Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Australia and New Zealand

Name: New Zealand
Address: NZ

For one person, living is cheaper in New Zealand: $2,043 a month against $2,542 in Australia, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Australia
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Australia Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in New Zealand
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New Zealand Living Index

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🇦🇺 Australia

$2,542

/mo nomad

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,043

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Australia and in New Zealand

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Australia and in New Zealand actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,542 per month in Australia vs $2,043 in New Zealand, rent included.

Australia $2,542
New Zealand $2,043

A couple spends around $3,717 per month in Australia vs $2,998 in New Zealand, rent included.

Australia $3,717
New Zealand $2,998

A family of three spends $4,893 per month in Australia vs $3,954 in New Zealand, rent included.

Australia $4,893
New Zealand $3,954

Cost ranges are similar: Australia spans $1,646–$3,152, New Zealand $832–$2,416. City choice affects budget similarly in either country.

The cost of living in Australia is about 24% higher than in New Zealand on average.

Both Australia and New Zealand are pricier than the global median – Australia by 88%, New Zealand by 51%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.16 A$24.69

$13.80 NZ$24.41

24.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.9 A$121

$66.8 NZ$118

25.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.20 A$16.12

$9.05 NZ$16.01

23.76%

Cappuccino

$3.92 A$5.64

$3.20 NZ$5.67

22.50%

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

$2.83 A$4.07

$2.16 NZ$3.82

31.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 A$3.31

$1.87 NZ$3.30

22.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.68 A$11.06

$6.55 NZ$11.58

17.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.87

$6.65 NZ$11.76

24.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 A$2.53

$1.74 NZ$3.08

1.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 A$3.99

$1.85 NZ$3.28

49.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 A$3.16

$1.71 NZ$3.02

28.07%

Eggs

$4.99 A$7.18

$5.90 NZ$10.43

-15.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.94 A$14.31

$8.16 NZ$14.43

21.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.03 A$12.99

$9.13 NZ$16.14

-1.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.25 A$21.94

$13.80 NZ$24.41

10.51%

Apples (1kg)

$3.67 A$5.28

$2.79 NZ$4.94

31.54%

Banana (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.39

$2.13 NZ$3.78

43.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.50

$2.91 NZ$5.14

7.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.56 A$6.56

$4.97 NZ$8.79

-8.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.81 A$4.04

$1.99 NZ$3.52

41.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 A$3.44

$1.53 NZ$2.70

56.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.35 A$3.39

$2.04 NZ$3.61

15.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 A$2.36

$1.05 NZ$1.86

56.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$38.42 A$55.3

$24.16 NZ$42.73

59.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.77 A$19.82

$9.06 NZ$16.01

51.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.69 A$6.75

$3.04 NZ$5.38

54.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.08 A$7.31

$3.25 NZ$5.75

56.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.72 A$3.91

$1.86 NZ$3.30

46.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.8 A$138

$102 NZ$181

-6.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.54 A$5.10

$2.25 NZ$3.99

57.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 A$2.23

$1.91 NZ$3.37

-18.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.00 A$57.6

$31.89 NZ$56.4

25.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 A$1.87

$1.68 NZ$2.98

-22.62%

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

$28.2K A$40.5K

$25.5K NZ$45.1K

10.36%

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

$28.5K A$40.9K

$23.8K NZ$42.1K

19.50%

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

$198 A$285

$151 NZ$267

31.08%

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

$28.75 A$41.37

$31.79 NZ$56.2

-9.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 A$84.4

$49.67 NZ$87.8

18.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.7 A$81.6

$34.87 NZ$61.7

62.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.08 A$27.46

$14.70 NZ$25.99

29.80%

Cinema Ticket

$15.02 A$21.62

$11.03 NZ$19.51

36.17%

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

$2,154 A$3,099

$871 NZ$1,541

147.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.9K A$25.8K

$16.1K NZ$28.5K

11.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.0 A$112

$68.7 NZ$121

13.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 A$78.8

$35.23 NZ$62.3

55.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 A$161

$91.2 NZ$161

22.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 A$179

$114 NZ$202

9.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,540 A$2,215

$1,074 NZ$1,900

43.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 A$1,758

$943 NZ$1,669

29.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,478 A$3,566

$1,678 NZ$2,967

47.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,930 A$2,778

$1,474 NZ$2,606

30.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,153 A$11.7K

$5,473 NZ$9,680

48.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,053 A$8,711

$3,627 NZ$6,415

66.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,944 A$5,676

$2,791 NZ$4,935

41.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.93

6.27

-5.42%

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

Last update for Australia: October 13, 2026

Last update for New Zealand: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Australia

$1.2K 48.1%

New Zealand

$943 46.2% 22.8% $278

Groceries & Markets

Australia

$370 14.6%

New Zealand

$311 15.2% 16.1% $59

Eating Out

Australia

$293 11.5%

New Zealand

$238 11.7% 18.8% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Australia

$286 11.2%

New Zealand

$233 11.4% 18.5% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Australia

$166 6.5%

New Zealand

$139 6.8% 16.3% $27

Getting Around

Australia

$118 4.6%

New Zealand

$122 6% 3.1% $3.6

Sport & Entertainment

Australia

$87 3.4%

New Zealand

$57 2.8% 34.4% $30

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,366 in Australia vs $934 in New Zealand. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,716 in Canberra and $1,226 in Wellington.

Average salary: $3,849 in Australia vs $2,874 in New Zealand. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 46% higher in Australia.

Dining out costs 26% more in Australia.

Salaries are 34% higher in Australia, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Australia.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Australia

🇳🇿 New Zealand

🕒 Local time

16:00 4:00 PM

18:00 6:00 PM

2 h ahead of Australia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,473,055

5,118,700

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.617 EUR

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.502 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.617 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.502 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Australia New Zealand 2,330 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Australia
New Zealand

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

Australia vs New Zealand: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New Zealand is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 24% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Australia: a central one-bedroom averages $1,366 versus $934 in New Zealand.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in New Zealand, adding to the overall 24% price gap.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in New Zealand, but in Australia it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

New Zealand is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.