Cost of Living Comparison Between Auckland and Wellington Cost of Living Comparison Between Auckland and Wellington

🙂 Solo nomad: Auckland is 3.6% cheaper than Wellington without rent, and 2.5% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Auckland is 4.3% cheaper than Wellington without rent, and 3.3% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Auckland
Wellington
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$15.14 NZ$25.74
$17.83 NZ$30.31
-15.09%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$79.0 NZ$134
$84.2 NZ$143
-6.20%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.88 NZ$16.79
$9.46 NZ$16.09
4.44%
Cappuccino
$3.51 NZ$5.97
$3.65 NZ$6.21
-3.84%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.33 NZ$3.96
$2.57 NZ$4.38
-9.34%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.21 NZ$3.76
$2.20 NZ$3.73
0.45%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.05 NZ$11.99
$7.20 NZ$12.24
-2.08%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.18 NZ$12.20
$7.44 NZ$12.65
-3.49%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Auckland
Wellington
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.80 NZ$3.06
$1.82 NZ$3.10
-1.10%
White Bread (500g)
$2.09 NZ$3.56
$2.04 NZ$3.47
2.45%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.94 NZ$3.29
$1.97 NZ$3.35
-1.52%
Eggs
$6.99 NZ$11.88
$7.24 NZ$12.31
-3.45%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.84 NZ$15.03
$8.16 NZ$13.88
8.33%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.43 NZ$16.03
$10.90 NZ$18.54
-13.49%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.86 NZ$21.87
$13.19 NZ$22.42
-2.50%
Apples (1kg)
$2.89 NZ$4.92
$3.06 NZ$5.21
-5.56%
Banana (1kg)
$2.30 NZ$3.91
$2.36 NZ$4.01
-2.54%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.37 NZ$5.72
$2.98 NZ$5.07
13.09%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.18 NZ$7.10
$4.83 NZ$8.21
-13.46%
Potato (1kg)
$1.97 NZ$3.36
$2.02 NZ$3.44
-2.48%
Onion (1kg)
$1.63 NZ$2.77
$1.58 NZ$2.68
3.16%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.89 NZ$3.22
$2.30 NZ$3.90
-17.83%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.28 NZ$2.18
$1.29 NZ$2.20
-0.78%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$24.89 NZ$42.31
$26.71 NZ$45.41
-6.81%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.76 NZ$18.29
$10.89 NZ$18.52
-1.19%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.97 NZ$5.06
$3.51 NZ$5.97
-15.38%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.82 NZ$6.49
$3.26 NZ$5.54
17.18%
🚌 Getting Around
Auckland
Wellington
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.71 NZ$4.61
$2.67 NZ$4.54
1.50%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$127 NZ$216
$107 NZ$182
18.92%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.17 NZ$3.69
$2.77 NZ$4.70
-21.66%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.02 NZ$3.43
$1.79 NZ$3.05
12.85%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$34.77 NZ$59.1
$60.9 NZ$103
-42.88%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.71 NZ$2.90
$1.67 NZ$2.85
2.40%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.4K NZ$48.3K
$33.0K NZ$56.2K
-14.06%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.8K NZ$37.1K
$24.9K NZ$42.3K
-12.22%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Auckland
Wellington
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$145 NZ$247
$155 NZ$264
-6.39%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$30.51 NZ$51.9
$33.64 NZ$57.2
-9.30%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$49.67 NZ$84.4
$51.1 NZ$86.8
-2.72%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Auckland
Wellington
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.46 NZ$62.0
$36.54 NZ$62.1
-0.22%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.56 NZ$28.15
$20.82 NZ$35.39
-20.46%
Cinema Ticket
$14.81 NZ$25.17
$12.26 NZ$20.84
20.80%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Auckland
Wellington
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$907 NZ$1,542
$818 NZ$1,390
10.94%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$13.7K NZ$23.3K
$12.8K NZ$21.8K
6.83%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Auckland
Wellington
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$70.4 NZ$120
$70.9 NZ$121
-0.71%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$49.49 NZ$84.1
$53.2 NZ$90.5
-7.03%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$97.3 NZ$165
$120 NZ$204
-18.82%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$127 NZ$216
$145 NZ$247
-12.60%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Auckland
Wellington
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,282 NZ$2,179
$1,297 NZ$2,205
-1.19%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,134 NZ$1,928
$1,094 NZ$1,860
3.68%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,463 NZ$4,186
$2,127 NZ$3,616
15.78%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,846 NZ$3,138
$1,916 NZ$3,257
-3.66%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$8,025 NZ$13.6K
$6,806 NZ$11.6K
17.91%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,517 NZ$9,379
$4,067 NZ$6,914
35.65%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Auckland
Wellington
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,272 NZ$5,563
$3,107 NZ$5,282
5.33%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.37
6.94
-8.21%

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

Last update for Auckland: March 3, 2026

Last update for Wellington: March 2, 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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