Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nago, Okinawa and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Nago, Okinawa: $1,231 a month against $2,853 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $19,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Nago, Okinawa
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Nago, Okinawa Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Nago, Okinawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,231

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,853

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nago, Okinawa and in Melbourne

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Nago, Okinawa and in Melbourne actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,231 in Nago, Okinawa versus $2,853 in Melbourne.

Nago, Okinawa $1,231
Melbourne $2,853

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,923 in Nago, Okinawa versus $4,275 in Melbourne.

Nago, Okinawa $1,923
Melbourne $4,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,614 in Nago, Okinawa versus $5,697 in Melbourne.

Nago, Okinawa $2,614
Melbourne $5,697

Living in Nago, Okinawa costs roughly 57% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nago, Okinawa is 9% below, Melbourne is 111% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.82 ¥1,077

$17.20 A$24.75

-60.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.35 ¥5,586

$83.1 A$120

-57.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.68 ¥898

$12.43 A$17.88

-54.30%

Cappuccino

$3.03 ¥479

$4.05 A$5.82

-25.19%

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

$1.10 ¥173

$3.12 A$4.50

-64.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 ¥121

$2.46 A$3.54

-69.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.10 ¥332

$9.52 A$13.71

-77.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 ¥482

$8.16 A$11.74

-62.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 ¥239

$1.56 A$2.25

-2.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 ¥259

$2.90 A$4.18

-43.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.67 ¥738

$2.66 A$3.82

75.56%

Eggs

$2.28 ¥361

$5.37 A$7.72

-57.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.13 ¥1,601

$10.67 A$15.36

-5.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.15 ¥971

$9.85 A$14.17

-37.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.49 ¥2,448

$15.36 A$22.11

0.85%

Apples (1kg)

$5.36 ¥847

$4.17 A$6.00

28.54%

Banana (1kg)

$2.55 ¥402

$3.15 A$4.53

-19.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.13 ¥652

$3.26 A$4.69

26.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.53 ¥716

$4.76 A$6.85

-4.83%

Potato (1kg)

$3.24 ¥511

$3.06 A$4.41

5.88%

Onion (1kg)

$2.56 ¥404

$2.47 A$3.55

3.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 ¥217

$2.45 A$3.52

-43.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ¥140

$1.63 A$2.34

-46.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ¥674

$45.17 A$65.0

-90.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.50 ¥1,027

$12.68 A$18.25

-48.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 ¥302

$5.69 A$8.18

-66.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 ¥375

$5.23 A$7.53

-54.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.58 ¥250

$3.87 A$5.57

-59.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.0 ¥8,840

$142 A$204

-60.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 ¥542

$4.54 A$6.53

-24.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.87 ¥454

$1.42 A$2.04

102.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.07 ¥3,329

$30.59 A$44.01

-31.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 ¥194

$1.47 A$2.11

-16.33%

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

$23.5K ¥3.7M

$28.9K A$41.5K

-18.60%

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

$16.9K ¥2.7M

$25.9K A$37.3K

-34.96%

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

$139 ¥21.9K

$235 A$338

-41.02%

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

$27.18 ¥4,294

$27.45 A$39.51

-0.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.51 ¥5,452

$56.1 A$80.8

-38.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 ¥9,012

$50.1 A$72.1

13.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.97 ¥2,207

$21.49 A$30.93

-34.99%

Cinema Ticket

$13.04 ¥2,061

$17.76 A$25.56

-26.58%

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

$285 ¥45.0K

$2,385 A$3,432

-88.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.5K ¥2.1M

$29.7K A$42.7K

-54.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.95 ¥6,944

$79.2 A$114

-44.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.96 ¥4,575

$49.49 A$71.2

-41.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.0 ¥9,328

$118 A$170

-50.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.2 ¥14.6K

$132 A$190

-30.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$461 ¥72.8K

$1,763 A$2,537

-73.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$328 ¥51.9K

$1,411 A$2,031

-76.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$878 ¥138.6K

$3,522 A$5,069

-75.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ¥104.1K

$2,525 A$3,634

-73.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,826 ¥446.5K

$7,136 A$10.3K

-60.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,726 ¥272.6K

$6,355 A$9,144

-72.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,258 A$6,128

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.81

5.9

-69.32%

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

Last update for Nago, Okinawa: October 19, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nago, Okinawa

$328 26.7%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.5% 330% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Nago, Okinawa

$306 24.9%

Melbourne

$388 13.6% 26.7% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nago, Okinawa

$200 16.3%

Melbourne

$319 11.2% 59.1% $118

Eating Out

Nago, Okinawa

$132 10.7%

Melbourne

$310 10.9% 135% $178

Clothing & Footwear

Nago, Okinawa

$101 8.2%

Melbourne

$171 6% 69.2% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Nago, Okinawa

$83 6.8%

Melbourne

$86 3% 3% $2.5

Getting Around

Nago, Okinawa

$80 6.5%

Melbourne

$169 5.9% 111% $89

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $461 in Nago, Okinawa and $1,763 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $35.00 in Nago, Okinawa vs $83.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $306 vs $388 per month, with Nago, Okinawa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Nago, Okinawa

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

00:18 12:18 AM

02:18 2:18 AM

2 h ahead of Nago, Okinawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

63,554

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

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).

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).

USD to JPY in detail →

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Nago, Okinawa Melbourne 7,380 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

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Nago, Okinawa
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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

Nago, Okinawa vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nago, Okinawa and Melbourne differ by about 132% in total monthly costs ($1,231 vs $2,853 including rent). Nago, Okinawa is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,847 in Nago, Okinawa and $4,280 in Melbourne to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $461 in Nago, Okinawa versus $1,763 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $285 in Nago, Okinawa versus $2,385 in Melbourne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,231 in Nago, Okinawa versus $2,853 in Melbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Nago, Okinawa but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Nago, Okinawa 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, Nago, Okinawa and Melbourne 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 Nago, Okinawa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 132% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.