Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Auckland and Giessen

For one person, living is cheaper in Giessen: $2,262 a month against $2,421 in Auckland, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Auckland
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Auckland Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Giessen
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Giessen Living Index

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Auckland

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,421

/mo nomad

Giessen

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,262

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Auckland and in Giessen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,421 in Auckland versus $2,262 in Giessen.

Auckland $2,421
Giessen $2,262

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,382 in Auckland versus $3,161 in Giessen.

Auckland $3,382
Giessen $3,161

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,343 in Auckland versus $4,059 in Giessen.

Auckland $4,343
Giessen $4,059

Living in Auckland is roughly 7% more expensive than in Giessen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Auckland 78% above, Giessen 66% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.26 NZ$25.42

$21.48 €19.30

-33.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.0 NZ$119

$67.8 €60.9

-1.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.12 NZ$16.26

$13.28 €11.93

-31.33%

Cappuccino

$3.47 NZ$6.19

$4.01 €3.60

-13.47%

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

$2.04 NZ$3.63

$2.34 €2.10

-12.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 NZ$3.11

$1.97 €1.77

-11.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.79 NZ$12.10

$4.63 €4.16

46.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.78 NZ$12.08

$5.53 €4.96

22.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 NZ$3.41

$1.32 €1.18

45.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.17 NZ$3.87

$2.15 €1.93

0.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 NZ$3.27

$3.76 €3.37

-51.33%

Eggs

$6.16 NZ$10.99

$3.59 €3.23

71.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.97 NZ$15.99

$14.39 €12.92

-37.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.99 NZ$17.80

$10.96 €9.84

-8.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.72 NZ$31.59

$19.00 €17.07

-6.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 NZ$5.29

$3.02 €2.71

-1.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 NZ$3.71

$1.77 €1.59

17.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.07 NZ$5.48

$2.11 €1.89

45.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.72 NZ$10.19

$3.91 €3.51

46.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.17 NZ$3.86

$1.20 €1.08

80.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 NZ$2.75

$1.12 €1.01

37.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.04 NZ$3.64

$1.54 €1.38

32.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 NZ$1.96

$1.29 €1.16

-14.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$27.07 NZ$48.24

$9.91 €8.90

173.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.21 NZ$18.20

$5.68 €5.11

79.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.87 NZ$5.11

$0.99 €0.89

189.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 NZ$6.03

$1.51 €1.36

123.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.93 NZ$3.44

$3.81 €3.43

-49.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$123 NZ$219

$68.9 €61.9

78.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.29 NZ$4.08

$5.60 €5.03

-59.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 NZ$3.60

$2.18 €1.96

-7.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.32 NZ$57.6

$38.52 €34.60

-16.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.83 NZ$3.27

$1.91 €1.72

-4.19%

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

$27.2K NZ$48.5K

$29.9K €26.9K

-9.06%

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

$22.2K NZ$39.5K

$38.6K €34.7K

-42.65%

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

$184 NZ$329

$348 €312

-46.95%

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

$26.77 NZ$47.72

$32.76 €29.43

-18.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.6 NZ$91.9

$52.1 €46.83

-1.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.05 NZ$74.9

$37.83 €33.99

11.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.31 NZ$32.63

Cinema Ticket

$12.18 NZ$21.70

$10.47 €9.41

16.33%

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

$1,063 NZ$1,895

$1,088 €977

-2.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.5K NZ$34.8K

$44.9K €40.4K

-56.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.3 NZ$143

$43.88 €39.42

83.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.90 NZ$71.1

$22.21 €19.95

79.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.7 NZ$165

$112 €101

-17.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 NZ$201

$152 €137

-25.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 NZ$2,265

$713 €641

78.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,213 NZ$2,161

$891 €800

36.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,222 NZ$3,960

$1,438 €1,292

54.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,658 NZ$2,955

$1,209 €1,086

37.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,413 NZ$13.2K

$5,559 €4,994

33.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,429 NZ$9,675

$2,829 €2,541

91.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,958 NZ$5,271

$2,667 €2,396

10.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.37

3.96

35.61%

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

Last update for Auckland: October 24, 2026

Last update for Giessen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Auckland

$1.2K 50.1%

Giessen

$891 39.4% 26.5% $322

Groceries & Markets

Auckland

$344 14.2%

Giessen

$320 14.1% 7% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Auckland

$263 10.9%

Giessen

$433 19.1% 64.6% $170

Eating Out

Auckland

$246 10.2%

Giessen

$311 13.8% 26.6% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Auckland

$147 6.1%

Giessen

$149 6.6% 1.5% $2.2

Getting Around

Auckland

$143 5.9%

Giessen

$101 4.5% 29.6% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Auckland

$66 2.7%

Giessen

$59 2.6% 11.5% $7.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,271 in Auckland and $713 in Giessen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Auckland pays 11% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Auckland vs $68 in Giessen. Groceries flip the comparison at $344 vs $320, with Giessen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Auckland

🇩🇪 Giessen

🕒 Local time

10:19 10:19 AM

22:19 10:19 PM

12 h behind Auckland

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,463,000

89,179

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.561 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.561 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Auckland Giessen 18,130 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Auckland
Giessen

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

Auckland vs Giessen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Giessen wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Auckland. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Giessen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 11% higher in Auckland, 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: $1,271 in Auckland versus $713 in Giessen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,063 in Auckland versus $1,088 in Giessen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Giessen runs roughly 44% less than in Auckland. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Giessen gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Auckland and Giessen are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Giessen wins on affordability, Auckland on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.