Cost of Living Comparison Between Belfast and Wellington Cost of Living Comparison Between Belfast and Wellington

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,282 in Belfast versus $2,436 in Wellington.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,453 in Belfast versus $3,489 in Wellington.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,625 in Belfast versus $4,542 in Wellington.

Living in Belfast costs roughly 6% less than in Wellington, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Belfast 65% above, Wellington 77% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.71 £16.04

$14.34 NZ$24.66

51.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 £75.7

$67.3 NZ$116

52.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.99 £8.13

$9.72 NZ$16.72

13.07%

Cappuccino

$4.85 £3.58

$3.41 NZ$5.87

42.23%

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

$2.94 £2.18

$2.57 NZ$4.42

14.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 £1.46

$1.84 NZ$3.17

7.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.49 £6.28

$7.61 NZ$13.08

11.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.02 £5.93

$7.12 NZ$12.24

12.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 £1.41

$1.92 NZ$3.30

-1.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.32 £1.71

$2.32 NZ$3.99

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 £1.98

$1.93 NZ$3.32

38.86%

Eggs

$4.61 £3.41

$7.29 NZ$12.53

-36.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.89 £8.05

$9.78 NZ$16.82

11.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.91 £8.06

$10.05 NZ$17.27

8.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 £12.07

$15.73 NZ$27.04

3.81%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 £2.45

$3.21 NZ$5.51

3.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 £1.56

$2.31 NZ$3.98

-8.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.36 £2.49

$3.15 NZ$5.42

6.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.23 £3.13

$6.67 NZ$11.47

-36.58%

Potato (1kg)

$2.46 £1.82

$2.14 NZ$3.69

14.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 £1.19

$1.31 NZ$2.25

22.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 £1.04

$2.19 NZ$3.76

-35.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 £1.36

$1.20 NZ$2.07

53.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.86 £17.63

$26.36 NZ$45.33

-9.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.42 £9.18

$11.86 NZ$20.39

4.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 £2.06

$3.24 NZ$5.58

-13.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 £2.33

$2.92 NZ$5.01

8.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 £2.32

$3.00 NZ$5.16

4.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$101 £74.9

$108 NZ$186

-6.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.85 £3.58

$1.97 NZ$3.38

146.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 £1.13

$1.92 NZ$3.30

-19.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.41 £15.09

$34.88 NZ$60.0

-41.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 £1.56

$1.98 NZ$3.41

6.57%

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

$38.8K £28.7K

$26.0K NZ$44.7K

49.54%

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

$40.9K £30.2K

$26.7K NZ$46.0K

52.78%

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

$254 £188

$206 NZ$355

23.26%

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

$25.32 £18.71

$32.99 NZ$56.7

-23.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.20 £34.15

$56.2 NZ$96.7

-17.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.17 £35.60

$40.29 NZ$69.3

19.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.77 £7.96

$17.02 NZ$29.26

-36.72%

Cinema Ticket

$14.69 £10.86

$12.98 NZ$22.31

13.17%

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

$1,455 £1,075

$1,107 NZ$1,904

31.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K £13.3K

$13.5K NZ$23.3K

33.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.1 £61.4

$80.1 NZ$138

3.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.73 £35.27

$29.15 NZ$50.1

63.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 £80.3

$108 NZ$185

0.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 £77.1

$163 NZ$280

-35.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 £887

$1,297 NZ$2,230

-7.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$928 £686

$1,210 NZ$2,080

-23.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,955 £1,445

$2,278 NZ$3,917

-14.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 £1,040

$1,759 NZ$3,024

-20.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,247 £3,139

$7,004 NZ$12.0K

-39.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,579 £1,907

$3,701 NZ$6,364

-30.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,292 £2,433

$2,914 NZ$5,009

12.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.91

5.39

-8.91%

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

Last update for Belfast: September 6, 2026

Last update for Wellington: September 7, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,201 in Belfast and $1,297 in Wellington. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Belfast pays 13% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $102 in Belfast vs $67.0 in Wellington. Groceries flip the comparison at $355 vs $360, with Belfast cheaper for home cooking.

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

Belfast vs Wellington: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Belfast is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Getting Around, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 7% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 13% higher in Belfast, 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: $1,201 in Belfast versus $1,297 in Wellington. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,455 in Belfast versus $1,107 in Wellington. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 1% higher in Wellington. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,282 in Belfast versus $2,436 in Wellington, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Belfast but tight or insufficient in Wellington. The gap between the two cities makes Belfast the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Belfast is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Wellington, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Belfast 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.

Expats usually find Belfast gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Wellington. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.