Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ajax, ON and Christchurch

For one person, living is cheaper in Christchurch: $2,040 a month against $2,482 in Ajax, ON, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

120

Cost of Living Index in Ajax, ON
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Ajax, ON Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Christchurch
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Christchurch Living Index

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Ajax, ON

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,482

/mo nomad

Christchurch

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,040

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ajax, ON and in Christchurch

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

A single person spends $2,482 per month in Ajax, ON vs $2,040 in Christchurch, rent included.

Ajax, ON $2,482
Christchurch $2,040

A couple spends around $3,526 per month in Ajax, ON vs $2,951 in Christchurch, rent included.

Ajax, ON $3,526
Christchurch $2,951

A family of three spends $4,571 per month in Ajax, ON vs $3,862 in Christchurch, rent included.

Ajax, ON $4,571
Christchurch $3,862

Ajax, ON costs about 22% more than Christchurch, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Ajax, ON and Christchurch sit above the global median – Ajax, ON by 84%, Christchurch by 51%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.81 CA$25.18

$14.12 NZ$24.98

26.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.0 CA$75.0

$66.3 NZ$117

-19.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.42 CA$14.73

$9.02 NZ$15.95

15.52%

Cappuccino

$3.49 CA$4.94

$3.18 NZ$5.63

9.75%

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

$1.73 CA$2.45

$2.25 NZ$3.98

-23.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.13

$1.76 NZ$3.11

-14.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.46 CA$4.90

$6.79 NZ$12.01

-49.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 CA$7.68

$6.54 NZ$11.56

-16.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 CA$2.75

$1.73 NZ$3.06

12.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.80 CA$3.97

$1.87 NZ$3.32

49.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.33 CA$4.70

$1.45 NZ$2.56

129.66%

Eggs

$3.01 CA$4.26

$5.72 NZ$10.12

-47.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.91 CA$12.60

$7.23 NZ$12.79

23.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.24 CA$15.89

$9.21 NZ$16.30

22.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.83 CA$23.79

$13.46 NZ$23.80

25.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 CA$5.64

$2.47 NZ$4.37

61.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 CA$2.30

$2.30 NZ$4.07

-29.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.10 CA$5.79

$2.61 NZ$4.62

57.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 CA$4.63

$3.93 NZ$6.94

-16.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.93 CA$4.14

$1.49 NZ$2.63

96.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 CA$2.73

$1.45 NZ$2.56

33.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.97 CA$4.20

$2.24 NZ$3.95

32.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 CA$2.67

$1.34 NZ$2.37

41.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.08 CA$19.90

$23.49 NZ$41.54

-40.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.58 CA$17.78

$8.60 NZ$15.21

46.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 CA$2.82

$3.40 NZ$6.01

-41.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 CA$3.72

$4.27 NZ$7.55

-38.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 CA$3.32

$1.65 NZ$2.92

42.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$85.4 CA$121

$99.7 NZ$176

-14.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.27 CA$4.63

$2.45 NZ$4.34

33.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 NZ$3.04

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.92 CA$35.23

$27.46 NZ$48.57

-9.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 CA$1.57

$1.86 NZ$3.28

-40.32%

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

$27.2K CA$38.5K

$25.3K NZ$44.8K

7.46%

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

$18.6K CA$26.2K

$24.5K NZ$43.3K

-24.22%

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

$126 CA$178

$156 NZ$275

-19.12%

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

$26.46 CA$37.41

$22.14 NZ$39.16

19.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 CA$80.6

$45.68 NZ$80.8

24.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.60 CA$47.50

$23.49 NZ$41.54

43.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.32 CA$14.59

$9.03 NZ$15.97

14.29%

Cinema Ticket

$9.94 CA$14.05

$11.28 NZ$19.96

-11.88%

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

$885 CA$1,251

$665 NZ$1,175

33.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K CA$24.8K

$21.3K NZ$37.7K

-17.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.32 CA$69.7

$59.6 NZ$105

-17.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.67 CA$53.3

$39.28 NZ$69.5

-4.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.4 CA$118

$97.4 NZ$172

-14.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 CA$148

$121 NZ$215

-13.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,522 CA$2,152

$1,202 NZ$2,127

26.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,384 CA$1,956

$965 NZ$1,706

43.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,245 CA$3,173

$1,528 NZ$2,703

46.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,134 CA$3,017

$1,444 NZ$2,554

47.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,009 NZ$8,858

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,755 NZ$4,873

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,935 CA$4,149

$2,639 NZ$4,667

11.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.8

5.91

-18.78%

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

Last update for Ajax, ON: October 12, 2026

Last update for Christchurch: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ajax, ON

$1.4K 55.8%

Christchurch

$965 47.3% 30.3% $419

Groceries & Markets

Ajax, ON

$356 14.4%

Christchurch

$304 14.9% 14.6% $52

Eating Out

Ajax, ON

$257 10.4%

Christchurch

$241 11.8% 6.1% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ajax, ON

$209 8.4%

Christchurch

$224 11% 6.8% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Ajax, ON

$124 5%

Christchurch

$143 7% 15.5% $19

Getting Around

Ajax, ON

$98 * 4%

Christchurch

$117 5.8% 19.6% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Ajax, ON

$53 2.2%

Christchurch

$46 2.3% 13.9% $7.4

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,522 in Ajax, ON versus $1,202 in Christchurch. 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 11% higher in Ajax, ON, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $53.0 in Ajax, ON versus $66.0 in Christchurch. Groceries tell a different story – $356 in Ajax, ON vs $304 in Christchurch – so Christchurch wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Ajax, ON

🇳🇿 Christchurch

🕒 Local time

12:12 12:12 PM

05:12 5:12 AM

17 h ahead of Ajax, ON

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

119,677

380,600

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 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).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ajax, ON Christchurch 14,450 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Ajax, ON
Christchurch

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

Ajax, ON vs Christchurch: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ajax, ON is pricier by about 22%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,723 per month in Ajax, ON and $3,060 in Christchurch. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Christchurch, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,482 in Ajax, ON and $2,040 in Christchurch. That's a gap of about 22%.

Public transport costs about 17% less in Christchurch. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Christchurch, where all-in costs run around $2,040, than in Ajax, ON at $2,482. In Christchurch it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ajax, ON it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Christchurch – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Christchurch. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ajax, ON makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.