Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Auckland and New Plymouth

For one person, living is cheaper in New Plymouth: $1,820 a month against $2,421 in Auckland, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Auckland
Learn more

Auckland Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in New Plymouth
Learn more

New Plymouth Living Index

Jump to prices

Auckland

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,421

/mo nomad

New Plymouth

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,820

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Auckland and in New Plymouth

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,421 in Auckland versus $1,820 in New Plymouth.

Auckland $2,421
New Plymouth $1,820

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,382 in Auckland versus $2,828 in New Plymouth.

Auckland $3,382
New Plymouth $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,343 in Auckland versus $3,836 in New Plymouth.

Auckland $4,343
New Plymouth $3,836

Living in Auckland is roughly 33% more expensive than in New Plymouth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Auckland 78% above, New Plymouth 34% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.26 NZ$25.32

$12.43 NZ$22.06

14.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.0 NZ$119

$67.9 NZ$121

-1.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.12 NZ$16.20

$8.44 NZ$14.98

8.06%

Cappuccino

$3.47 NZ$6.17

$3.34 NZ$5.93

3.89%

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

$2.04 NZ$3.62

$2.12 NZ$3.76

-3.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 NZ$3.10

$1.85 NZ$3.28

-5.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.79 NZ$12.05

$5.32 NZ$9.45

27.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.78 NZ$12.03

$5.65 NZ$10.02

20.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 NZ$3.40

$1.44 NZ$2.55

33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.17 NZ$3.85

$1.25 NZ$2.22

73.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 NZ$3.26

$1.65 NZ$2.92

10.91%

Eggs

$6.16 NZ$10.94

$5.53 NZ$9.82

11.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.97 NZ$15.93

$5.52 NZ$9.79

62.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.99 NZ$17.73

$7.19 NZ$12.76

38.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.72 NZ$31.47

$11.42 NZ$20.28

55.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 NZ$5.27

$2.63 NZ$4.67

12.93%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 NZ$3.70

$1.86 NZ$3.29

11.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.07 NZ$5.46

$2.93 NZ$5.20

4.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.72 NZ$10.15

$6.12 NZ$10.86

-6.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.17 NZ$3.85

$1.99 NZ$3.53

9.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 NZ$2.74

$1.41 NZ$2.51

9.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.04 NZ$3.63

$1.88 NZ$3.33

8.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 NZ$1.95

$1.32 NZ$2.35

-16.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$27.07 NZ$48.06

$23.12 NZ$41.04

17.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.21 NZ$18.13

$8.73 NZ$15.51

16.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.87 NZ$5.10

$3.03 NZ$5.37

-5.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 NZ$6.00

$3.78 NZ$6.72

-10.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.93 NZ$3.43

$1.68 NZ$2.99

14.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$123 NZ$218

$74.6 NZ$133

64.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.29 NZ$4.06

$3.68 NZ$6.53

-37.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 NZ$3.59

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.32 NZ$57.4

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.83 NZ$3.25

$1.67 NZ$2.97

9.58%

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

$27.2K NZ$48.3K

$28.7K NZ$50.9K

-5.04%

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

$22.2K NZ$39.3K

$22.8K NZ$40.5K

-2.81%

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

$184 NZ$327

$130 NZ$231

42.03%

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

$26.77 NZ$47.53

$27.85 NZ$49.44

-3.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.6 NZ$91.5

$48.35 NZ$85.8

6.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.05 NZ$74.7

$43.29 NZ$76.9

-2.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.31 NZ$32.50

Cinema Ticket

$12.18 NZ$21.62

$8.20 NZ$14.55

48.54%

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

$1,063 NZ$1,888

$680 NZ$1,206

56.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.5K NZ$34.7K

$23.1K NZ$41.0K

-15.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.3 NZ$143

$61.3 NZ$109

31.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.90 NZ$70.8

$38.74 NZ$68.8

2.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.7 NZ$165

$90.6 NZ$161

2.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 NZ$200

$106 NZ$188

6.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 NZ$2,256

$907 NZ$1,611

40.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,213 NZ$2,153

$836 NZ$1,485

44.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,222 NZ$3,945

$1,740 NZ$3,089

27.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,658 NZ$2,943

$1,589 NZ$2,821

4.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,413 NZ$13.2K

$3,209 NZ$5,697

131.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,429 NZ$9,638

$2,622 NZ$4,655

107.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,958 NZ$5,251

$2,787 NZ$4,948

6.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.37

5.93

-9.44%

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

Last update for Auckland: October 24, 2026

Last update for New Plymouth: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Auckland

$1.2K 50.1%

New Plymouth

$836 45.9% 31% $376

Groceries & Markets

Auckland

$344 14.2%

New Plymouth

$281 15.5% 18.1% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Auckland

$263 10.9%

New Plymouth

$206 11.3% 21.6% $57

Eating Out

Auckland

$246 10.2%

New Plymouth

$219 12% 11.1% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Auckland

$147 6.1%

New Plymouth

$133 7.3% 9% $13

Getting Around

Auckland

$143 5.9%

New Plymouth

$85 * 4.7% 40.5% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Auckland

$66 2.7%

New Plymouth

$60 3.3% 10.1% $6.7

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,271 in Auckland and $907 in New Plymouth. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Auckland pays 6% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $67 in Auckland vs $68 in New Plymouth. Groceries flip the comparison at $344 vs $281, with New Plymouth cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Auckland

🇳🇿 New Plymouth

🕒 Local time

10:19 10:19 AM

Same time as Auckland

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,463,000

58,400

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Auckland New Plymouth 250 km

From you

Auckland
New Plymouth

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 New Plymouth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New Plymouth wins on cost – living expenses run 25% lower than in Auckland. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making New Plymouth the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 6% 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 $907 in New Plymouth. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,063 in Auckland versus $680 in New Plymouth. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in New Plymouth runs roughly 39% 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 New Plymouth 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 New Plymouth are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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