Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tokyo and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Tokyo: $1,635 a month against $2,852 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $14,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Tokyo
Learn more

Tokyo Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
Learn more

Melbourne Living Index

Jump to prices

Tokyo

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,635

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,852

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,635 in Tokyo versus $2,852 in Melbourne.

Tokyo $1,635
Melbourne $2,852

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,608 in Tokyo versus $4,297 in Melbourne.

Tokyo $2,608
Melbourne $4,297

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,581 in Tokyo versus $5,742 in Melbourne.

Tokyo $3,581
Melbourne $5,742

Living in Tokyo costs roughly 43% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Tokyo 22% above, Melbourne 113% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.64 ¥1,208

$17.75 A$25.40

-56.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.51 ¥6,094

$84.8 A$121

-54.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.05 ¥800

$12.16 A$17.40

-58.47%

Cappuccino

$3.61 ¥571

$3.93 A$5.62

-8.14%

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

$1.62 ¥257

$3.14 A$4.49

-48.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 ¥135

$2.43 A$3.47

-64.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 ¥584

$9.90 A$14.17

-62.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.27 ¥835

$8.29 A$11.86

-36.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 ¥243

$1.55 A$2.21

-1.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.76 ¥278

$3.01 A$4.31

-41.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.59 ¥884

$2.88 A$4.12

94.10%

Eggs

$2.24 ¥354

$5.44 A$7.79

-58.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ¥1,686

$10.59 A$15.16

0.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.60 ¥1,045

$9.61 A$13.76

-31.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.74 ¥2,649

$14.99 A$21.46

11.67%

Apples (1kg)

$4.86 ¥769

$4.15 A$5.94

17.11%

Banana (1kg)

$2.35 ¥371

$3.05 A$4.37

-22.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.33 ¥685

$3.30 A$4.72

31.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.28 ¥836

$4.76 A$6.81

10.92%

Potato (1kg)

$3.41 ¥540

$3.04 A$4.34

12.17%

Onion (1kg)

$3.19 ¥505

$2.55 A$3.65

25.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 ¥187

$2.48 A$3.55

-52.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥131

$1.63 A$2.33

-49.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.84 ¥607

$44.07 A$63.1

-91.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.27 ¥1,467

$12.43 A$17.79

-25.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 ¥260

$5.33 A$7.63

-69.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ¥434

$5.16 A$7.38

-46.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 ¥205

$3.84 A$5.50

-66.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.1 ¥9,830

$142 A$203

-56.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 ¥488

$4.40 A$6.29

-30.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.21 ¥508

$1.40 A$2.01

129.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.41 ¥2,913

$29.83 A$42.69

-38.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ¥169

$1.46 A$2.09

-26.71%

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

$22.2K ¥3.5M

$28.1K A$40.3K

-21.24%

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

$15.3K ¥2.4M

$25.9K A$37.1K

-41.07%

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

$148 ¥23.4K

$233 A$333

-36.56%

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

$21.97 ¥3,476

$27.28 A$39.04

-19.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.43 ¥4,815

$57.0 A$81.6

-46.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.1 ¥10.3K

$52.7 A$75.4

23.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.55 ¥4,044

$22.62 A$32.37

12.95%

Cinema Ticket

$12.87 ¥2,037

$17.10 A$24.48

-24.74%

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

$1,360 ¥215.2K

$2,373 A$3,397

-42.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K ¥2.9M

$30.5K A$43.6K

-39.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.5 ¥8,943

$78.2 A$112

-27.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.16 ¥5,248

$50.5 A$72.2

-34.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.4 ¥10.2K

$121 A$172

-46.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.8 ¥11.4K

$133 A$191

-46.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 ¥201.8K

$1,713 A$2,451

-25.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$702 ¥111.1K

$1,402 A$2,006

-49.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 ¥406.0K

$3,339 A$4,778

-23.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,480 ¥234.3K

$2,529 A$3,619

-41.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,152 ¥1.4M

$7,018 A$10.0K

30.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,191 ¥663.2K

$6,767 A$9,685

-38.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,998 ¥474.4K

$4,228 A$6,051

-29.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.25

5.9

-61.86%

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

Last update for Tokyo: October 6, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tokyo

$702 42.2%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 99.6% $700

Groceries & Markets

Tokyo

$325 19.5%

Melbourne

$385 13.5% 18.5% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tokyo

$200 12%

Melbourne

$317 11.1% 58.5% $117

Eating Out

Tokyo

$158 9.5%

Melbourne

$314 11% 98.1% $155

Clothing & Footwear

Tokyo

$102 6.1%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 69.3% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Tokyo

$91 5.5%

Melbourne

$87 3.1% 4.3% $3.9

Getting Around

Tokyo

$86 5.2%

Melbourne

$168 5.9% 94.7% $82

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,275 in Tokyo and $1,713 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 41% 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: $39.00 in Tokyo vs $85.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $385 per month, with Tokyo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Tokyo

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

16:02 4:02 PM

18:02 6:02 PM

2 h ahead of Tokyo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,613,660 Capital

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.32 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.32 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tokyo Melbourne 8,190 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Tokyo
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

Tokyo vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tokyo and Melbourne differ by about 74% in total monthly costs ($1,635 vs $2,852 including rent). Tokyo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 41% 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: $1,275 in Tokyo versus $1,713 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,360 in Tokyo versus $2,373 in Melbourne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,635 in Tokyo versus $2,852 in Melbourne, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Tokyo but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Tokyo 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, Tokyo 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 Tokyo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 74% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.