Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saitama and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Saitama: $1,003 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $21,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Saitama
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Saitama Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Saitama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,003

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,003 in Saitama versus $2,821 in Melbourne.

Saitama $1,003
Melbourne $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,327 in Saitama versus $4,235 in Melbourne.

Saitama $1,327
Melbourne $4,235

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

Saitama $1,650
Melbourne $5,650

Living in Saitama costs roughly 64% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Saitama is 26% below, Melbourne is 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.50 ¥869

$17.43 A$25.08

-68.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.36 ¥4,955

$84.6 A$122

-62.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.80 ¥758

$12.46 A$17.92

-61.48%

Cappuccino

$2.92 ¥461

$4.11 A$5.91

-28.95%

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

$0.70 ¥111

$3.06 A$4.40

-77.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥92.0

$2.52 A$3.62

-76.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.51 ¥396

$9.80 A$14.10

-74.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 ¥511

$8.57 A$12.33

-62.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 ¥220

$1.48 A$2.14

-6.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 ¥259

$2.94 A$4.23

-44.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.76 ¥436

$2.66 A$3.82

3.76%

Eggs

$2.00 ¥315

$5.54 A$7.97

-63.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.18 ¥1,609

$10.51 A$15.13

-3.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.44 ¥859

$9.65 A$13.89

-43.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.20 ¥2,243

$15.22 A$21.91

-6.70%

Apples (1kg)

$5.61 ¥887

$3.99 A$5.75

40.60%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 ¥342

$3.02 A$4.34

-28.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ¥459

$3.10 A$4.46

-6.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 ¥678

$4.82 A$6.93

-11.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 ¥395

$3.03 A$4.36

-17.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 ¥255

$2.44 A$3.52

-34.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 ¥205

$2.46 A$3.54

-47.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ¥114

$1.63 A$2.34

-55.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.89 ¥615

$44.07 A$63.4

-91.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.45 ¥1,018

$12.70 A$18.28

-49.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 ¥284

$5.54 A$7.97

-67.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 ¥318

$5.23 A$7.52

-61.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.32 ¥525

$3.74 A$5.38

-11.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 ¥512

$4.51 A$6.50

-28.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.63 ¥416

$1.36 A$1.96

93.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.14 ¥3,181

$30.45 A$43.81

-33.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ¥174

$1.47 A$2.12

-25.17%

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

$21.4K ¥3.4M

$29.0K A$41.7K

-26.08%

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

$14.2K ¥2.2M

$26.5K A$38.1K

-46.49%

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

$133 ¥21.0K

$234 A$336

-43.21%

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

$18.15 ¥2,867

$27.93 A$40.19

-35.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.67 ¥5,162

$55.7 A$80.2

-41.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.7 ¥9,909

$49.40 A$71.1

26.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$11.09 ¥1,752

$15.09 A$21.72

-26.51%

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

$634 ¥100.1K

$2,371 A$3,412

-73.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.5K ¥2.3M

$30.2K A$43.5K

-51.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.01 ¥5,531

$80.0 A$115

-56.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.25 ¥3,989

$50.7 A$73.0

-50.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$55.0 ¥8,686

$121 A$174

-54.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$62.6 ¥9,891

$130 A$188

-51.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$413 ¥65.3K

$1,759 A$2,531

-76.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$233 ¥36.8K

$1,390 A$2,000

-83.23%

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)

$1,550 ¥244.9K

$4,383 A$6,307

-64.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.06

5.9

-65.08%

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

Last update for Saitama: October 11, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Saitama

$274 27.4%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 40% $110

Accommodation & Living

Saitama

$233 23.2%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 496% $1.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saitama

$184 18.3%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 72.9% $134

Eating Out

Saitama

$118 11.7%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 168% $197

Sport & Entertainment

Saitama

$85 8.5%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 6.2% $5.3

Clothing & Footwear

Saitama

$80 8%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 115% $92

Getting Around

Saitama

$30 * 3%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 452% $134

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 $413 in Saitama and $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 183% 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: $31.00 in Saitama vs $85.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $274 vs $384 per month, with Saitama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Saitama

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

03:00 3:00 AM

05:00 5:00 AM

2 h ahead of Saitama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,182,115

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 17, 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 17, 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

Saitama Melbourne 8,210 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Saitama
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

Saitama vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Saitama and Melbourne differ by about 181% in total monthly costs ($1,003 vs $2,821 including rent). Saitama is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 183% 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: $413 in Saitama versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 40% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,003 per month in Saitama versus $2,821 in Melbourne – a 181% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,003 in Saitama versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Saitama but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Saitama 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, Saitama 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 Saitama gentler on the wallet – expenses run 181% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.