Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wakayama and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Wakayama: $1,276 a month against $2,853 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $18,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Wakayama
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Wakayama Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Wakayama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,276

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,853

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,276 in Wakayama versus $2,853 in Melbourne.

Wakayama $1,276
Melbourne $2,853

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,031 in Wakayama versus $4,275 in Melbourne.

Wakayama $2,031
Melbourne $4,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,785 in Wakayama versus $5,697 in Melbourne.

Wakayama $2,785
Melbourne $5,697

Living in Wakayama costs roughly 55% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Wakayama is 6% below, Melbourne is 111% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.47 ¥1,022

$17.20 A$24.75

-62.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.22 ¥4,932

$83.1 A$120

-62.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.89 ¥773

$12.43 A$17.88

-60.66%

Cappuccino

$2.46 ¥389

$4.05 A$5.82

-39.26%

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

$1.25 ¥197

$3.12 A$4.50

-59.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 ¥136

$2.46 A$3.54

-65.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 ¥506

$9.52 A$13.71

-66.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 ¥293

$8.16 A$11.74

-77.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ¥248

$1.56 A$2.25

0.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 ¥242

$2.90 A$4.18

-47.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.27 ¥675

$2.66 A$3.82

60.53%

Eggs

$2.11 ¥334

$5.37 A$7.72

-60.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.04 ¥2,534

$10.67 A$15.36

50.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.05 ¥1,114

$9.85 A$14.17

-28.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.10 ¥2,701

$15.36 A$22.11

11.33%

Apples (1kg)

$8.20 ¥1,296

$4.17 A$6.00

96.64%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 ¥478

$3.15 A$4.53

-4.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.15 ¥814

$3.26 A$4.69

57.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.94 ¥1,255

$4.76 A$6.85

66.81%

Potato (1kg)

$4.01 ¥633

$3.06 A$4.41

31.05%

Onion (1kg)

$4.59 ¥726

$2.47 A$3.55

85.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 ¥179

$2.45 A$3.52

-53.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ¥139

$1.63 A$2.34

-46.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 ¥630

$45.17 A$65.0

-91.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.33 ¥1,475

$12.68 A$18.25

-26.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 ¥393

$5.69 A$8.18

-56.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 ¥340

$5.23 A$7.53

-58.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 ¥236

$3.87 A$5.57

-61.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.8 ¥8,496

$142 A$204

-62.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 ¥485

$4.54 A$6.53

-32.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.91 ¥460

$1.42 A$2.04

104.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.69 ¥2,478

$30.59 A$44.01

-48.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥167

$1.47 A$2.11

-27.89%

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

$22.0K ¥3.5M

$28.9K A$41.5K

-23.84%

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

$15.0K ¥2.4M

$25.9K A$37.3K

-41.97%

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

$117 ¥18.4K

$235 A$338

-50.35%

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

$23.45 ¥3,705

$27.45 A$39.51

-14.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.45 ¥4,968

$56.1 A$80.8

-43.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.3 ¥8,109

$50.1 A$72.1

2.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.49 A$30.93

Cinema Ticket

$11.21 ¥1,771

$17.76 A$25.56

-36.88%

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

$564 ¥89.1K

$2,385 A$3,432

-76.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ¥2.3M

$29.7K A$42.7K

-49.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.37 ¥7,800

$79.2 A$114

-37.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.42 ¥5,596

$49.49 A$71.2

-28.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.4 ¥9,385

$118 A$170

-49.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.7 ¥15.6K

$132 A$190

-25.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$526 ¥83.1K

$1,763 A$2,537

-70.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$337 ¥53.3K

$1,411 A$2,031

-76.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,093 ¥172.7K

$3,522 A$5,069

-68.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$738 ¥116.5K

$2,525 A$3,634

-70.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,206 ¥664.5K

$7,136 A$10.3K

-41.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,756 ¥277.4K

$6,355 A$9,144

-72.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,965 ¥626.4K

$4,258 A$6,128

-6.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.67

5.9

-71.69%

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

Last update for Wakayama: October 17, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Wakayama

$382 30%

Melbourne

$388 13.6% 1.6% $6.1

Accommodation & Living

Wakayama

$337 26.4%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.5% 318% $1.1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wakayama

$172 13.5%

Melbourne

$319 11.2% 85.7% $147

Eating Out

Wakayama

$124 9.7%

Melbourne

$310 10.9% 150% $186

Clothing & Footwear

Wakayama

$109 8.6%

Melbourne

$171 6% 56.2% $61

Getting Around

Wakayama

$77 6.1%

Melbourne

$169 5.9% 119% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Wakayama

$74 5.8%

Melbourne

$86 3% 16.1% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $526 in Wakayama and $1,763 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 7% 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 Wakayama vs $83.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $382 vs $388 per month, with Wakayama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Wakayama

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

04:56 4:56 AM

06:56 6:56 AM

2 h ahead of Wakayama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

362,163

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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Between locations

Wakayama Melbourne 8,070 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Wakayama
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

Wakayama vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Wakayama and Melbourne differ by about 124% in total monthly costs ($1,276 vs $2,853 including rent). Wakayama is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 7% 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: $526 in Wakayama versus $1,763 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $564 in Wakayama 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 2% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,276 in Wakayama versus $2,853 in Melbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Wakayama but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Wakayama 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, Wakayama 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 Wakayama gentler on the wallet – expenses run 124% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.