Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Tokyo

For one person, living is cheaper in Tokyo: $1,635 a month against $2,852 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $14,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Tokyo
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Tokyo Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,852

/mo nomad

Tokyo

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,635

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Tokyo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,852 in Melbourne versus $1,635 in Tokyo.

Melbourne $2,852
Tokyo $1,635

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,297 in Melbourne versus $2,608 in Tokyo.

Melbourne $4,297
Tokyo $2,608

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,742 in Melbourne versus $3,581 in Tokyo.

Melbourne $5,742
Tokyo $3,581

Living in Melbourne is roughly 74% more expensive than in Tokyo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 113% above, Tokyo 22% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.75 A$25.40

$7.64 ¥1,208

132.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.8 A$121

$38.51 ¥6,094

120.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.16 A$17.40

$5.05 ¥800

140.79%

Cappuccino

$3.93 A$5.62

$3.61 ¥571

8.86%

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

$3.14 A$4.49

$1.62 ¥257

93.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 A$3.47

$0.86 ¥135

182.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.90 A$14.17

$3.69 ¥584

168.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.29 A$11.86

$5.27 ¥835

57.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 A$2.21

$1.53 ¥243

1.31%

White Bread (500g)

$3.01 A$4.31

$1.76 ¥278

71.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.88 A$4.12

$5.59 ¥884

-48.48%

Eggs

$5.44 A$7.79

$2.24 ¥354

142.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.59 A$15.16

$10.65 ¥1,686

-0.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 A$13.76

$6.60 ¥1,045

45.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.99 A$21.46

$16.74 ¥2,649

-10.45%

Apples (1kg)

$4.15 A$5.94

$4.86 ¥769

-14.61%

Banana (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.37

$2.35 ¥371

29.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 A$4.72

$4.33 ¥685

-23.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.81

$5.28 ¥836

-9.85%

Potato (1kg)

$3.04 A$4.34

$3.41 ¥540

-10.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.65

$3.19 ¥505

-20.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.55

$1.18 ¥187

110.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.33

$0.83 ¥131

96.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.1

$3.84 ¥607

1047.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.43 A$17.79

$9.27 ¥1,467

34.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.33 A$7.63

$1.64 ¥260

225.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 A$7.38

$2.75 ¥434

87.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.50

$1.29 ¥205

197.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$203

$62.1 ¥9,830

127.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.40 A$6.29

$3.08 ¥488

42.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 A$2.01

$3.21 ¥508

-56.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.83 A$42.69

$18.41 ¥2,913

62.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 A$2.09

$1.07 ¥169

36.45%

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

$28.1K A$40.3K

$22.2K ¥3.5M

26.96%

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

$25.9K A$37.1K

$15.3K ¥2.4M

69.70%

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

$233 A$333

$148 ¥23.4K

57.62%

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

$27.28 A$39.04

$21.97 ¥3,476

24.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 A$81.6

$30.43 ¥4,815

87.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 A$75.4

$65.1 ¥10.3K

-19.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.62 A$32.37

$25.55 ¥4,044

-11.47%

Cinema Ticket

$17.10 A$24.48

$12.87 ¥2,037

32.87%

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

$2,373 A$3,397

$1,360 ¥215.2K

74.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.5K A$43.6K

$18.3K ¥2.9M

66.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.2 A$112

$56.5 ¥8,943

38.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.5 A$72.2

$33.16 ¥5,248

52.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$172

$64.4 ¥10.2K

87.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 A$191

$71.8 ¥11.4K

85.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 A$2,451

$1,275 ¥201.8K

34.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,402 A$2,006

$702 ¥111.1K

99.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,339 A$4,778

$2,565 ¥406.0K

30.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,529 A$3,619

$1,480 ¥234.3K

70.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,018 A$10.0K

$9,152 ¥1.4M

-23.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,767 A$9,685

$4,191 ¥663.2K

61.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,228 A$6,051

$2,998 ¥474.4K

41.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

2.25

162.22%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 6, 2026

Last update for Tokyo: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Tokyo

$702 42.2% 49.9% $700

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$385 13.5%

Tokyo

$325 19.5% 15.6% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.1%

Tokyo

$200 12% 36.9% $117

Eating Out

Melbourne

$314 11%

Tokyo

$158 9.5% 49.5% $155

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Tokyo

$102 6.1% 40.9% $70

Getting Around

Melbourne

$168 5.9%

Tokyo

$86 5.2% 48.6% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$87 3.1%

Tokyo

$91 5.5% 4.5% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,713 in Melbourne and $1,275 in Tokyo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 41% 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 $39.00 in Tokyo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $325 per month, with Tokyo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇯🇵 Tokyo

🕒 Local time

23:58 11:58 PM

21:58 9:58 PM

2 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

13,613,660 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.32 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.64 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.32 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.64 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 Tokyo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Tokyo differ by about 74% in total monthly costs ($2,852 vs $1,635 including rent). Tokyo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 41% 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: $1,713 in Melbourne versus $1,275 in Tokyo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,373 in Melbourne versus $1,360 in Tokyo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,635 in Tokyo versus $2,852 in Melbourne, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Tokyo but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Tokyo 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 Tokyo 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 Tokyo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 74% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.