✦ Compare
Fukuoka vs
Melbourne
Cost-of-living comparison and salary equivalence. Enter your current salary to see what you'd need to earn to live equally well.
Fukuoka, JP vs Melbourne, AU at a glance — Melbourne, AU is 30% more expensive than Fukuoka, JP overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $1,800/mo versus $700/mo. Top income tax: 45% vs 45%.
To keep the same standard of living in Melbourne, AU, you'd need
$97,401 / year
Melbourne, AU is 30% more expensive overall
Category breakdown (Melbourne, AU vs Fukuoka, JP)
- Housing+73%
- Food & groceries+18%
- Transport+28%
- Utilities0%
- Healthcare+12%
- Goods & services+14%
◎ How Fukuoka, JP and Melbourne, AU compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Fukuoka, JP | Melbourne, AU | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 91 | 118 |
| Housing | 80 | 138 |
| Food | 95 | 112 |
| Transport | 78 | 100 |
| Utilities | 108 | 108 |
| Healthcare | 85 | 95 |
| Goods & services | 102 | 116 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $700/mo | $1,800/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $500/mo | $1,350/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $1,300/mo | $3,400/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $5,000 | $9,000 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $1,100 | $847 |
| Inexpensive meal | $7 | $17 |
| Monthly transit pass | $55 | $110 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 45% | 45% |
| VAT / sales tax | 10% | 10% |
| Corporate tax | 30% | 30% |
| Capital gains | 20.3% | — |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $2,600/mo | $3,900/mo |
| Avg annual wage (OECD, PPP) | $50,183✓ | $72,018✓ |
| Minimum wage | $1,300/mo | $2,600/mo |
| GDP per capita | $35,951✓ | $65,130✓ |
| Inflation (annual) | 3.2%✓ | 2.9%✓ |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | Yes | No |
| English proficiency | Low | Native |
| Coworking spaces | 20 | 70 |
| Time zone | UTC+9 | UTC+10 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Quality of life (overall) | 78 | 73 |
| Safety index | 82 | 68 |
| Healthcare index | 83 | 85 |
| Pollution index | 38 | 30 |
| Internet speed | 220 Mbps | 90 Mbps |
| Walkability | 78 | 78 |
| Public transport | 82 | 80 |
| Family-friendly | 74 | 74 |
| Tap water | Safe to drink | Safe to drink |
| Life expectancy | 84 yr✓ | 83 yr✓ |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | Moderate | High |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | +7 °C | +20 °C |
| July avg | +28 °C | +10 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 190 | 180 |
| Rainfall / year | 1,600 mm | 600 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 2 h | 1.5 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: Japan vs Australia. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
✓ = official statistics (OECD (PPP), World Bank 2025, World Bank 2024). Unmarked figures are CostTrek estimates. How we calculate these figures →
Cost of living: Fukuoka vs Melbourne — in your currency
Converted from USD at approximate rates (2026-09).
Good to know before you move to Fukuoka
Kyushu's laid-back hub and the most affordable of Japan's big cities — a compact, food-obsessed port (ramen and open-air yatai stalls) that actively courts founders with a startup visa. Milder winters than Tokyo and quick flights across Asia are the draw.
- Currency
- Japanese yen (¥ JPY)
- Languages
- Japanese
- Time zone
- UTC+9
- Internet
- 220 Mbps
- English
- Rarely spoken
- Safety
- 82/100
- Climate
- ❄ 7°C · ☀ 28°C · 190 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- A/B · 100V
- Driving
- Left-hand side
- Popular areas
- Tenjin · Hakata · Daimyo · Ohori
Good to know before you move to Melbourne
Coffee, laneways and a famously liveable city — cheaper than Sydney, with famously changeable weather.
- Currency
- Australian dollar ($ AUD)
- Languages
- English
- Time zone
- UTC+10
- Internet
- 90 Mbps
- English
- Native language
- Safety
- 68/100
- Climate
- ❄ 20°C · ☀ 10°C · 180 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- I · 230V
- Driving
- Left-hand side
- Popular areas
- Fitzroy · St Kilda · Carlton
Plan your move to Fukuoka
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalDiscoverCars
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
Sponsored
Plan your move to Melbourne
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalDiscoverCars
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
Sponsored
? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Fukuoka to Melbourne: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Fukuoka to Melbourne, your cost of living will be roughly 30% more expensive. Melbourne’s cost-of-living index is 118 versus 91 for Fukuoka (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Fukuoka cheaper than Melbourne?
Melbourne is about 30% more expensive than Fukuoka overall — its cost-of-living index is 118 versus 91 for Fukuoka.
Which is more expensive, Fukuoka or Melbourne?
Melbourne is more expensive than Fukuoka. Its cost-of-living index is 118 vs 91 (US = 100) — about 30% higher.
Is rent cheaper in Fukuoka or Melbourne?
Rent is cheaper in Fukuoka — about $700/month for a one-bedroom in the city centre, vs $1,800 in Melbourne.
How much do you need to earn in Melbourne to live like in Fukuoka?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Fukuoka is worth about $97,401 in Melbourne. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Fukuoka or Melbourne?
Japan has the lower top income-tax rate — 45% versus 45% in Australia.
◷ More comparisons from Fukuoka
How we calculate these figures →
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.