Cost of Living Comparison Between Christchurch and Auckland Cost of Living Comparison Between Christchurch and Auckland

🙂 Solo nomad: Christchurch is 5.6% cheaper than Auckland without rent, and 4.6% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Christchurch is 5.2% cheaper than Auckland without rent, and 12.3% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Christchurch
Auckland
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.56 NZ$27.32
$15.02 NZ$24.78
10.25%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$71.4 NZ$118
$79.7 NZ$132
-10.42%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.41 NZ$15.53
$9.76 NZ$16.1
-3.59%
Cappuccino
$3.34 NZ$5.52
$3.54 NZ$5.83
-5.65%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.3 NZ$3.8
$2.27 NZ$3.75
1.32%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.03 NZ$3.34
$2.18 NZ$3.59
-6.88%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.31 NZ$12.06
$7.16 NZ$11.8
2.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.2 NZ$11.87
$7.34 NZ$12.1
-1.91%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Christchurch
Auckland
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.91 NZ$3.16
$1.74 NZ$2.87
9.77%
White Bread (500g)
$1.94 NZ$3.2
$2.1 NZ$3.46
-7.62%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.73 NZ$2.85
$2.02 NZ$3.33
-14.36%
Eggs
$6.26 NZ$10.33
$6.69 NZ$11.03
-6.43%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.18 NZ$13.48
$8.61 NZ$14.2
-4.99%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.65 NZ$15.91
$9.66 NZ$15.94
-0.10%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.83 NZ$21.17
$12.97 NZ$21.39
-1.08%
Apples (1kg)
$3.06 NZ$5.04
$2.83 NZ$4.67
8.13%
Banana (1kg)
$2.71 NZ$4.46
$2.27 NZ$3.74
19.38%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.95 NZ$4.87
$3.21 NZ$5.3
-8.10%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.52 NZ$9.11
$4.03 NZ$6.64
36.97%
Potato (1kg)
$2.15 NZ$3.54
$2 NZ$3.31
7.50%
Onion (1kg)
$2.21 NZ$3.64
$1.63 NZ$2.69
35.58%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.98 NZ$4.91
$1.94 NZ$3.2
53.61%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.45 NZ$2.4
$1.29 NZ$2.12
12.40%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.66 NZ$39.02
$25.57 NZ$42.17
-7.47%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.93 NZ$14.72
$11.73 NZ$19.34
-23.87%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.82 NZ$6.29
$2.92 NZ$4.82
30.82%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.85 NZ$8
$3.91 NZ$6.45
24.04%
🚌 Getting Around
Christchurch
Auckland
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.24 NZ$2.05
$2.73 NZ$4.5
-54.58%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$41.94 NZ$69.2
$129 NZ$213
-67.45%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.63 NZ$4.34
$2.08 NZ$3.43
26.44%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.64 NZ$2.7
$1.92 NZ$3.16
-14.58%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$30.26 NZ$49.91
$34.83 NZ$57.5
-13.12%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.71 NZ$2.81
$1.65 NZ$2.71
3.64%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27K NZ$44.5K
$28.5K NZ$47K
-5.48%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20K NZ$33K
$21.9K NZ$36K
-8.51%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Christchurch
Auckland
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$116 NZ$191
$146 NZ$241
-21.04%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$32.15 NZ$53
$30.75 NZ$50.7
4.55%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$52.6 NZ$86.8
$49.23 NZ$81.2
6.91%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Christchurch
Auckland
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.61 NZ$57.1
$35.1 NZ$57.9
-1.40%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.47 NZ$25.51
$16.78 NZ$27.67
-7.81%
Cinema Ticket
$10.81 NZ$17.83
$15.31 NZ$25.24
-29.39%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Christchurch
Auckland
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$653 NZ$1,077
$917 NZ$1,512
-28.82%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,249 NZ$15.3K
$13.6K NZ$22.4K
-31.90%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Christchurch
Auckland
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$64 NZ$105
$70.2 NZ$116
-8.89%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.12 NZ$71.1
$49.41 NZ$81.5
-12.73%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$90.8 NZ$150
$96.8 NZ$160
-6.22%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$150 NZ$247
$125 NZ$207
19.60%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Christchurch
Auckland
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,536 NZ$2,534
$1,274 NZ$2,101
20.61%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,158 NZ$1,911
$1,152 NZ$1,900
0.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,059 NZ$3,395
$2,492 NZ$4,110
-17.40%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,488 NZ$2,453
$1,853 NZ$3,056
-19.71%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,194 NZ$6,918
$7,281 NZ$12K
-42.40%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,361 NZ$5,543
$5,886 NZ$9,708
-42.90%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Christchurch
Auckland
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,736 NZ$4,512
$3,219 NZ$5,309
-15.00%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.74
6.37
5.81%

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

Last update for Christchurch: October 27, 2025

Last update for Auckland: October 27, 2025

Similar cities

Join the CityCost newsletter – low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.