Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Canterbury, New Zealand and Wellington

For one person, living is cheaper in Canterbury: $915 a month against $2,313 in Wellington, rent and utilities included – about $16,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Canterbury
Learn more

Canterbury Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Wellington
Learn more

Wellington Living Index

Jump to prices

Canterbury

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$915

/mo nomad

Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,313

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $915 per month in Canterbury vs $2,313 in Wellington, rent included.

Canterbury $915
Wellington $2,313

A couple spends around $1,521 per month in Canterbury vs $3,422 in Wellington, rent included.

Canterbury $1,521
Wellington $3,422

A family of three spends $2,127 per month in Canterbury vs $4,530 in Wellington, rent included.

Canterbury $2,127
Wellington $4,530

Canterbury is about 60% cheaper than Wellington, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Canterbury sits 33% below the global median, while Wellington is 70% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.95 NZ$24.76

$14.02 NZ$24.90

-0.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.7 NZ$113

$66.5 NZ$118

-4.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.52 NZ$20.45

$9.23 NZ$16.38

24.81%

Cappuccino

$3.06 NZ$5.44

$3.41 NZ$6.06

-10.26%

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

$2.07 NZ$3.67

$2.43 NZ$4.32

-14.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 NZ$3.75

$1.69 NZ$3.00

24.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.94 NZ$7.00

$7.48 NZ$13.29

-47.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.09 NZ$10.82

$6.74 NZ$11.97

-9.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 NZ$3.93

$1.95 NZ$3.47

13.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 NZ$3.42

$2.25 NZ$4.00

-14.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 NZ$3.01

$1.85 NZ$3.29

-8.65%

Eggs

$5.53 NZ$9.82

$7.10 NZ$12.61

-22.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.34 NZ$14.81

$9.54 NZ$16.94

-12.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.17 NZ$16.28

$9.62 NZ$17.08

-4.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.50 NZ$29.30

$15.26 NZ$27.09

8.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.91 NZ$5.16

$3.09 NZ$5.49

-5.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 NZ$3.93

$2.15 NZ$3.83

2.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 NZ$5.85

$3.08 NZ$5.47

7.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.19 NZ$9.21

$6.42 NZ$11.40

-19.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 NZ$3.29

$2.10 NZ$3.72

-11.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 NZ$3.32

$1.23 NZ$2.19

52.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.33 NZ$4.14

$2.01 NZ$3.57

15.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 NZ$1.06

$1.16 NZ$2.06

-49.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.06 NZ$37.39

$25.37 NZ$45.04

-16.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.26 NZ$16.44

$11.48 NZ$20.39

-19.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.21 NZ$5.71

$3.12 NZ$5.53

2.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.20 NZ$2.13

$2.89 NZ$5.12

-58.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.86 NZ$5.08

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 NZ$186

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.73 NZ$10.17

$1.88 NZ$3.34

204.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 NZ$3.25

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.19 NZ$50.1

$34.31 NZ$60.9

-17.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 NZ$2.84

$1.84 NZ$3.27

-13.04%

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

$28.5K NZ$50.6K

$28.4K NZ$50.4K

0.38%

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

$23.3K NZ$41.3K

$23.8K NZ$42.3K

-2.23%

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

$113 NZ$201

$201 NZ$357

-43.69%

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

$29.09 NZ$51.6

$33.35 NZ$59.2

-12.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.7 NZ$91.8

$53.7 NZ$95.3

-3.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.87 NZ$63.7

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.18 NZ$28.73

Cinema Ticket

$11.46 NZ$20.34

$11.78 NZ$20.92

-2.72%

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

$590 NZ$1,048

$1,065 NZ$1,890

-44.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K NZ$23.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.9 NZ$106

$80.4 NZ$143

-25.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.35 NZ$39.69

$28.04 NZ$49.78

-20.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.2 NZ$162

$102 NZ$180

-10.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 NZ$247

$154 NZ$274

-9.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$898 NZ$1,595

$1,143 NZ$2,029

-21.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 NZ$1,914

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,057 NZ$3,651

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,814 NZ$3,220

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,594 NZ$11.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,655 NZ$6,489

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,733 NZ$4,853

$2,785 NZ$4,945

-1.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

-25.79%

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

Last update for Canterbury: October 26, 2026

Last update for Wellington: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Canterbury

$320 35%

Wellington

$348 15.1% 8.7% $28

Eating Out

Canterbury

$232 25.3%

Wellington

$248 10.7% 7.2% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Canterbury

$194 21.2%

Wellington

$288 12.4% 48.5% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Canterbury

$141 15.4%

Wellington

$164 7.1% 16.5% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Canterbury

$23 * 2.5%

Wellington

$59 2.6% 159% $37

Getting Around

Canterbury

$5.7 * 0.6%

Wellington

$127 5.5% 2123% $122

Accommodation & Living

Canterbury

- * 0%

Wellington

$1.1K 46.6%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $898 in Canterbury versus $1,143 in Wellington. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $64 in Canterbury versus $66 in Wellington. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $348 – making Canterbury the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Canterbury

🇳🇿 Wellington

🕒 Local time

10:58 10:58 AM

Same time as Canterbury

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

215,900 Capital

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Canterbury Wellington 390 km

From you

Canterbury
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

Canterbury vs Wellington: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $915 in Canterbury, $2,313 in Wellington – Canterbury comes out roughly 60% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,373 per month in Canterbury and $3,470 in Wellington. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Canterbury, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $898 there versus $1,143 in Wellington.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $64 in Canterbury and $66 in Wellington. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 9% more in Wellington, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Canterbury, where all-in costs run around $915, than in Wellington at $2,313. In Canterbury it covers expenses comfortably, while in Wellington it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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