Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aberdeen and Wellington

For one person, living costs are similar in Aberdeen and in Wellington: $2,264 and $2,358 a month, rent and utilities included.

Aberdeen
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,264
/mo nomad
Wellington
🇳🇿 New Zealand
$2,358
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Aberdeen and in Wellington

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Aberdeen and in Wellington actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,264 per month in Aberdeen vs $2,358 in Wellington, rent included.

  • Aberdeen $2,264
  • Wellington $2,358

A couple spends around $3,528 per month in Aberdeen vs $3,368 in Wellington, rent included.

  • Aberdeen $3,528
  • Wellington $3,368

A family of three spends $4,792 per month in Aberdeen vs $4,378 in Wellington, rent included.

  • Aberdeen $4,792
  • Wellington $4,378

Aberdeen is about 4% cheaper than Wellington, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Aberdeen and Wellington sit above the global median – Aberdeen by 68%, Wellington by 75%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Aberdeen
Wellington
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.95 £14.96
$13.72 NZ$24.27
45.41%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$94.0 £70.5
$63.7 NZ$113
47.40%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.71 £8.04
$8.95 NZ$15.83
19.66%
Cappuccino
$4.59 £3.44
$3.42 NZ$6.05
34.21%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.71 £2.03
$2.44 NZ$4.31
11.07%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.12 £1.59
$1.69 NZ$2.98
25.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.15 £5.37
$7.22 NZ$12.76
-0.97%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.79 £5.84
$6.65 NZ$11.76
17.14%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Aberdeen
Wellington
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.49 £1.12
$1.91 NZ$3.38
-21.99%
White Bread (500g)
$1.71 £1.28
$2.20 NZ$3.89
-22.27%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.96 £1.47
$1.83 NZ$3.24
7.10%
Eggs
$4.36 £3.27
$6.77 NZ$11.97
-35.60%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.81 £6.61
$9.05 NZ$16.00
-2.65%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.10 £9.08
$9.85 NZ$17.43
22.84%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.59 £12.44
$15.19 NZ$26.86
9.22%
Apples (1kg)
$2.85 £2.14
$3.12 NZ$5.52
-8.65%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 £1.03
$2.21 NZ$3.91
-37.56%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.80 £2.10
$3.07 NZ$5.43
-8.79%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.66 £2.75
$6.59 NZ$11.65
-44.46%
Potato (1kg)
$1.70 £1.28
$2.06 NZ$3.64
-17.48%
Onion (1kg)
$1.50 £1.13
$1.23 NZ$2.18
21.95%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.25 £0.94
$2.07 NZ$3.66
-39.61%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.62 £1.22
$1.15 NZ$2.03
40.87%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$21.97 £16.48
$24.86 NZ$43.96
-11.63%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.20 £8.40
$11.28 NZ$19.95
-0.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.64 £1.98
$3.09 NZ$5.47
-14.56%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.07 £2.30
$2.87 NZ$5.08
6.97%
🚌 Getting Around
Aberdeen
Wellington
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.70 £2.02
$2.83 NZ$5.01
-4.59%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$120 £90.1
$102 NZ$180
18.32%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.88 £2.91
$1.87 NZ$3.30
107.49%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.45 £1.84
$1.82 NZ$3.22
34.62%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$24.17 £18.13
$34.15 NZ$60.4
-29.22%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.13 £1.60
$1.82 NZ$3.22
17.03%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$37.5K £28.1K
$25.0K NZ$44.2K
49.89%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.2K £30.2K
$25.4K NZ$44.9K
58.15%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Aberdeen
Wellington
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$400 £300
$197 NZ$348
103.42%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$28.11 £21.09
$32.00 NZ$56.6
-12.16%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$42.10 £31.58
$52.4 NZ$92.7
-19.72%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Aberdeen
Wellington
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$53.5 £40.15
$37.73 NZ$66.7
41.85%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.06 £16.55
$16.11 NZ$28.50
36.93%
Cinema Ticket
$11.23 £8.43
$11.93 NZ$21.10
-5.87%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Aberdeen
Wellington
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,770 £1,328
$1,056 NZ$1,867
67.63%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.2K £17.4K
$12.8K NZ$22.6K
81.68%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Aberdeen
Wellington
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$96.3 £72.3
$76.3 NZ$135
26.20%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$48.95 £36.73
$28.23 NZ$49.93
73.40%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$102 £76.7
$99.6 NZ$176
2.63%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$112 £84.1
$152 NZ$270
-26.45%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Aberdeen
Wellington
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$833 £625
$1,226 NZ$2,169
-32.11%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$771 £579
$1,141 NZ$2,018
-32.40%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,573 £1,180
$2,143 NZ$3,790
-26.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,611 £1,208
$1,709 NZ$3,022
-5.74%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,281 £1,712
$6,578 NZ$11.6K
-65.31%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,390 £2,544
$3,559 NZ$6,294
-4.73%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Aberdeen
Wellington
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,625 £2,719
$2,785 NZ$4,925
30.15%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.11
5.39
-5.19%

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

Last update for Aberdeen: October 12, 2026

Last update for Wellington: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Aberdeen
$771
Wellington
$1.1K 47.9% $370
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Aberdeen
$470
Wellington
$281 40.2% $189
Groceries & Markets
Aberdeen
$320
Wellington
$346 8.1% $26
Eating Out
Aberdeen
$317
Wellington
$244 23.3% $74
Clothing & Footwear
Aberdeen
$162
Wellington
$160 0.8% $1.4
Getting Around
Aberdeen
$147
Wellington
$124 15.8% $23
Sport & Entertainment
Aberdeen
$76
Wellington
$62 18.9% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $833 in Aberdeen versus $1,226 in Wellington. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 30% higher in Aberdeen, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $94.0 in Aberdeen versus $64.0 in Wellington. Groceries tell a different story – $320 in Aberdeen vs $346 in Wellington – so Aberdeen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Aberdeen
🇳🇿 Wellington
🕒 Local time
14:31 2:31 PM
02:31 2:31 AM
12 h ahead of Aberdeen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
229,060
215,900 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Aberdeen Wellington 18,240 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Aberdeen
  • Wellington

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
Aberdeen vs Wellington: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Aberdeen or Wellington?
Wellington costs about 4% more than Aberdeen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Aberdeen and in Wellington?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,396 per month in Aberdeen and $3,536 in Wellington. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Aberdeen or Wellington?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Aberdeen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How much does it cost to live in Aberdeen compared to Wellington?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,264 in Aberdeen and $2,358 in Wellington. That's a gap of about 4%.
How expensive is transport in Aberdeen compared to Wellington?
Public transport costs about 18% less in Aberdeen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Can you live on $2,000/month in Aberdeen or in Wellington?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Aberdeen, where all-in costs run around $2,264, than in Wellington at $2,358. In Aberdeen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Wellington it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Aberdeen or Wellington?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Aberdeen costs $2,264 versus $2,358 in Wellington. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Aberdeen compared to Wellington?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Should I move to Aberdeen or to Wellington?
If budget matters most, go with Aberdeen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Wellington makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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