Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Carlow and Wellington

For one person, living is cheaper in Wellington: $2,376 a month against $2,548 in Carlow, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Carlow
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Carlow Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Wellington
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Wellington Living Index

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Carlow

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,548

/mo nomad

Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,376

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,548 per month in Carlow vs $2,376 in Wellington, rent included.

Carlow $2,548
Wellington $2,376

A couple spends around $3,814 per month in Carlow vs $3,407 in Wellington, rent included.

Carlow $3,814
Wellington $3,407

A family of three spends $5,081 per month in Carlow vs $4,439 in Wellington, rent included.

Carlow $5,081
Wellington $4,439

Carlow costs about 7% more than Wellington, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Carlow and Wellington sit above the global median – Carlow by 88%, Wellington by 75%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.01 €18.69

$14.01 NZ$24.78

49.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.7 €80.7

$65.8 NZ$116

37.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.10 €11.65

$9.37 NZ$16.56

39.81%

Cappuccino

$4.25 €3.78

$3.40 NZ$6.02

25.00%

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

$2.67 €2.37

$2.46 NZ$4.35

8.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 €1.97

$1.75 NZ$3.09

26.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.41 €6.59

$7.27 NZ$12.85

1.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.54 €5.82

$6.71 NZ$11.87

-2.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 €1.46

$1.94 NZ$3.43

-15.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.99 €1.77

$2.15 NZ$3.81

-7.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.91 €1.69

$1.83 NZ$3.25

4.37%

Eggs

$4.35 €3.87

$6.88 NZ$12.16

-36.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.47 €11.98

$9.19 NZ$16.26

46.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.81 €11.39

$9.99 NZ$17.67

28.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.43 €12.84

$14.97 NZ$26.48

-3.61%

Apples (1kg)

$3.19 €2.84

$3.03 NZ$5.36

5.28%

Banana (1kg)

$3.00 €2.67

$2.24 NZ$3.96

33.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.33 €2.96

$3.09 NZ$5.47

7.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.29 €2.92

$6.55 NZ$11.59

-49.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.37 €2.11

$2.16 NZ$3.83

9.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.76 €1.57

$1.28 NZ$2.27

37.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.10 NZ$3.71

-31.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.20 NZ$2.12

10.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.84 €16.76

$25.79 NZ$45.60

-26.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.53 €12.04

$11.27 NZ$19.94

20.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.27 €3.80

$3.12 NZ$5.51

36.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 €3.05

$2.82 NZ$4.98

21.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 €1.11

$2.76 NZ$4.89

-54.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$104 NZ$184

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 €4.55

$1.88 NZ$3.33

171.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.78 NZ$3.14

-13.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.43 €28.85

$33.72 NZ$59.6

-3.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.85 NZ$3.27

12.97%

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

$38.6K €34.4K

$28.7K NZ$50.8K

34.56%

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

$38.1K €33.9K

$23.8K NZ$42.1K

60.18%

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

$243 €216

$194 NZ$344

25.06%

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

$22.26 €19.80

$33.42 NZ$59.1

-33.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.4 €50.2

$53.5 NZ$94.7

5.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$78.8 €70.1

$38.12 NZ$67.4

106.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$56.1 €49.93

$16.15 NZ$28.56

247.55%

Cinema Ticket

$13.59 €12.09

$11.97 NZ$21.17

13.53%

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

$1,052 €936

$1,056 NZ$1,868

-0.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,449 €4,847

$12.9K NZ$22.9K

-57.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.3 €84.8

$79.2 NZ$140

20.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.63 €37.92

$28.87 NZ$51.1

47.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €89.8

$103 NZ$182

-1.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 €90.3

$156 NZ$275

-34.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,441 €1,282

$1,217 NZ$2,152

18.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,261 €1,121

$1,147 NZ$2,028

9.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,596 €2,310

$2,154 NZ$3,809

20.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,152 €1,914

$1,731 NZ$3,061

24.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,664 €5,038

$6,780 NZ$12.0K

-16.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,675 €5,937

$3,655 NZ$6,464

82.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,351 €2,091

$2,812 NZ$4,972

-16.38%

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 Carlow: October 18, 2026

Last update for Wellington: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Carlow

$1.3K 49.5%

Wellington

$1.1K 48.3% 9% $114

Groceries & Markets

Carlow

$361 14.2%

Wellington

$348 14.6% 3.6% $13

Eating Out

Carlow

$328 12.9%

Wellington

$248 10.4% 24.5% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Carlow

$322 12.6%

Wellington

$281 11.8% 12.6% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Carlow

$153 6%

Wellington

$165 6.9% 7.7% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Carlow

$106 4.2%

Wellington

$62 2.6% 41.5% $44

Getting Around

Carlow

$18 * 0.7%

Wellington

$126 5.3% 607% $108

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,441 in Carlow versus $1,217 in Wellington. 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 20% higher in Wellington, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91.0 in Carlow versus $66.0 in Wellington. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $361 vs $348 – making Wellington the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Carlow

🇳🇿 Wellington

🕒 Local time

10:44 10:44 AM

22:44 10:44 PM

12 h ahead of Carlow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,351

215,900 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 NZD = 0.565 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 24, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Carlow Wellington 18,720 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Carlow
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

Carlow vs Wellington: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Carlow is pricier by about 7%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,822 per month in Carlow and $3,564 in Wellington. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Wellington, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,548 in Carlow and $2,376 in Wellington. That's a gap of about 7%.

Kindergarten costs $1,052 per month in Carlow and $1,056 in Wellington. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Wellington, where all-in costs run around $2,376, than in Carlow at $2,548. In Wellington it covers expenses comfortably, while in Carlow it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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