Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Tokushima

For one person, living is cheaper in Tokushima: $1,274 a month against $2,853 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $18,900 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
61

Cost of Living Index in Tokushima
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Tokushima Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,853

/mo nomad

Tokushima

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,274

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Tokushima

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,853 in Melbourne versus $1,274 in Tokushima.

Melbourne $2,853
Tokushima $1,274

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,275 in Melbourne versus $2,039 in Tokushima.

Melbourne $4,275
Tokushima $2,039

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,697 in Melbourne versus $2,804 in Tokushima.

Melbourne $5,697
Tokushima $2,804

Living in Melbourne is roughly 124% more expensive than in Tokushima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 111% above, Tokushima is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.20 A$24.75

$7.05 ¥1,115

143.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.1 A$120

$31.38 ¥4,958

164.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.43 A$17.88

$5.08 ¥803

144.69%

Cappuccino

$4.05 A$5.82

$2.44 ¥386

65.98%

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

$3.12 A$4.50

$1.29 ¥204

141.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.81 ¥128

203.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.52 A$13.71

$3.13 ¥495

204.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.16 A$11.74

$3.09 ¥489

164.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 A$2.25

$1.49 ¥235

4.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 A$4.18

$1.50 ¥237

93.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$4.05 ¥641

-34.32%

Eggs

$5.37 A$7.72

$2.21 ¥349

142.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.67 A$15.36

$15.82 ¥2,499

-32.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 A$14.17

$6.99 ¥1,105

40.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.36 A$22.11

$17.41 ¥2,751

-11.77%

Apples (1kg)

$4.17 A$6.00

$8.19 ¥1,293

-49.08%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.53

$3.02 ¥477

4.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 A$4.69

$5.08 ¥803

-35.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.85

$6.12 ¥967

-22.22%

Potato (1kg)

$3.06 A$4.41

$3.72 ¥588

-17.74%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.55

$3.79 ¥599

-34.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 A$3.52

$1.14 ¥179

114.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.84 ¥132

94.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.17 A$65.0

$3.96 ¥626

1040.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.25

$9.68 ¥1,530

30.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.69 A$8.18

$2.50 ¥395

127.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.53

$2.07 ¥327

152.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 A$5.57

$1.52 ¥240

154.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$204

$53.7 ¥8,487

164.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 A$6.53

$3.21 ¥507

41.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 A$2.04

$2.90 ¥459

-51.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.59 A$44.01

$31.93 ¥5,045

-4.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.11

$1.10 ¥174

33.64%

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

$28.9K A$41.5K

$21.8K ¥3.4M

32.39%

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

$25.9K A$37.3K

$14.9K ¥2.4M

73.91%

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

$235 A$338

$114 ¥18.1K

105.73%

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

$27.45 A$39.51

$23.74 ¥3,750

15.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.1 A$80.8

$31.53 ¥4,981

78.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.1 A$72.1

$60.5 ¥9,559

-17.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.49 A$30.93

$24.82 ¥3,922

-13.42%

Cinema Ticket

$17.76 A$25.56

$11.34 ¥1,792

56.61%

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

$2,385 A$3,432

$578 ¥91.3K

312.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.7K

$14.8K ¥2.3M

100.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 A$114

$49.24 ¥7,779

60.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.49 A$71.2

$35.51 ¥5,610

39.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 A$170

$60.6 ¥9,579

95.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$190

$98.6 ¥15.6K

34.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 A$2,537

$522 ¥82.5K

237.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,411 A$2,031

$334 ¥52.8K

322.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,522 A$5,069

$1,083 ¥171.1K

225.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 A$3,634

$731 ¥115.4K

245.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,136 A$10.3K

$4,217 ¥666.3K

69.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,355 A$9,144

$1,734 ¥274.0K

266.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,258 A$6,128

$1,386 ¥219.0K

207.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

2.02

192.08%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 17, 2026

Last update for Tokushima: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.5%

Tokushima

$334 26.2% 76.3% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$388 13.6%

Tokushima

$369 29% 5% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$319 11.2%

Tokushima

$170 13.3% 46.8% $149

Eating Out

Melbourne

$310 10.9%

Tokushima

$131 10.3% 57.6% $178

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Tokushima

$110 8.6% 35.7% $61

Getting Around

Melbourne

$169 5.9%

Tokushima

$78 6.1% 54.2% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$86 3%

Tokushima

$83 6.5% 2.9% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,763 in Melbourne and $522 in Tokushima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 207% 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 $31.00 in Tokushima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $388 vs $369 per month, with Tokushima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇯🇵 Tokushima

🕒 Local time

15:06 3:06 PM

13:06 1:06 PM

2 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

252,391

💱 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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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 Tokushima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Tokushima differ by about 124% in total monthly costs ($2,853 vs $1,274 including rent). Tokushima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 207% 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 $522 in Tokushima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,385 in Melbourne versus $578 in Tokushima. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,274 in Tokushima versus $2,853 in Melbourne, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Tokushima but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Tokushima 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 Tokushima 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 Tokushima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 124% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.