Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and New Zealand

Name: New Zealand
Address: NZ

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $2,096 in New Zealand, rent and utilities included – about $15,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in China
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China Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in New Zealand
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New Zealand Living Index

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🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,096

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in China and in New Zealand

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $791 in China versus $2,096 in New Zealand.

China $791
New Zealand $2,096

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,251 in China versus $3,101 in New Zealand.

China $1,251
New Zealand $3,101

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,711 in China versus $4,106 in New Zealand.

China $1,711
New Zealand $4,106

Internal cost variation is higher in New Zealand: monthly costs span $841 to $2,421, compared to $465–$1,222 in China. City choice carries more weight in New Zealand.

Living in China costs about 62% less than in New Zealand on average.

China (42% below) and New Zealand (54% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.98 ¥19.78

$14.33 NZ$25.43

-79.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.09 ¥147

$68.4 NZ$121

-67.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ¥34.55

$9.17 NZ$16.28

-43.29%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ¥19.71

$3.32 NZ$5.89

-10.54%

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

$0.48 ¥3.18

$2.21 NZ$3.93

-78.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ¥2.00

$1.97 NZ$3.50

-84.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.08 ¥7.17

$6.68 NZ$11.85

-83.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 ¥15.13

$6.67 NZ$11.84

-65.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ¥11.94

$1.78 NZ$3.15

1.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 ¥11.13

$1.88 NZ$3.34

-10.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.13

$1.74 NZ$3.09

-47.13%

Eggs

$1.61 ¥10.72

$6.03 NZ$10.71

-73.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.38 ¥88.9

$8.01 NZ$14.22

67.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.25

$9.55 NZ$16.96

-64.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.35 ¥75.4

$14.49 NZ$25.72

-21.67%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 ¥12.11

$2.73 NZ$4.85

-33.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.68

$2.12 NZ$3.76

-38.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.88

$2.96 NZ$5.26

-49.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.46

$5.02 NZ$8.91

-74.70%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 ¥4.73

$1.98 NZ$3.52

-64.14%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.20

$1.52 NZ$2.70

-38.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.11

$2.06 NZ$3.65

-69.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.73

$1.11 NZ$1.96

-49.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.78 ¥25.12

$24.38 NZ$43.28

-84.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.13 ¥80.6

$8.82 NZ$15.66

37.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.53

$3.17 NZ$5.64

-73.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ¥11.19

$3.35 NZ$5.94

-49.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$2.02 NZ$3.60

-85.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.83 ¥118

$114 NZ$202

-84.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 ¥9.88

$2.33 NZ$4.14

-36.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ¥2.49

$1.94 NZ$3.44

-80.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.10 ¥47.17

$32.85 NZ$58.3

-78.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.36

$1.78 NZ$3.16

-29.21%

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

$19.4K ¥129.2K

$27.9K NZ$49.5K

-30.28%

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

$17.5K ¥116.5K

$23.3K NZ$41.4K

-24.72%

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

$54.6 ¥363

$154 NZ$274

-64.63%

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

$8.73 ¥58.0

$32.00 NZ$56.8

-72.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.07 ¥73.5

$50.2 NZ$89.1

-77.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.77 ¥271

$33.74 NZ$59.9

20.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.48 ¥96.2

$14.70 NZ$26.10

-1.50%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ¥45.05

$11.18 NZ$19.86

-39.36%

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

$517 ¥3,433

$870 NZ$1,544

-40.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K ¥131.6K

$16.4K NZ$29.1K

21.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.53 ¥309

$68.9 NZ$122

-32.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.66 ¥237

$36.42 NZ$64.7

-2.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ¥512

$93.4 NZ$166

-17.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.3 ¥533

$117 NZ$207

-31.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 ¥2,564

$1,117 NZ$1,982

-65.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$235 ¥1,558

$965 NZ$1,714

-75.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$822 ¥5,461

$1,762 NZ$3,128

-53.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$453 ¥3,011

$1,554 NZ$2,759

-70.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,697 ¥31.2K

$5,530 NZ$9,818

-15.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,372 ¥15.8K

$3,778 NZ$6,708

-37.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,093 ¥7,264

$2,758 NZ$4,897

-60.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

6.27

-44.82%

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

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Last update for New Zealand: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

China

$235 29.6%

New Zealand

$965 46.1% 312% $731

Groceries & Markets

China

$210 26.5%

New Zealand

$317 15.1% 50.9% $107

Clothing & Footwear

China

$108 13.6%

New Zealand

$142 6.8% 31.7% $34

Eating Out

China

$88 11.1%

New Zealand

$245 11.7% 179% $157

Monthly Utilities & Internet

China

$74 9.4%

New Zealand

$236 11.3% 218% $162

Sport & Entertainment

China

$54 6.9%

New Zealand

$56 2.7% 3.3% $1.8

Getting Around

China

$22 2.8%

New Zealand

$134 6.4% 500% $112

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $298 in China, $999 in New Zealand. Capital cities: $933 in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,143 in Wellington.

National salary averages: $873 in China, $2,922 in New Zealand. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 235% higher in New Zealand.

Dining out costs 205% more in New Zealand.

Public transport is 472% more expensive in New Zealand.

Salaries are about 3.3 times higher in New Zealand, and purchasing power comes out stronger in New Zealand.

Good to know

🇨🇳 China

🇳🇿 New Zealand

🕒 Local time

09:19 9:19 AM

14:19 2:19 PM

5 h ahead of China

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,442,965,000

5,118,700

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 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 CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

China New Zealand 10,780 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

China
New Zealand

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

China vs New Zealand: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $791 per month in China and $2,096 in New Zealand, China comes out about 62% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in China: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $999 in New Zealand and $298 in China. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In China, $2,000 covers most cities easily; in New Zealand it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you’ll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you’re after: China wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.