Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Yamanashi

For one person, living is cheaper in Yamanashi: $1,193 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $19,500 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 Yamanashi
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Yamanashi Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Yamanashi

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,193

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Yamanashi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $1,193 in Yamanashi.

Melbourne $2,821
Yamanashi $1,193

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,928 in Yamanashi.

Melbourne $4,235
Yamanashi $1,928

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $2,663 in Yamanashi.

Melbourne $5,650
Yamanashi $2,663

Living in Melbourne is roughly 136% more expensive than in Yamanashi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Yamanashi is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$8.69 ¥1,373

100.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$32.03 ¥5,060

163.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$5.17 ¥817

141.01%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.43 ¥384

69.14%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$1.24 ¥196

146.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.81 ¥127

211.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$3.08 ¥486

218.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$3.21 ¥507

166.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$0.91 ¥144

62.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$0.79 ¥125

272.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$1.29 ¥204

106.20%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.61 ¥254

244.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$12.72 ¥2,010

-17.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$5.52 ¥872

74.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$16.70 ¥2,638

-8.86%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$5.09 ¥805

-21.61%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$3.02 ¥477

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$1.94 ¥307

59.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$3.57 ¥564

35.01%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$1.72 ¥271

76.16%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$2.44 ¥385

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.10 ¥174

123.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.72 ¥114

126.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$3.84 ¥606

1047.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$9.51 ¥1,502

33.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.62 ¥413

111.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$2.07 ¥327

152.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$1.49 ¥235

151.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$49.25 ¥7,780

179.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$3.18 ¥502

41.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$2.77 ¥438

-50.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$15.55 ¥2,457

95.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.06 ¥167

38.68%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$22.0K ¥3.5M

31.62%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$14.9K ¥2.4M

77.59%

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

$234 A$336

$115 ¥18.2K

102.86%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$23.26 ¥3,674

20.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$30.67 ¥4,846

81.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$51.7 ¥8,174

-4.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$11.55 ¥1,825

30.65%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$580 ¥91.6K

308.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$14.7K ¥2.3M

105.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$50.0 ¥7,904

59.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$35.45 ¥5,601

43.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$59.8 ¥9,448

101.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$95.8 ¥15.1K

36.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$523 ¥82.6K

236.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$351 ¥55.5K

295.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$1,251 ¥197.6K

179.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$843 ¥133.2K

195.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$3,889 ¥614.4K

78.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$1,885 ¥297.9K

241.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$4,536 ¥716.6K

-3.38%

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 10, 2026

Last update for Yamanashi: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Yamanashi

$351 29.4% 74.7% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Yamanashi

$273 22.9% 28.9% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Yamanashi

$169 14.2% 46.7% $148

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Yamanashi

$144 12.1% 54.1% $170

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Yamanashi

$108 9.1% 36.8% $63

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Yamanashi

$72 6.1% 55.9% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Yamanashi

$75 6.3% 6% $4.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $523 in Yamanashi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Yamanashi pays 3% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $85.0 in Melbourne vs $32.00 in Yamanashi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $273 per month, with Yamanashi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇯🇵 Yamanashi

🕒 Local time

19:37 7:37 PM

17:37 5:37 PM

2 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

34,494

💱 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 Yamanashi 8,200 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 Yamanashi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Yamanashi differ by about 136% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $1,193 including rent). Yamanashi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 3% lower in Yamanashi. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,759 in Melbourne versus $523 in Yamanashi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,371 in Melbourne versus $580 in Yamanashi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 41% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,193 in Yamanashi versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Yamanashi but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Yamanashi 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 Yamanashi 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 Yamanashi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 136% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.