Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Auckland and Wellington

For one person, living costs are similar in Auckland and in Wellington: $2,421 and $2,313 a month, rent and utilities included.

117

Cost of Living Index in Auckland
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Auckland Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Wellington
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Wellington Living Index

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Auckland

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,421

/mo nomad

Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,313

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Auckland and in Wellington

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,421 in Auckland versus $2,313 in Wellington.

Auckland $2,421
Wellington $2,313

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,382 in Auckland versus $3,422 in Wellington.

Auckland $3,382
Wellington $3,422

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,343 in Auckland versus $4,530 in Wellington.

Auckland $4,343
Wellington $4,530

Living in Auckland is roughly 5% more expensive than in Wellington, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Auckland 78% above, Wellington 70% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.26 NZ$25.10

$14.02 NZ$24.68

1.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.0 NZ$118

$66.5 NZ$117

0.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.12 NZ$16.06

$9.23 NZ$16.24

-1.19%

Cappuccino

$3.47 NZ$6.11

$3.41 NZ$6.00

1.76%

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

$2.04 NZ$3.59

$2.43 NZ$4.28

-16.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 NZ$3.07

$1.69 NZ$2.98

3.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.79 NZ$11.95

$7.48 NZ$13.17

-9.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.78 NZ$11.93

$6.74 NZ$11.87

0.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 NZ$3.37

$1.95 NZ$3.44

-1.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.17 NZ$3.82

$2.25 NZ$3.97

-3.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 NZ$3.23

$1.85 NZ$3.26

-1.08%

Eggs

$6.16 NZ$10.85

$7.10 NZ$12.50

-13.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.97 NZ$15.79

$9.54 NZ$16.79

-5.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.99 NZ$17.58

$9.62 NZ$16.93

3.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.72 NZ$31.19

$15.26 NZ$26.86

16.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 NZ$5.22

$3.09 NZ$5.45

-3.88%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 NZ$3.67

$2.15 NZ$3.79

-3.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.07 NZ$5.41

$3.08 NZ$5.42

-0.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.72 NZ$10.06

$6.42 NZ$11.30

-10.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.17 NZ$3.82

$2.10 NZ$3.69

3.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 NZ$2.72

$1.23 NZ$2.17

25.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.04 NZ$3.60

$2.01 NZ$3.54

1.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 NZ$1.93

$1.16 NZ$2.04

-5.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$27.07 NZ$47.64

$25.37 NZ$44.65

6.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.21 NZ$17.98

$11.48 NZ$20.21

-11.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.87 NZ$5.05

$3.12 NZ$5.49

-8.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 NZ$5.95

$2.89 NZ$5.08

16.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.93 NZ$3.40

$2.86 NZ$5.04

-32.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$123 NZ$216

$105 NZ$185

17.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.29 NZ$4.03

$1.88 NZ$3.31

21.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 NZ$3.56

$1.83 NZ$3.22

10.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.32 NZ$56.9

$34.31 NZ$60.4

-5.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.83 NZ$3.23

$1.84 NZ$3.24

-0.54%

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

$27.2K NZ$47.9K

$28.4K NZ$50.0K

-4.09%

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

$22.2K NZ$39.0K

$23.8K NZ$41.9K

-6.93%

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

$184 NZ$325

$201 NZ$353

-8.16%

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

$26.77 NZ$47.12

$33.35 NZ$58.7

-19.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.6 NZ$90.7

$53.7 NZ$94.4

-3.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.05 NZ$74.0

$35.87 NZ$63.1

17.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.31 NZ$32.22

$16.18 NZ$28.48

13.16%

Cinema Ticket

$12.18 NZ$21.43

$11.78 NZ$20.74

3.40%

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

$1,063 NZ$1,872

$1,065 NZ$1,874

-0.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.5K NZ$34.4K

$13.3K NZ$23.4K

47.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.3 NZ$141

$80.4 NZ$142

-0.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.90 NZ$70.2

$28.04 NZ$49.35

42.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.7 NZ$163

$102 NZ$179

-8.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 NZ$198

$154 NZ$271

-26.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 NZ$2,237

$1,143 NZ$2,011

11.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,213 NZ$2,134

$1,078 NZ$1,898

12.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,222 NZ$3,911

$2,057 NZ$3,620

8.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,658 NZ$2,918

$1,814 NZ$3,192

-8.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,413 NZ$13.0K

$6,594 NZ$11.6K

12.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,429 NZ$9,555

$3,655 NZ$6,432

48.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,958 NZ$5,206

$2,785 NZ$4,902

6.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.37

5.39

-0.37%

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

Last update for Auckland: October 24, 2026

Last update for Wellington: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Auckland

$1.2K 50.1%

Wellington

$1.1K 46.6% 11.1% $134

Groceries & Markets

Auckland

$344 14.2%

Wellington

$348 15.1% 1.4% $4.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Auckland

$263 10.9%

Wellington

$288 12.4% 9.5% $25

Eating Out

Auckland

$246 10.2%

Wellington

$248 10.7% 1% $2.4

Clothing & Footwear

Auckland

$147 6.1%

Wellington

$164 7.1% 11.8% $17

Getting Around

Auckland

$143 5.9%

Wellington

$127 5.5% 11% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Auckland

$66 2.7%

Wellington

$59 2.6% 10.5% $7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,271 in Auckland and $1,143 in Wellington. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Auckland pays 6% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Auckland vs $66 in Wellington. Groceries flip the comparison at $344 vs $348, with Auckland cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Auckland

🇳🇿 Wellington

🕒 Local time

16:43 4:43 PM

Same time as Auckland

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,463,000

215,900 Capital

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.568 USD

1 NZD = 0.51 EUR

1 NZD = 0.568 USD

1 NZD = 0.51 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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From you

Auckland
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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 Wellington: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Wellington wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in Auckland. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Wellington 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 $1,143 in Wellington. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,421 per month in Auckland versus $2,313 in Wellington – a 5% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Wellington runs roughly 15% less than in Auckland. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Wellington delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,313 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Wellington hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Auckland and Wellington are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

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