Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Best and Christchurch

For one person, living is cheaper in Christchurch: $2,041 a month against $2,198 in Best, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Best outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

106

Cost of Living Index in Best
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Best Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Christchurch
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Christchurch Living Index

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Best

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,198

/mo nomad

Christchurch

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,041

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Best and in Christchurch

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

A single person spends $2,198 per month in Best vs $2,041 in Christchurch, rent included.

Best $2,198
Christchurch $2,041

A couple spends around $3,057 per month in Best vs $2,953 in Christchurch, rent included.

Best $3,057
Christchurch $2,953

A family of three spends $3,915 per month in Best vs $3,866 in Christchurch, rent included.

Best $3,915
Christchurch $3,866

Best costs about 8% more than Christchurch, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Best and Christchurch sit above the global median – Best by 62%, Christchurch by 50%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.20 €19.92

$14.17 NZ$25.24

56.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.9 €77.1

$68.6 NZ$122

25.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.39 €11.12

$8.94 NZ$15.92

38.59%

Cappuccino

$3.50 €3.14

$3.24 NZ$5.77

8.02%

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

$3.22 €2.89

$2.26 NZ$4.02

42.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.31

$1.84 NZ$3.28

39.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.68 €5.10

$6.77 NZ$12.06

-16.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.82 €4.33

$6.63 NZ$11.80

-27.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.68 NZ$2.99

-33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.92 €1.72

$1.89 NZ$3.36

1.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 €1.92

$1.48 NZ$2.64

44.59%

Eggs

$3.18 €2.85

$5.86 NZ$10.44

-45.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.09 €9.95

$7.53 NZ$13.42

47.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.14 €10.00

$9.28 NZ$16.53

20.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.90 €13.37

$13.78 NZ$24.55

8.13%

Apples (1kg)

$1.96 €1.76

$2.62 NZ$4.66

-25.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 €1.42

$2.36 NZ$4.20

-33.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.72 €1.54

$2.65 NZ$4.72

-35.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.12 €4.60

$3.91 NZ$6.96

30.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.15 €1.03

$1.50 NZ$2.67

-23.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 €1.05

$1.44 NZ$2.56

-18.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.05 €0.94

$2.28 NZ$4.06

-53.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 €0.70

$1.28 NZ$2.29

-39.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.25 €10.10

$24.00 NZ$42.74

-53.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.74 €5.15

$8.74 NZ$15.57

-34.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 €1.28

$3.51 NZ$6.25

-59.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.36

$4.49 NZ$8.00

-41.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.49 €2.23

$1.72 NZ$3.06

44.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.7 €65.2

$102 NZ$181

-28.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 €3.47

$2.51 NZ$4.48

53.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.84 €2.55

$1.75 NZ$3.12

62.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.53 €26.49

$28.85 NZ$51.4

2.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.41 €2.16

$1.86 NZ$3.31

29.57%

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

$26.5K €23.8K

$28.6K NZ$50.9K

-7.37%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$23.1K NZ$41.2K

67.38%

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

$184 €165

$161 NZ$287

13.84%

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

$14.85 €13.33

$23.03 NZ$41.01

-35.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.38 €34.44

$46.74 NZ$83.2

-17.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.88 €36.68

$23.98 NZ$42.71

70.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.29 €22.70

$9.43 NZ$16.79

168.19%

Cinema Ticket

$13.55 €12.16

$11.67 NZ$20.79

16.11%

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

$1,260 €1,131

$678 NZ$1,207

85.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,129 €4,602

$22.4K NZ$39.9K

-77.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.1 €45.87

$59.9 NZ$107

-14.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.16 €29.75

$40.61 NZ$72.3

-18.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.5 €65.0

$99.2 NZ$177

-27.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.8 €51.8

$124 NZ$220

-53.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,534 €1,376

$1,211 NZ$2,157

26.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 €985

$945 NZ$1,684

16.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,785

$1,544 NZ$2,750

28.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,347 €1,209

$1,401 NZ$2,495

-3.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,622 €5,045

$5,164 NZ$9,196

8.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,407 €3,954

$2,735 NZ$4,872

61.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,005 €3,593

$2,664 NZ$4,744

50.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.54

5.91

-40.10%

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

Last update for Best: October 27, 2026

Last update for Christchurch: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Best

$1.1K 50%

Christchurch

$945 46.3% 13.9% $153

Eating Out

Best

$318 14.5%

Christchurch

$243 11.9% 23.7% $75

Groceries & Markets

Best

$280 12.8%

Christchurch

$309 15.1% 10.1% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Best

$237 10.8%

Christchurch

$231 11.3% 2.4% $5.8

Getting Around

Best

$101 4.6%

Christchurch

$120 5.9% 19.2% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Best

$97 4.4%

Christchurch

$146 7.1% 50.8% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Best

$68 3.1%

Christchurch

$47 2.3% 30.4% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,534 in Best versus $1,211 in Christchurch. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 50% higher in Best. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $86 in Best versus $69 in Christchurch. Groceries tell a different story – $280 in Best vs $309 in Christchurch – so Best wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Best

🇳🇿 Christchurch

🕒 Local time

19:09 7:09 PM

07:09 7:09 AM

12 h ahead of Best

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,988

380,600

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 NZD = 0.562 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.897 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.562 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Best Christchurch 18,710 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Best
Christchurch

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

Best vs Christchurch: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Best is pricier by about 8%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,298 per month in Best and $3,061 in Christchurch. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Christchurch, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,211 there versus $1,534 in Best.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,198 in Best and $2,041 in Christchurch. That makes Christchurch about 7% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 29% less in Best. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,198 in Best and $2,041 in Christchurch. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Christchurch – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Christchurch. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Best makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.