Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nara and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Nara: $1,215 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $19,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Nara
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Nara Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Nara

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,215

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nara 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 Nara and in Melbourne actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,215 in Nara versus $2,821 in Melbourne.

Nara $1,215
Melbourne $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,828 in Nara versus $4,235 in Melbourne.

Nara $1,828
Melbourne $4,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,442 in Nara versus $5,650 in Melbourne.

Nara $2,442
Melbourne $5,650

Living in Nara 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: Nara is 10% below, Melbourne is 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.40 ¥1,011

$17.43 A$25.08

-63.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.96 ¥5,049

$84.6 A$122

-62.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.10 ¥805

$12.46 A$17.92

-59.07%

Cappuccino

$2.48 ¥392

$4.11 A$5.91

-39.66%

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

$1.30 ¥206

$3.06 A$4.40

-57.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 ¥119

$2.52 A$3.62

-70.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 ¥489

$9.80 A$14.10

-68.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 ¥483

$8.57 A$12.33

-64.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ¥238

$1.48 A$2.14

1.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 ¥211

$2.94 A$4.23

-54.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.05 ¥640

$2.66 A$3.82

52.26%

Eggs

$2.13 ¥336

$5.54 A$7.97

-61.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.60 ¥1,517

$10.51 A$15.13

-8.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.01 ¥1,108

$9.65 A$13.89

-27.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.82 ¥2,815

$15.22 A$21.91

17.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.41 ¥539

$3.99 A$5.75

-14.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.99 ¥315

$3.02 A$4.34

-34.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.01 ¥317

$3.10 A$4.46

-35.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.01 ¥633

$4.82 A$6.93

-16.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 ¥248

$3.03 A$4.36

-48.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.16 ¥184

$2.44 A$3.52

-52.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ¥177

$2.46 A$3.54

-54.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥128

$1.63 A$2.34

-50.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.82 ¥604

$44.07 A$63.4

-91.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.49 ¥1,500

$12.70 A$18.28

-25.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 ¥305

$5.54 A$7.97

-65.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 ¥337

$5.23 A$7.52

-59.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 ¥245

$3.74 A$5.38

-58.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.0 ¥11.4K

$138 A$198

-47.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 ¥510

$4.51 A$6.50

-28.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.83 ¥447

$1.36 A$1.96

108.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.70 ¥2,480

$30.45 A$43.81

-48.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥175

$1.47 A$2.12

-24.49%

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

$21.9K ¥3.5M

$29.0K A$41.7K

-24.55%

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

$14.9K ¥2.4M

$26.5K A$38.1K

-43.75%

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

$115 ¥18.2K

$234 A$336

-50.62%

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

$24.28 ¥3,836

$27.93 A$40.19

-13.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.63 ¥4,840

$55.7 A$80.2

-45.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.2 ¥13.0K

$49.40 A$71.1

66.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.44 ¥1,176

$21.48 A$30.91

-65.36%

Cinema Ticket

$11.85 ¥1,872

$15.09 A$21.72

-21.47%

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

$511 ¥80.8K

$2,371 A$3,412

-78.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K ¥2.0M

$30.2K A$43.5K

-57.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.43 ¥7,652

$80.0 A$115

-39.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.90 ¥4,882

$50.7 A$73.0

-39.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.5 ¥9,398

$121 A$174

-50.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.7 ¥14.0K

$130 A$188

-32.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$404 ¥63.8K

$1,759 A$2,531

-77.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$333 ¥52.7K

$1,390 A$2,000

-76.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$810 ¥128.0K

$3,494 A$5,027

-76.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$544 ¥86.0K

$2,493 A$3,588

-78.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,669 ¥421.6K

$6,926 A$9,967

-61.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,959 ¥309.5K

$6,445 A$9,274

-69.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,110 ¥175.3K

$4,383 A$6,307

-74.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.02

5.9

-65.76%

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

Last update for Nara: October 13, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nara

$333 27.4%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 317% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Nara

$282 23.2%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 36.3% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nara

$170 14%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 86.3% $147

Eating Out

Nara

$126 10.4%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 150% $188

Sport & Entertainment

Nara

$106 8.7%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 24.8% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Nara

$102 8.4%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 67.8% $69

Getting Around

Nara

$96 7.9%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 71.4% $68

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $404 in Nara and $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 295% 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: $32.00 in Nara vs $85.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $282 vs $384 per month, with Nara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Nara

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

09:16 9:16 AM

11:16 11:16 AM

2 h ahead of Nara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

355,280

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 19, 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 19, 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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Between locations

Nara Melbourne 8,120 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Nara
Melbourne

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

Nara vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nara and Melbourne differ by about 132% in total monthly costs ($1,215 vs $2,821 including rent). Nara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 295% lower in Melbourne. 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: $404 in Nara versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $511 in Nara versus $2,371 in Melbourne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,215 in Nara versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Nara but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Nara 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, Nara 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 Nara 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.