Cost of living comparison
compared to
Australia vs. Japan Cost of Living Summary
Australia is 95.4% more expensive than Japan overall.
Australia vs. Japan Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Australia instead of Japan, you would:
pay 2.4 times more for restaurants
Japan | Australia | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $6.60 ¥1,068 | $17.15 A$24.87 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $5.10 ¥825 | $9.64 A$13.98 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $1.07 ¥172 | $2.63 A$3.82 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $0.76 ¥123 | $2.14 A$3.11 | |
Japan vs. Australia - Cost of restaurants
pay 10.3% more for groceries
Japan | Australia | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $1.50 ¥243 | $2.39 A$3.47 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $5.07 ¥819 | $4.21 A$6.11 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $5.67 ¥917 | $5.84 A$8.47 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $2.08 ¥336 | $4.36 A$6.33 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $2.93 ¥474 | $3.87 A$5.61 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $2.14 ¥346 | $1.48 A$2.15 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $1.12 ¥181 | $1.27 A$1.84 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $1.69 ¥274 | $1.32 A$1.91 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $2.13 ¥345 | $1.93 A$2.80 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $1.22 ¥197 | $1.10 A$1.60 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $1.15 ¥187 | $0.97 A$1.41 | |
Japan vs. Australia - Cost of groceries
pay 10.1% more for transportation
Japan | Australia | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $4.39 ¥710 | $4.48 A$6.49 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $59.14 ¥9,567 | $86.18 A$124.98 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $22,599.51 ¥4M | $27,666.22 A$40,125.04 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $25.32 ¥4,096 | $17.83 A$25.86 | |
Japan vs. Australia - Cost of transportation
pay 91.4% more for housing
Japan | Australia | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $33.91 ¥5,486 | $54.93 A$79.67 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $543.18 ¥87,862 | $1,188.50 A$1,723.72 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $353.61 ¥57,199 | $962.42 A$1,395.82 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $118.72 ¥19,203 | $133.71 A$193.93 | |
Japan vs. Australia - Cost of housing
pay 3.0 times more for childcare
Japan | Australia | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $296.89 ¥48,023 | $1,475.00 A$2,139.22 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $13,159.48 ¥2M | $13,848.50 A$20,084.83 | |
Japan vs. Australia - Cost of childcare
pay 2.6 times more for entertainment and sports
Japan | Australia | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $2.60 ¥421 | $6.47 A$9.38 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $3.03 ¥489 | $3.56 A$5.17 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $3.89 ¥628 | $28.78 A$41.74 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $59.54 ¥9,631 | $51.13 A$74.16 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $12.46 ¥2,016 | $13.10 A$19.00 | |
Japan vs. Australia - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 50.9% more for clothing
Japan | Australia | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $44.79 ¥7,246 | $69.65 A$101.01 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $32.04 ¥5,183 | $48.53 A$70.39 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $57.37 ¥9,280 | $99.22 A$143.90 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $87.37 ¥14,133 | $107.98 A$156.60 | |
Japan vs. Australia - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: June 2026
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