Cost of Living Comparison Between Ashburton and Wellington Cost of Living Comparison Between Ashburton and Wellington

๐Ÿ™‚ Solo nomad: Ashburton is 5.4% cheaper than Wellington without rent, and 20.8% cheaper with rent.
๐Ÿ™‚ Family of 3: Ashburton is 12.7% cheaper than Wellington without rent, and 20% cheaper with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Ashburton
Wellington
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.65 NZ$27.98
$17.83 NZ$29.96
-6.62%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$71.6 NZ$120
$84.2 NZ$141
-14.98%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.45 NZ$15.87
$9.46 NZ$15.90
-0.11%
Cappuccino
$3.52 NZ$5.91
$3.65 NZ$6.13
-3.56%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.38 NZ$4.00
$2.57 NZ$4.32
-7.39%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.05 NZ$3.44
$2.20 NZ$3.69
-6.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.07 NZ$11.87
$7.20 NZ$12.10
-1.81%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.07 NZ$11.87
$7.44 NZ$12.50
-4.97%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Ashburton
Wellington
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.81 NZ$3.05
$1.82 NZ$3.06
-0.55%
White Bread (500g)
$1.92 NZ$3.23
$2.04 NZ$3.43
-5.88%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.66 NZ$2.79
$1.97 NZ$3.31
-15.74%
Eggs
$6.61 NZ$11.10
$7.24 NZ$12.17
-8.70%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.47 NZ$14.23
$8.16 NZ$13.72
3.80%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.30 NZ$15.63
$10.90 NZ$18.32
-14.68%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.95 NZ$21.75
$13.19 NZ$22.15
-1.82%
Apples (1kg)
$3.16 NZ$5.32
$3.06 NZ$5.15
3.27%
Banana (1kg)
$2.04 NZ$3.43
$2.36 NZ$3.96
-13.56%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.04 NZ$5.11
$2.98 NZ$5.01
2.01%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.29 NZ$5.53
$4.83 NZ$8.12
-31.88%
Potato (1kg)
$2.06 NZ$3.46
$2.02 NZ$3.40
1.98%
Onion (1kg)
$2.21 NZ$3.71
$1.58 NZ$2.65
39.87%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.95 NZ$4.95
$2.30 NZ$3.86
28.26%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.48 NZ$2.49
$1.29 NZ$2.17
14.73%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.90 NZ$40.15
$26.71 NZ$44.88
-10.52%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.02 NZ$15.16
$10.89 NZ$18.30
-17.17%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.78 NZ$6.34
$3.51 NZ$5.90
7.69%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.80 NZ$8.07
$3.26 NZ$5.47
47.24%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Ashburton
Wellington
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.07 NZ$3.48
$2.67 NZ$4.49
-22.47%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$63.9 NZ$107
$107 NZ$180
-40.37%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.76 NZ$4.64
$2.77 NZ$4.65
-0.36%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.69 NZ$2.84
$1.79 NZ$3.01
-5.59%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$30.58 NZ$51.4
$60.9 NZ$102
-49.76%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.65 NZ$2.77
$1.67 NZ$2.81
-1.20%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.1K NZ$45.5K
$33.0K NZ$55.5K
-18.02%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.2K NZ$33.9K
$24.9K NZ$41.8K
-18.85%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ashburton
Wellington
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$115 NZ$193
$155 NZ$261
-26.08%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$31.90 NZ$53.6
$33.64 NZ$56.5
-5.17%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$54.1 NZ$90.8
$51.1 NZ$85.8
5.90%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Ashburton
Wellington
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.12 NZ$62.4
$36.54 NZ$61.4
1.59%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$12.24 NZ$20.56
$20.82 NZ$34.97
-41.21%
Cinema Ticket
$10.88 NZ$18.27
$12.26 NZ$20.59
-11.26%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Ashburton
Wellington
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$649 NZ$1,090
$818 NZ$1,374
-20.68%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,236 NZ$15.5K
$12.8K NZ$21.6K
-28.05%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Ashburton
Wellington
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$29.90 NZ$50.2
$70.9 NZ$119
-57.84%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.38 NZ$72.9
$53.2 NZ$89.4
-18.50%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.0 NZ$158
$120 NZ$201
-21.63%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$150 NZ$253
$145 NZ$244
3.41%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Ashburton
Wellington
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$983 NZ$1,652
$1,297 NZ$2,180
-24.23%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$778 NZ$1,307
$1,094 NZ$1,838
-28.86%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,570 NZ$2,638
$2,127 NZ$3,573
-26.17%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,411 NZ$2,370
$1,916 NZ$3,219
-26.38%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,059 NZ$8,499
$6,806 NZ$11.4K
-25.67%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,162 NZ$5,312
$4,067 NZ$6,833
-22.26%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Ashburton
Wellington
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$3,107 NZ$5,219
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.74
6.94
-2.88%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Ashburton: March 2, 2026

Last update for Wellington: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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