Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Niigata and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Niigata: $723 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $25,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Niigata
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Niigata Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Niigata

🇯🇵 Japan

$723

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $723 in Niigata versus $2,821 in Melbourne.

Niigata $723
Melbourne $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,092 in Niigata versus $4,235 in Melbourne.

Niigata $1,092
Melbourne $4,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,462 in Niigata versus $5,650 in Melbourne.

Niigata $1,462
Melbourne $5,650

Living in Niigata costs roughly 74% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Niigata is 46% below, Melbourne is 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.13 ¥969

$17.43 A$25.08

-64.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.60 ¥2,465

$84.6 A$122

-81.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.00 ¥790

$12.46 A$17.92

-59.87%

Cappuccino

$2.60 ¥410

$4.11 A$5.91

-36.74%

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

$1.56 ¥246

$3.06 A$4.40

-49.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 ¥127

$2.52 A$3.62

-68.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 ¥408

$9.80 A$14.10

-73.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 ¥419

$8.57 A$12.33

-69.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 ¥193

$1.48 A$2.14

-17.57%

White Bread (500g)

$0.97 ¥154

$2.94 A$4.23

-67.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.55 ¥403

$2.66 A$3.82

-4.14%

Eggs

$2.23 ¥352

$5.54 A$7.97

-59.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.68 ¥1,214

$10.51 A$15.13

-26.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.68 ¥1,055

$9.65 A$13.89

-30.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.34 ¥2,581

$15.22 A$21.91

7.36%

Apples (1kg)

$3.24 ¥513

$3.99 A$5.75

-18.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 ¥195

$3.02 A$4.34

-59.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 ¥402

$3.10 A$4.46

-17.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 ¥359

$4.82 A$6.93

-52.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 ¥302

$3.03 A$4.36

-36.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.95 ¥308

$2.44 A$3.52

-20.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 ¥148

$2.46 A$3.54

-62.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 ¥102

$1.63 A$2.34

-60.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.78 ¥598

$44.07 A$63.4

-91.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.30 ¥679

$12.70 A$18.28

-66.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ¥269

$5.54 A$7.97

-69.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 ¥301

$5.23 A$7.52

-63.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.26 ¥199

$3.74 A$5.38

-66.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.60 ¥410

$4.51 A$6.50

-42.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.09 ¥488

$1.36 A$1.96

127.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.34 ¥2,897

$30.45 A$43.81

-39.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 ¥165

$1.47 A$2.12

-29.25%

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

$18.6K ¥2.9M

$29.0K A$41.7K

-35.73%

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

$12.5K ¥2.0M

$26.5K A$38.1K

-52.92%

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

$147 ¥23.2K

$234 A$336

-37.20%

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

$21.26 ¥3,360

$27.93 A$40.19

-23.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.41 ¥4,015

$55.7 A$80.2

-54.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.0 ¥8,210

$49.40 A$71.1

5.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.24 ¥985

$21.48 A$30.91

-70.95%

Cinema Ticket

$11.85 ¥1,872

$15.09 A$21.72

-21.47%

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

$63.2 ¥9,991

$2,371 A$3,412

-97.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K ¥2.8M

$30.2K A$43.5K

-40.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.35 ¥4,953

$80.0 A$115

-60.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.21 ¥5,089

$50.7 A$73.0

-36.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$37.87 ¥5,982

$121 A$174

-68.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.6 ¥10.0K

$130 A$188

-51.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$350 ¥55.3K

$1,759 A$2,531

-80.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,267 ¥200.2K

$4,383 A$6,307

-71.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.48

5.9

-74.92%

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

Last update for Niigata: October 12, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Niigata

$234 32.3%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 64.3% $150

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Niigata

$193 26.8%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 64.1% $124

Eating Out

Niigata

$123 17%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 156% $192

Sport & Entertainment

Niigata

$76 10.5%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 5.2% $3.9

Clothing & Footwear

Niigata

$74 10.3%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 131% $98

Getting Around

Niigata

$23 * 3.2%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 610% $141

Accommodation & Living

Niigata

- * 0%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $350 in Niigata and $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 246% 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: $16.00 in Niigata vs $85.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $384 per month, with Niigata cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Niigata

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

14:49 2:49 PM

16:49 4:49 PM

2 h ahead of Niigata

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

811,639

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 18, 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 18, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Niigata Melbourne 8,440 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Niigata
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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

Niigata vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Niigata and Melbourne differ by about 290% in total monthly costs ($723 vs $2,821 including rent). Niigata is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 246% 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: $350 in Niigata versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 64% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $723 per month in Niigata versus $2,821 in Melbourne – a 290% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $723 in Niigata versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Niigata but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Niigata 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, Niigata 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 Niigata gentler on the wallet – expenses run 290% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.