Cost of Living Comparison Between Auckland and Palmerston North Cost of Living Comparison Between Auckland and Palmerston North

😐 Solo nomad: Auckland is 19.7% more expensive than Palmerston North without rent, and 35.4% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Auckland is 8.2% more expensive than Palmerston North without rent, and 22.2% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.22 NZ$26.48

$16.69 NZ$29.04

-8.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.5 NZ$135

$73.7 NZ$128

5.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.38 NZ$16.32

$12.13 NZ$21.11

-22.67%

Cappuccino

$3.48 NZ$6.05

$3.50 NZ$6.09

-0.57%

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

$2.29 NZ$3.98

$2.40 NZ$4.17

-4.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 NZ$3.93

$2.07 NZ$3.60

9.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.03 NZ$12.23

$7.03 NZ$12.24

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.06 NZ$12.29

$6.45 NZ$11.23

9.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 NZ$3.07

$1.91 NZ$3.32

-7.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 NZ$3.64

$2.13 NZ$3.71

-1.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.04 NZ$3.54

$1.78 NZ$3.09

14.61%

Eggs

$6.62 NZ$11.52

$5.41 NZ$9.41

22.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.53 NZ$14.84

$8.32 NZ$14.48

2.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.79 NZ$17.03

$9.24 NZ$16.08

5.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.83 NZ$22.32

$12.37 NZ$21.53

3.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.89 NZ$5.03

$2.49 NZ$4.32

16.06%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 NZ$4.00

$1.90 NZ$3.30

21.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.34 NZ$5.82

$2.43 NZ$4.23

37.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.09 NZ$7.11

$3.42 NZ$5.95

19.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 NZ$3.43

$2.06 NZ$3.59

-4.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 NZ$2.99

$2.26 NZ$3.94

-23.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.88 NZ$3.27

$2.03 NZ$3.54

-7.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 NZ$2.25

$0.95 NZ$1.65

35.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.77 NZ$44.84

$20.42 NZ$35.53

26.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.60 NZ$18.44

$8.86 NZ$15.42

19.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.96 NZ$5.16

$2.45 NZ$4.26

20.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 NZ$6.80

$5.40 NZ$9.40

-27.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.70 NZ$4.70

$4.64 NZ$8.07

-41.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$130 NZ$226

$30.43 NZ$52.9

326.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.07 NZ$3.59

$2.40 NZ$4.17

-13.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.93 NZ$3.36

$1.77 NZ$3.08

9.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 NZ$61.4

$16.92 NZ$29.43

108.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 NZ$2.81

$1.73 NZ$3.01

-6.36%

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

$28.8K NZ$50.1K

$18.5K NZ$32.2K

55.64%

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

$22.3K NZ$38.8K

$21.2K NZ$36.9K

4.96%

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

$145 NZ$252

$89.5 NZ$156

61.60%

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

$30.04 NZ$52.3

$37.86 NZ$65.9

-20.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.55 NZ$84.5

$48.07 NZ$83.7

1.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.89 NZ$62.5

$34.85 NZ$60.7

2.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.29 NZ$28.34

$13.22 NZ$23.00

23.22%

Cinema Ticket

$15.04 NZ$26.16

$9.08 NZ$15.80

65.64%

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

$912 NZ$1,587

$1,006 NZ$1,750

-9.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.8K NZ$24.1K

$6,145 NZ$10.7K

125.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.6 NZ$125

$56.8 NZ$98.9

25.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.2 NZ$87.3

$38.29 NZ$66.6

30.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.6 NZ$168

$91.3 NZ$159

5.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 NZ$215

$93.7 NZ$163

31.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,281 NZ$2,229

$834 NZ$1,452

53.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 NZ$1,995

$702 NZ$1,222

63.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,481 NZ$4,318

$1,527 NZ$2,657

62.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,829 NZ$3,182

$1,379 NZ$2,400

32.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,172 NZ$12.5K

$2,137 NZ$3,719

235.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,024 NZ$8,741

$1,887 NZ$3,283

166.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,104 NZ$5,400

$2,504 NZ$4,357

23.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.37

6.69

-4.78%

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

Last update for Auckland: January 11, 2026

Last update for Palmerston North: January 12, 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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