Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Castle Rock, CO and Palmerston North

For one person, living is cheaper in Castle Rock, CO: $1,253 a month against $1,562 in Palmerston North, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Palmerston North outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

61

Cost of Living Index in Castle Rock, CO
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Castle Rock, CO Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Palmerston North
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Palmerston North Living Index

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Castle Rock, CO

🇺🇸 United States

$1,253

/mo nomad

Palmerston North

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,562

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Castle Rock, CO and in Palmerston North

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,253 in Castle Rock, CO versus $1,562 in Palmerston North.

Castle Rock, CO $1,253
Palmerston North $1,562

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,980 in Castle Rock, CO versus $2,537 in Palmerston North.

Castle Rock, CO $1,980
Palmerston North $2,537

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,706 in Castle Rock, CO versus $3,511 in Palmerston North.

Castle Rock, CO $2,706
Palmerston North $3,511

Living in Castle Rock, CO costs roughly 20% less than in Palmerston North, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Castle Rock, CO is 7% below, Palmerston North is 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.63 $22.63

$13.50 NZ$23.87

67.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.0 $64.0

$63.7 NZ$113

0.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.25 $9.25

$8.80 NZ$15.56

5.11%

Cappuccino

$5.46 $5.46

$3.13 NZ$5.54

74.44%

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

$2.49 $2.49

$2.36 NZ$4.18

5.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 $1.88

$1.68 NZ$2.97

11.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.79 $6.79

$6.43 NZ$11.38

5.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.13 $6.13

$6.52 NZ$11.53

-5.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.84 NZ$3.26

-46.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.14 NZ$3.78

36.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 $2.80

$1.37 NZ$2.42

104.38%

Eggs

$4.15 $4.15

$4.85 NZ$8.58

-14.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.14 $11.14

$6.41 NZ$11.34

73.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.44 $9.44

$9.50 NZ$16.80

-0.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.20 $19.20

$10.78 NZ$19.06

78.11%

Apples (1kg)

$4.84 $4.84

$2.54 NZ$4.48

90.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.23 NZ$3.94

-34.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.74 $3.74

$2.30 NZ$4.07

62.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.25 $5.25

$5.53 NZ$9.78

-5.06%

Potato (1kg)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.41 NZ$2.49

107.09%

Onion (1kg)

$3.20 $3.20

$0.86 NZ$1.53

272.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.72 NZ$3.04

-23.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 $1.72

$0.75 NZ$1.33

129.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.17 $10.17

$22.06 NZ$39.00

-53.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.81 $11.81

$7.91 NZ$13.99

49.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.65 NZ$4.69

-2.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 $2.74

$2.78 NZ$4.91

-1.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.93 NZ$6.95

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.3 NZ$146

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.87 NZ$3.30

32.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.78 NZ$3.14

6.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.81 $24.81

$16.63 NZ$29.40

49.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.79 $0.79

$1.64 NZ$2.90

-51.83%

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

$35.9K $35.9K

$21.6K NZ$38.1K

66.24%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$23.9K NZ$42.3K

5.36%

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

$210 $210

$68.2 NZ$121

208.38%

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

$39.60 $39.60

$32.09 NZ$56.8

23.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.3 $71.3

$34.64 NZ$61.3

105.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.0 $59.0

$21.79 NZ$38.54

170.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.08 NZ$24.90

Cinema Ticket

$12.17 $12.17

$11.60 NZ$20.52

4.91%

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

$1,318 $1,318

$1,034 NZ$1,829

27.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K $17.6K

$8,550 NZ$15.1K

106.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.4 $54.4

$69.5 NZ$123

-21.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 $50.7

$27.70 NZ$48.98

83.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.5 $81.5

$83.1 NZ$147

-1.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 $117

$82.5 NZ$146

42.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$906 NZ$1,602

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$639 NZ$1,129

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,587 NZ$2,807

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,311 NZ$2,318

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,023 NZ$3,577

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,836 NZ$3,247

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,904 $5,904

$2,494 NZ$4,411

136.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.77

5.39

25.60%

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

Last update for Castle Rock, CO: October 13, 2026

Last update for Palmerston North: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Castle Rock, CO

$362 28.9%

Palmerston North

$283 18.1% 21.8% $79

Eating Out

Castle Rock, CO

$338 27%

Palmerston North

$233 14.9% 31% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Castle Rock, CO

$321 25.6%

Palmerston North

$135 8.6% 58% $186

Clothing & Footwear

Castle Rock, CO

$137 10.9%

Palmerston North

$118 7.6% 13.5% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Castle Rock, CO

$83 6.7%

Palmerston North

$45 2.9% 46% $38

Getting Around

Castle Rock, CO

$12 * 1%

Palmerston North

$109 7% 810% $97

Accommodation & Living

Castle Rock, CO

- * 0%

Palmerston North

$639 40.9%

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

Cost Breakdown

Castle Rock, CO pays 137% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $64.0 in Castle Rock, CO vs $64.0 in Palmerston North. Groceries flip the comparison at $362 vs $283, with Palmerston North cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Castle Rock, CO

🇳🇿 Palmerston North

🕒 Local time

18:45 6:45 PM

13:45 1:45 PM

19 h ahead of Castle Rock, CO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

73,158

90,500

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

NZD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Castle Rock, CO Palmerston North 11,970 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Castle Rock, CO
Palmerston North

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

Castle Rock, CO vs Palmerston North: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Castle Rock, CO and Palmerston North differ by about 25% in total monthly costs ($1,253 vs $1,562 including rent). Castle Rock, CO is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 137% higher in Castle Rock, CO, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Shoppers in Palmerston North pay roughly 28% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,253 per month in Castle Rock, CO versus $1,562 in Palmerston North – a 25% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,253 in Castle Rock, CO versus $1,562 in Palmerston North, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Castle Rock, CO but tight or insufficient in Palmerston North. The gap between the two cities makes Castle Rock, CO the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Castle Rock, CO and Palmerston North 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 Castle Rock, CO gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Palmerston North. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.