Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Wakayama

For one person, living is cheaper in Wakayama: $1,276 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 Wakayama
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Wakayama Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,853

/mo nomad

Wakayama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,276

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Wakayama

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,853 in Melbourne versus $1,276 in Wakayama.

Melbourne $2,853
Wakayama $1,276

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,275 in Melbourne versus $2,031 in Wakayama.

Melbourne $4,275
Wakayama $2,031

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,697 in Melbourne versus $2,785 in Wakayama.

Melbourne $5,697
Wakayama $2,785

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.20 A$24.75

$6.47 ¥1,022

165.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.1 A$120

$31.22 ¥4,932

166.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.43 A$17.88

$4.89 ¥773

154.19%

Cappuccino

$4.05 A$5.82

$2.46 ¥389

64.63%

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

$3.12 A$4.50

$1.25 ¥197

149.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.86 ¥136

186.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.52 A$13.71

$3.20 ¥506

197.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.16 A$11.74

$1.85 ¥293

341.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 A$2.25

$1.57 ¥248

-0.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 A$4.18

$1.53 ¥242

89.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$4.27 ¥675

-37.70%

Eggs

$5.37 A$7.72

$2.11 ¥334

154.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.67 A$15.36

$16.04 ¥2,534

-33.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 A$14.17

$7.05 ¥1,114

39.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.36 A$22.11

$17.10 ¥2,701

-10.18%

Apples (1kg)

$4.17 A$6.00

$8.20 ¥1,296

-49.15%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.53

$3.02 ¥478

4.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 A$4.69

$5.15 ¥814

-36.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.85

$7.94 ¥1,255

-40.05%

Potato (1kg)

$3.06 A$4.41

$4.01 ¥633

-23.69%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.55

$4.59 ¥726

-46.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 A$3.52

$1.14 ¥179

114.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.88 ¥139

85.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.17 A$65.0

$3.99 ¥630

1032.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.25

$9.33 ¥1,475

35.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.69 A$8.18

$2.49 ¥393

128.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.53

$2.15 ¥340

143.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 A$5.57

$1.50 ¥236

158.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$204

$53.8 ¥8,496

163.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 A$6.53

$3.07 ¥485

47.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 A$2.04

$2.91 ¥460

-51.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.59 A$44.01

$15.69 ¥2,478

94.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.11

$1.06 ¥167

38.68%

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

$28.9K A$41.5K

$22.0K ¥3.5M

31.31%

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

$25.9K A$37.3K

$15.0K ¥2.4M

72.31%

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

$235 A$338

$117 ¥18.4K

101.40%

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

$27.45 A$39.51

$23.45 ¥3,705

17.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.1 A$80.8

$31.45 ¥4,968

78.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.1 A$72.1

$51.3 ¥8,109

-2.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.49 A$30.93

Cinema Ticket

$17.76 A$25.56

$11.21 ¥1,771

58.43%

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

$2,385 A$3,432

$564 ¥89.1K

322.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.7K

$14.8K ¥2.3M

99.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 A$114

$49.37 ¥7,800

60.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.49 A$71.2

$35.42 ¥5,596

39.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 A$170

$59.4 ¥9,385

99.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$190

$98.7 ¥15.6K

33.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 A$2,537

$526 ¥83.1K

235.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,411 A$2,031

$337 ¥53.3K

318.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,522 A$5,069

$1,093 ¥172.7K

222.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 A$3,634

$738 ¥116.5K

242.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,136 A$10.3K

$4,206 ¥664.5K

69.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,355 A$9,144

$1,756 ¥277.4K

261.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,258 A$6,128

$3,965 ¥626.4K

7.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

1.67

253.29%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 17, 2026

Last update for Wakayama: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.5%

Wakayama

$337 26.4% 76.1% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$388 13.6%

Wakayama

$382 30% 1.6% $6.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$319 11.2%

Wakayama

$172 13.5% 46.1% $147

Eating Out

Melbourne

$310 10.9%

Wakayama

$124 9.7% 59.9% $186

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Wakayama

$109 8.6% 36% $61

Getting Around

Melbourne

$169 5.9%

Wakayama

$77 6.1% 54.2% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$86 3%

Wakayama

$74 5.8% 13.9% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,763 in Melbourne and $526 in Wakayama. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 7% 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 Wakayama for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $388 vs $382 per month, with Wakayama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇯🇵 Wakayama

🕒 Local time

07:43 7:43 AM

05:43 5:43 AM

2 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

362,163

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Wakayama 8,070 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 Wakayama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Wakayama differ by about 124% in total monthly costs ($2,853 vs $1,276 including rent). Wakayama is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 7% 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 $526 in Wakayama. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,385 in Melbourne versus $564 in Wakayama. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 2% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,276 in Wakayama versus $2,853 in Melbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Wakayama but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Wakayama 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 Wakayama 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 Wakayama 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.