Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ames, IA and Wellington

For one person, living is cheaper in Ames, IA: $2,142 a month against $2,358 in Wellington, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Wellington outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

104

Cost of Living Index in Ames, IA
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Ames, IA Living Index
114

Cost of Living Index in Wellington
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Wellington Living Index

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Ames, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,142

/mo nomad

Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,358

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ames, IA 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 Ames, IA and in Wellington actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,142 in Ames, IA versus $2,358 in Wellington.

Ames, IA $2,142
Wellington $2,358

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,242 in Ames, IA versus $3,368 in Wellington.

Ames, IA $3,242
Wellington $3,368

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,342 in Ames, IA versus $4,378 in Wellington.

Ames, IA $4,342
Wellington $4,378

Living in Ames, IA costs roughly 9% less than in Wellington, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ames, IA 59% above, Wellington 75% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.13 $18.13

$13.72 NZ$24.27

32.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 $52.0

$63.7 NZ$113

-18.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.18 $12.18

$8.95 NZ$15.83

36.09%

Cappuccino

$4.87 $4.87

$3.42 NZ$6.05

42.40%

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

$2.60 $2.60

$2.44 NZ$4.31

6.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 $2.25

$1.69 NZ$2.98

33.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.05 $4.05

$7.22 NZ$12.76

-43.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.81 $6.81

$6.65 NZ$11.76

2.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.91 NZ$3.38

-53.40%

White Bread (500g)

$3.55 $3.55

$2.20 NZ$3.89

61.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.83 NZ$3.24

78.14%

Eggs

$3.34 $3.34

$6.77 NZ$11.97

-50.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.08 $10.08

$9.05 NZ$16.00

11.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.62 $13.62

$9.85 NZ$17.43

38.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.05 $19.05

$15.19 NZ$26.86

25.41%

Apples (1kg)

$5.88 $5.88

$3.12 NZ$5.52

88.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 $1.82

$2.21 NZ$3.91

-17.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.69 $6.69

$3.07 NZ$5.43

117.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.22 $5.22

$6.59 NZ$11.65

-20.79%

Potato (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.06 NZ$3.64

120.39%

Onion (1kg)

$4.07 $4.07

$1.23 NZ$2.18

230.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.32 $2.32

$2.07 NZ$3.66

12.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.15 NZ$2.03

112.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.03 $13.03

$24.86 NZ$43.96

-47.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.11 $16.11

$11.28 NZ$19.95

42.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.87 $2.87

$3.09 NZ$5.47

-7.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.98 $4.98

$2.87 NZ$5.08

73.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 $0.99

$2.83 NZ$5.01

-65.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.57 $35.57

$102 NZ$180

-64.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.09 $5.09

$1.87 NZ$3.30

172.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.82 NZ$3.22

-7.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.13 $24.13

$34.15 NZ$60.4

-29.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.82 NZ$3.22

-47.25%

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

$24.7K $24.7K

$25.0K NZ$44.2K

-1.02%

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

$25.1K $25.1K

$25.4K NZ$44.9K

-1.35%

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

$176 $176

$197 NZ$348

-10.38%

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

$54.3 $54.3

$32.00 NZ$56.6

69.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.2 $71.2

$52.4 NZ$92.7

35.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.0 $69.0

$37.73 NZ$66.7

82.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.74 $19.74

$16.11 NZ$28.50

22.53%

Cinema Ticket

$15.97 $15.97

$11.93 NZ$21.10

33.86%

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

$1,370 $1,370

$1,056 NZ$1,867

29.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.1K $36.1K

$12.8K NZ$22.6K

183.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.4 $58.4

$76.3 NZ$135

-23.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.68 $44.68

$28.23 NZ$49.93

58.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.1 $90.1

$99.6 NZ$176

-9.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$152 NZ$270

-31.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,005 $1,005

$1,226 NZ$2,169

-18.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$822 $822

$1,141 NZ$2,018

-27.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,860 $1,860

$2,143 NZ$3,790

-13.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,505 $1,505

$1,709 NZ$3,022

-11.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,432 $2,432

$6,578 NZ$11.6K

-63.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,185 $2,185

$3,559 NZ$6,294

-38.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,597 $3,597

$2,785 NZ$4,925

29.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.41

5.39

18.92%

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

Last update for Ames, IA: October 11, 2026

Last update for Wellington: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ames, IA

$822 38.4%

Wellington

$1.1K 48.4% 38.8% $319

Groceries & Markets

Ames, IA

$436 20.4%

Wellington

$346 14.7% 20.7% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ames, IA

$302 14.1%

Wellington

$281 11.9% 6.8% $21

Eating Out

Ames, IA

$293 13.7%

Wellington

$244 10.3% 17% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Ames, IA

$134 6.3%

Wellington

$160 6.8% 19.7% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Ames, IA

$101 4.7%

Wellington

$62 2.6% 39% $39

Getting Around

Ames, IA

$53 2.5%

Wellington

$124 5.3% 133% $71

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,005 in Ames, IA and $1,226 in Wellington. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ames, IA pays 29% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $52.0 in Ames, IA vs $64.0 in Wellington. Groceries flip the comparison at $436 vs $346, with Wellington cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ames, IA

🇳🇿 Wellington

🕒 Local time

11:12 11:12 AM

05:12 5:12 AM

18 h ahead of Ames, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

66,427

215,900 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 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).

NZD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ames, IA Wellington 13,030 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Ames, IA
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

Ames, IA vs Wellington: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ames, IA wins on cost – living expenses run 10% lower than in Wellington. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ames, IA the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 29% higher in Ames, IA, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,005 in Ames, IA versus $1,226 in Wellington. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Ames, IA runs roughly 185% less than in Wellington. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,370 in Ames, IA versus $1,056 in Wellington. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $2,142 in Ames, IA versus $2,358 in Wellington, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ames, IA but tight or insufficient in Wellington. The gap between the two cities makes Ames, IA the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ames, IA delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,142 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ames, IA hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ames, IA and Wellington 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 Ames, IA gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Wellington. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.