Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ashburton and Wellington

For one person, living is cheaper in Ashburton: $1,806 a month against $2,358 in Wellington, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

92

Cost of Living Index in Ashburton
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Ashburton Living Index
114

Cost of Living Index in Wellington
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Wellington Living Index

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Ashburton

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,806

/mo nomad

Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,358

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,806 per month in Ashburton vs $2,358 in Wellington, rent included.

Ashburton $1,806
Wellington $2,358

A couple spends around $2,897 per month in Ashburton vs $3,368 in Wellington, rent included.

Ashburton $2,897
Wellington $3,368

A family of three spends $3,987 per month in Ashburton vs $4,378 in Wellington, rent included.

Ashburton $3,987
Wellington $4,378

Ashburton is about 23% cheaper than Wellington, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Ashburton and Wellington sit above the global median – Ashburton by 34%, Wellington by 75%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.93 NZ$24.63

$13.72 NZ$24.27

1.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 NZ$120

$63.7 NZ$113

6.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.85 NZ$15.65

$8.95 NZ$15.83

-1.12%

Cappuccino

$3.26 NZ$5.77

$3.42 NZ$6.05

-4.68%

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

$2.32 NZ$4.10

$2.44 NZ$4.31

-4.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 NZ$3.21

$1.69 NZ$2.98

7.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.89 NZ$12.19

$7.22 NZ$12.76

-4.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.77 NZ$11.97

$6.65 NZ$11.76

1.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 NZ$2.95

$1.91 NZ$3.38

-12.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 NZ$3.32

$2.20 NZ$3.89

-14.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 NZ$2.64

$1.83 NZ$3.24

-18.03%

Eggs

$5.80 NZ$10.26

$6.77 NZ$11.97

-14.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.48 NZ$13.23

$9.05 NZ$16.00

-17.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.35 NZ$16.53

$9.85 NZ$17.43

-5.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.55 NZ$23.96

$15.19 NZ$26.86

-10.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.46 NZ$4.35

$3.12 NZ$5.52

-21.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 NZ$3.51

$2.21 NZ$3.91

-10.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 NZ$4.82

$3.07 NZ$5.43

-11.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.04 NZ$5.37

$6.59 NZ$11.65

-53.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 NZ$2.65

$2.06 NZ$3.64

-27.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.46 NZ$2.59

$1.23 NZ$2.18

18.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.17 NZ$3.83

$2.07 NZ$3.66

4.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 NZ$2.33

$1.15 NZ$2.03

14.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.15 NZ$42.70

$24.86 NZ$43.96

-2.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.45 NZ$14.94

$11.28 NZ$19.95

-25.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.52 NZ$6.23

$3.09 NZ$5.47

13.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.26 NZ$7.53

$2.87 NZ$5.08

48.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.62 NZ$2.86

$2.83 NZ$5.01

-42.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.4 NZ$132

$102 NZ$180

-26.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.48 NZ$4.38

$1.87 NZ$3.30

32.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 NZ$2.93

$1.82 NZ$3.22

-8.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.91 NZ$49.35

$34.15 NZ$60.4

-18.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 NZ$3.41

$1.82 NZ$3.22

6.04%

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

$24.7K NZ$43.7K

$25.0K NZ$44.2K

-1.10%

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

$23.9K NZ$42.3K

$25.4K NZ$44.9K

-5.91%

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

$156 NZ$276

$197 NZ$348

-20.81%

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

$22.75 NZ$40.23

$32.00 NZ$56.6

-28.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.32 NZ$78.4

$52.4 NZ$92.7

-15.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.15 NZ$71.0

$37.73 NZ$66.7

6.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.11 NZ$28.50

Cinema Ticket

$11.12 NZ$19.66

$11.93 NZ$21.10

-6.79%

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

$659 NZ$1,165

$1,056 NZ$1,867

-37.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.9K NZ$38.8K

$12.8K NZ$22.6K

71.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.9 NZ$102

$76.3 NZ$135

-24.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.80 NZ$70.4

$28.23 NZ$49.93

40.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.6 NZ$176

0.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 NZ$214

$152 NZ$270

-20.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,013 NZ$1,792

$1,226 NZ$2,169

-17.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$745 NZ$1,317

$1,141 NZ$2,018

-34.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,417 NZ$2,506

$2,143 NZ$3,790

-33.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,600 NZ$2,830

$1,709 NZ$3,022

-6.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,546 NZ$8,039

$6,578 NZ$11.6K

-30.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,098 NZ$5,479

$3,559 NZ$6,294

-12.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,785 NZ$4,925

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.91

5.39

9.65%

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

Last update for Ashburton: 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

Ashburton

$745 41.2%

Wellington

$1.1K 48.4% 53.2% $396

Groceries & Markets

Ashburton

$300 16.6%

Wellington

$346 14.7% 15.4% $46

Eating Out

Ashburton

$242 13.4%

Wellington

$244 10.3% 0.8% $1.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ashburton

$223 12.3%

Wellington

$281 11.9% 26.2% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Ashburton

$143 7.9%

Wellington

$160 6.8% 12% $17

Getting Around

Ashburton

$92 5.1%

Wellington

$124 5.3% 35.1% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Ashburton

$62 3.5%

Wellington

$62 2.6% 1.3% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,013 in Ashburton 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Ashburton versus $64.0 in Wellington. Groceries tell a different story – $300 in Ashburton vs $346 in Wellington – so Ashburton wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Ashburton

🇳🇿 Wellington

🕒 Local time

14:37 2:37 PM

Same time as Ashburton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,500

215,900 Capital

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Ashburton Wellington 380 km

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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

Ashburton vs Wellington: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,806 in Ashburton, $2,358 in Wellington – roughly 31% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,710 per month in Ashburton and $3,536 in Wellington. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 15% more in Wellington, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Ashburton and $64.0 in Wellington. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Ashburton, where all-in costs run around $1,806, than in Wellington at $2,358. In Ashburton it covers expenses comfortably, while in Wellington it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Wellington has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,806 in Ashburton to $2,358 in Wellington. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Ashburton. 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.