu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 139% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.