Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Augusta, ME and Wellington

For one person, living is cheaper in Wellington: $2,313 a month against $2,388 in Augusta, ME, rent and utilities included – about $900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

114

Cost of Living Index in Augusta, ME
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Augusta, ME Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Wellington
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Wellington Living Index

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Augusta, ME

🇺🇸 United States

$2,388

/mo nomad

Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,313

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Augusta, ME 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 Augusta, ME and in Wellington actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,388 in Augusta, ME versus $2,313 in Wellington.

Augusta, ME $2,388
Wellington $2,313

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,317 in Augusta, ME versus $3,422 in Wellington.

Augusta, ME $3,317
Wellington $3,422

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,246 in Augusta, ME versus $4,530 in Wellington.

Augusta, ME $4,246
Wellington $4,530

Living in Augusta, ME is roughly 3% more expensive than in Wellington, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Augusta, ME 75% above, Wellington 70% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.90 $19.90

$14.02 NZ$24.93

41.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.1 $53.1

$66.5 NZ$118

-20.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.39 $10.39

$9.23 NZ$16.40

12.57%

Cappuccino

$5.40 $5.40

$3.41 NZ$6.06

58.36%

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

$2.36 $2.36

$2.43 NZ$4.32

-2.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.69 NZ$3.01

-5.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.02 $5.02

$7.48 NZ$13.30

-32.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.72 $7.72

$6.74 NZ$11.99

14.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.95 NZ$3.47

-41.54%

White Bread (500g)

$4.56 $4.56

$2.25 NZ$4.01

102.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.85 NZ$3.30

-21.62%

Eggs

$3.96 $3.96

$7.10 NZ$12.63

-44.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 $15.09

$9.54 NZ$16.96

58.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.12 $14.12

$9.62 NZ$17.10

46.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.52 $19.52

$15.26 NZ$27.13

27.92%

Apples (1kg)

$7.48 $7.48

$3.09 NZ$5.50

142.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 $1.31

$2.15 NZ$3.83

-39.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.09 $3.09

$3.08 NZ$5.48

0.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.59 $4.59

$6.42 NZ$11.42

-28.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.33 $2.33

$2.10 NZ$3.73

10.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.86 $2.86

$1.23 NZ$2.19

132.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.08 $2.08

$2.01 NZ$3.58

3.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.16 NZ$2.06

56.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.98 $11.98

$25.37 NZ$45.09

-52.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.99 $12.99

$11.48 NZ$20.41

13.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 $1.56

$3.12 NZ$5.54

-50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 $1.55

$2.89 NZ$5.13

-46.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.86 NZ$5.09

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 NZ$186

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.88 NZ$3.34

35.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.83 NZ$3.25

-30.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.55 $28.55

$34.31 NZ$61.0

-16.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.84 NZ$3.27

-51.09%

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

$29.6K $29.6K

$28.4K NZ$50.5K

4.18%

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

$24.3K $24.3K

$23.8K NZ$42.3K

1.99%

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

$243 $243

$201 NZ$357

20.99%

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

$45.59 $45.59

$33.35 NZ$59.3

36.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.0 $61.0

$53.7 NZ$95.4

13.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.60 $22.60

$35.87 NZ$63.8

-36.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.18 NZ$28.77

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$11.78 NZ$20.94

19.95%

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

$2,656 $2,656

$1,065 NZ$1,892

149.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.6K $36.6K

$13.3K NZ$23.6K

175.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.5 $73.5

$80.4 NZ$143

-8.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.9 $50.9

$28.04 NZ$49.84

81.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 $113

$102 NZ$181

11.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 $154

$154 NZ$274

0.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,200 $1,200

$1,143 NZ$2,031

4.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 $1,078

$1,078 NZ$1,917

-0.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,602 $1,602

$2,057 NZ$3,656

-22.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,473 $1,473

$1,814 NZ$3,224

-18.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,386 $2,386

$6,594 NZ$11.7K

-63.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,378 $2,378

$3,655 NZ$6,497

-34.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,948 $1,948

$2,785 NZ$4,951

-30.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.3

5.39

16.88%

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

Last update for Augusta, ME: 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

Augusta, ME

$1.1K 45.2%

Wellington

$1.1K 46.6% 0% $0.3

Groceries & Markets

Augusta, ME

$413 17.3%

Wellington

$348 15.1% 15.7% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Augusta, ME

$349 14.6%

Wellington

$288 12.4% 17.6% $62

Eating Out

Augusta, ME

$312 13%

Wellington

$248 10.7% 20.3% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Augusta, ME

$176 7.4%

Wellington

$164 7.1% 7.1% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Augusta, ME

$51 2.1%

Wellington

$59 2.6% 16.9% $8.6

Getting Around

Augusta, ME

$8.9 * 0.4%

Wellington

$127 5.5% 1333% $118

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 $1,200 in Augusta, ME and $1,143 in Wellington. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wellington pays 43% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $53 in Augusta, ME vs $66 in Wellington. Groceries flip the comparison at $413 vs $348, with Wellington cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Augusta, ME

🇳🇿 Wellington

🕒 Local time

23:05 11:05 PM

17:05 5:05 PM

18 h ahead of Augusta, ME

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

194,343

215,900 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

NZD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Augusta, ME Wellington 14,880 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Augusta, ME
Wellington

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

Augusta, ME vs Wellington: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,388 in Augusta, ME and $2,313 in Wellington, so Wellington is about 3% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 30% lower in Augusta, ME. 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: $1,200 in Augusta, ME versus $1,143 in Wellington. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,656 in Augusta, ME versus $1,065 in Wellington. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Augusta, ME – a meal for two runs $53 versus $66 in Wellington. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.