Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belfast and Wellington

For one person, living costs are similar in Belfast and in Wellington: $2,346 and $2,313 a month, rent and utilities included.

114

Cost of Living Index in Belfast
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Belfast Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Wellington
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Wellington Living Index

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Belfast

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,346

/mo nomad

Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,313

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,346 in Belfast versus $2,313 in Wellington.

Belfast $2,346
Wellington $2,313

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,435 in Belfast versus $3,422 in Wellington.

Belfast $3,435
Wellington $3,422

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,524 in Belfast versus $4,530 in Wellington.

Belfast $4,524
Wellington $4,530

Monthly costs are close between Belfast and Wellington; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Belfast 72% above, Wellington 70% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.29 £18.88

$14.02 NZ$24.90

80.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 £68.4

$66.5 NZ$118

37.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.80 £8.06

$9.23 NZ$16.38

17.01%

Cappuccino

$4.92 £3.67

$3.41 NZ$6.06

44.28%

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

$3.04 £2.27

$2.43 NZ$4.32

25.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 £1.54

$1.69 NZ$3.00

21.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 £6.02

$7.48 NZ$13.29

7.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.05 £6.01

$6.74 NZ$11.97

19.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 £1.36

$1.95 NZ$3.47

-6.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.31 £1.72

$2.25 NZ$4.00

2.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 £2.02

$1.85 NZ$3.29

46.49%

Eggs

$4.62 £3.45

$7.10 NZ$12.61

-34.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.69 £7.98

$9.54 NZ$16.94

12.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.04 £8.24

$9.62 NZ$17.08

14.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.80 £11.79

$15.26 NZ$27.09

3.54%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 £2.35

$3.09 NZ$5.49

1.62%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 £1.49

$2.15 NZ$3.83

-6.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.36 £2.51

$3.08 NZ$5.47

9.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 £3.00

$6.42 NZ$11.40

-37.38%

Potato (1kg)

$2.28 £1.70

$2.10 NZ$3.72

8.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 £1.18

$1.23 NZ$2.19

29.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 £1.01

$2.01 NZ$3.57

-32.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 £1.40

$1.16 NZ$2.06

62.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.61 £17.63

$25.37 NZ$45.04

-6.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.41 £9.26

$11.48 NZ$20.39

8.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.73 £2.04

$3.12 NZ$5.53

-12.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 £2.31

$2.89 NZ$5.12

7.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.16 £2.36

$2.86 NZ$5.08

10.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.0 £73.9

$105 NZ$186

-5.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.53 £3.39

$1.88 NZ$3.34

140.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 £1.13

$1.83 NZ$3.25

-17.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.68 £14.70

$34.31 NZ$60.9

-42.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 £1.57

$1.84 NZ$3.27

14.13%

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

$38.2K £28.5K

$28.4K NZ$50.4K

34.57%

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

$40.8K £30.4K

$23.8K NZ$42.3K

71.25%

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

$272 £203

$201 NZ$357

35.62%

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

$24.30 £18.14

$33.35 NZ$59.2

-27.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.23 £34.52

$53.7 NZ$95.3

-13.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.92 £32.80

$35.87 NZ$63.7

22.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.54 £7.87

$16.18 NZ$28.73

-34.86%

Cinema Ticket

$14.14 £10.56

$11.78 NZ$20.92

20.03%

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

$1,566 £1,169

$1,065 NZ$1,890

47.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K £13.3K

$13.3K NZ$23.6K

34.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.9 £61.2

$80.4 NZ$143

1.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.61 £34.80

$28.04 NZ$49.78

66.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 £80.7

$102 NZ$180

6.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 £77.4

$154 NZ$274

-32.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,229 £917

$1,143 NZ$2,029

7.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$935 £698

$1,078 NZ$1,914

-13.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,880 £1,404

$2,057 NZ$3,651

-8.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,393 £1,040

$1,814 NZ$3,220

-23.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,107 £3,066

$6,594 NZ$11.7K

-37.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,541 £1,897

$3,655 NZ$6,489

-30.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,295 £2,461

$2,785 NZ$4,945

18.33%

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: 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

Belfast

$935 39.8%

Wellington

$1.1K 46.6% 15.3% $143

Eating Out

Belfast

$371 15.8%

Wellington

$248 10.7% 33% $122

Groceries & Markets

Belfast

$349 14.9%

Wellington

$348 15.1% 0.2% $0.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belfast

$343 14.6%

Wellington

$288 12.4% 16.1% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Belfast

$153 6.5%

Wellington

$164 7.1% 7% $11

Getting Around

Belfast

$124 5.3%

Wellington

$127 5.5% 3% $3.7

Sport & Entertainment

Belfast

$72 3.1%

Wellington

$59 2.6% 17.7% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,229 in Belfast and $1,143 in Wellington. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Belfast pays 18% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $92 in Belfast vs $66 in Wellington for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $349 vs $348 per month, with Wellington cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Belfast

🇳🇿 Wellington

🕒 Local time

19:49 7:49 PM

08:49 8:49 AM

13 h ahead of Belfast

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

348,000

215,900 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

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

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Belfast Wellington 18,530 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Belfast
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

Belfast vs Wellington: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay runs 18% 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: $1,229 in Belfast versus $1,143 in Wellington. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Wellington – a meal for two runs $66 versus $92 in Belfast. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Childcare runs $1,566 in Belfast versus $1,065 in Wellington. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

Safety-wise, Belfast and Wellington are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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