Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Auckland and Livingston

For one person, living is cheaper in Livingston: $2,067 a month against $2,388 in Auckland, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 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
102

Cost of Living Index in Livingston
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Livingston Living Index

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Auckland

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,388

/mo nomad

Livingston

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,067

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Auckland and in Livingston

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 Livingston actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,388 in Auckland versus $2,067 in Livingston.

Auckland $2,388
Livingston $2,067

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,355 in Auckland versus $3,253 in Livingston.

Auckland $3,355
Livingston $3,253

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,321 in Auckland versus $4,439 in Livingston.

Auckland $4,321
Livingston $4,439

Living in Auckland is roughly 16% more expensive than in Livingston, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Auckland 77% above, Livingston 53% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.10 NZ$24.93

$19.56 £14.68

-27.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.9 NZ$116

$98.9 £74.2

-33.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.86 NZ$15.68

$10.41 £7.81

-14.89%

Cappuccino

$3.34 NZ$5.91

$5.07 £3.80

-34.12%

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

$2.00 NZ$3.54

$2.62 £1.96

-23.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 NZ$3.05

$2.29 £1.72

-24.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.64 NZ$11.74

$6.67 £5.00

-0.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.56 NZ$11.59

$6.49 £4.87

1.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 NZ$3.46

$1.43 £1.07

37.06%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 NZ$3.93

$1.83 £1.37

21.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 NZ$3.21

$2.24 £1.68

-18.75%

Eggs

$6.14 NZ$10.86

$3.52 £2.64

74.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.55 NZ$15.12

$9.42 £7.06

-9.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.73 NZ$17.21

$9.23 £6.93

5.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.27 NZ$30.54

$13.92 £10.44

24.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 NZ$4.90

$2.83 £2.13

-2.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.06 NZ$3.65

$1.88 £1.41

9.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.01 NZ$5.31

$2.84 £2.13

5.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.79 NZ$10.24

$3.44 £2.58

68.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.13 NZ$3.77

$1.70 £1.27

25.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 NZ$2.75

$1.37 £1.03

13.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 NZ$3.48

$1.18 £0.89

66.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 NZ$1.92

$1.72 £1.29

-36.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$26.91 NZ$47.59

$20.33 £15.25

32.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.31 NZ$18.24

$10.51 £7.89

-1.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 NZ$4.82

$3.05 £2.29

-10.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 NZ$5.74

$3.15 £2.37

2.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.47 NZ$4.37

$3.04 £2.28

-18.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$123 NZ$218

$85.3 £64.0

44.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.27 NZ$4.01

$5.32 £3.99

-57.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.92 NZ$3.40

$1.56 £1.17

23.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.31 NZ$57.1

$27.39 £20.55

17.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 NZ$3.29

$2.12 £1.59

-12.26%

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

$25.2K NZ$44.6K

$39.0K £29.2K

-35.28%

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

$22.0K NZ$38.8K

$39.9K £29.9K

-44.92%

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

$179 NZ$316

$322 £242

-44.51%

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

$26.64 NZ$47.12

$16.55 £12.42

60.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.4 NZ$90.8

$41.85 £31.40

22.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.16 NZ$79.9

$40.79 £30.60

10.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.06 NZ$31.95

Cinema Ticket

$12.77 NZ$22.59

$10.63 £7.98

20.13%

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

$1,134 NZ$2,005

$1,213 £910

-6.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.2K NZ$34.0K

$17.4K £13.0K

10.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.2 NZ$142

$90.3 £67.7

-11.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.05 NZ$70.8

$47.61 £35.72

-15.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.7 NZ$166

$107 £80.0

-12.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 NZ$193

$94.4 £70.8

15.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,290 NZ$2,281

$871 £654

48.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,191 NZ$2,107

$745 £559

59.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,209 NZ$3,906

$1,858 £1,394

18.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,659 NZ$2,934

$1,534 £1,151

8.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,466 NZ$13.2K

$4,485 £3,365

66.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,346 NZ$9,455

$3,665 £2,750

45.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,881 NZ$5,095

$3,903 £2,928

-26.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.37

5.15

4.27%

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

Last update for Auckland: October 12, 2026

Last update for Livingston: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Auckland

$1.2K 49.9%

Livingston

$745 36.1% 37.4% $446

Groceries & Markets

Auckland

$338 14.2%

Livingston

$302 14.6% 10.8% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Auckland

$257 10.8%

Livingston

$381 18.4% 48.2% $124

Eating Out

Auckland

$241 10.1%

Livingston

$315 15.2% 30.7% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Auckland

$146 6.1%

Livingston

$153 7.4% 4.8% $7

Getting Around

Auckland

$145 6.1%

Livingston

$111 5.4% 23.8% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Auckland

$71 3%

Livingston

$62 3% 12.2% $8.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,290 in Auckland and $871 in Livingston. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Livingston pays 35% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Auckland vs $99.0 in Livingston. Groceries flip the comparison at $338 vs $302, with Livingston cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Auckland

🇬🇧 Livingston

🕒 Local time

06:23 6:23 AM

18:23 6:23 PM

12 h behind Auckland

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,463,000

56,840

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Auckland Livingston 17,900 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Auckland
Livingston

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 Livingston: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Livingston wins on cost – living expenses run 16% lower than in Auckland. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Livingston the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 35% lower in Livingston. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,290 in Auckland versus $871 in Livingston. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,134 in Auckland versus $1,213 in Livingston. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Auckland. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,067 in Livingston versus $2,388 in Auckland, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Livingston but tight or insufficient in Auckland. The gap between the two cities makes Livingston the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Livingston delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,067 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Livingston hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Auckland and Livingston 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 Livingston gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Auckland. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.