Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Christchurch and Best

For one person, living is cheaper in Christchurch: $2,041 a month against $2,198 in Best, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Best outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

99

Cost of Living Index in Christchurch
Learn more

Christchurch Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Best
Learn more

Best Living Index

Jump to prices

Christchurch

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,041

/mo nomad

Best

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,198

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Christchurch and in Best

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

A single person spends $2,041 per month in Christchurch vs $2,198 in Best, rent included.

Christchurch $2,041
Best $2,198

A couple spends around $2,953 per month in Christchurch vs $3,057 in Best, rent included.

Christchurch $2,953
Best $3,057

A family of three spends $3,866 per month in Christchurch vs $3,915 in Best, rent included.

Christchurch $3,866
Best $3,915

Christchurch is about 7% cheaper than Best, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Christchurch and Best sit above the global median – Christchurch by 50%, Best by 62%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.17 NZ$25.21

$22.20 €19.81

-36.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.6 NZ$122

$85.9 €76.6

-20.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.94 NZ$15.90

$12.39 €11.05

-27.85%

Cappuccino

$3.24 NZ$5.76

$3.50 €3.13

-7.43%

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

$2.26 NZ$4.02

$3.22 €2.87

-29.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 NZ$3.27

$2.57 €2.30

-28.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.77 NZ$12.04

$5.68 €5.07

19.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.63 NZ$11.79

$4.82 €4.30

37.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 NZ$2.98

$1.12 €1.00

50.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 NZ$3.36

$1.92 €1.71

-1.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 NZ$2.64

$2.14 €1.91

-30.84%

Eggs

$5.86 NZ$10.43

$3.18 €2.83

84.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.53 NZ$13.40

$11.09 €9.89

-32.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 NZ$16.51

$11.14 €9.94

-16.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.78 NZ$24.52

$14.90 €13.30

-7.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.62 NZ$4.66

$1.96 €1.75

33.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.36 NZ$4.19

$1.58 €1.41

49.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 NZ$4.72

$1.72 €1.54

54.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.91 NZ$6.95

$5.12 €4.57

-23.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 NZ$2.66

$1.15 €1.02

30.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.44 NZ$2.55

$1.17 €1.05

23.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 NZ$4.06

$1.05 €0.94

117.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 NZ$2.28

$0.78 €0.70

64.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.00 NZ$42.69

$11.25 €10.04

113.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.74 NZ$15.55

$5.74 €5.12

52.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.51 NZ$6.24

$1.43 €1.27

145.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.49 NZ$7.99

$2.63 €2.35

70.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.72 NZ$3.06

$2.49 €2.22

-30.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 NZ$181

$72.7 €64.8

40.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.51 NZ$4.47

$3.86 €3.45

-34.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.75 NZ$3.11

$2.84 €2.53

-38.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.85 NZ$51.3

$29.53 €26.34

-2.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 NZ$3.31

$2.41 €2.15

-22.82%

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

$28.6K NZ$50.8K

$26.5K €23.6K

7.96%

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

$23.1K NZ$41.2K

$38.7K €34.6K

-40.26%

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

$161 NZ$287

$184 €164

-12.15%

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

$23.03 NZ$40.97

$14.85 €13.25

55.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.74 NZ$83.2

$38.38 €34.24

21.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.98 NZ$42.66

$40.88 €36.47

-41.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.43 NZ$16.77

$25.29 €22.57

-62.71%

Cinema Ticket

$11.67 NZ$20.77

$13.55 €12.09

-13.87%

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

$678 NZ$1,206

$1,260 €1,125

-46.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.4K NZ$39.9K

$5,129 €4,576

336.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.9 NZ$107

$51.1 €45.61

17.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.61 NZ$72.2

$33.16 €29.58

22.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.2 NZ$177

$72.5 €64.6

36.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 NZ$220

$57.8 €51.5

114.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,211 NZ$2,155

$1,534 €1,369

-21.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$945 NZ$1,682

$1,098 €980

-13.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,544 NZ$2,746

$1,990 €1,775

-22.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,401 NZ$2,492

$1,347 €1,202

4.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,164 NZ$9,185

$5,622 €5,016

-8.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,735 NZ$4,866

$4,407 €3,932

-37.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,664 NZ$4,738

$4,005 €3,573

-33.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.91

3.54

66.95%

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

Last update for Christchurch: October 24, 2026

Last update for Best: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Christchurch

$945 46.3%

Best

$1.1K 50% 16.2% $153

Groceries & Markets

Christchurch

$309 15.1%

Best

$280 12.8% 9.2% $28

Eating Out

Christchurch

$243 11.9%

Best

$318 14.5% 31.1% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Christchurch

$231 11.3%

Best

$237 10.8% 2.5% $5.8

Clothing & Footwear

Christchurch

$146 7.1%

Best

$97 4.4% 33.7% $49

Getting Around

Christchurch

$120 5.9%

Best

$101 4.6% 16.1% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Christchurch

$47 2.3%

Best

$68 3.1% 43.6% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,211 in Christchurch versus $1,534 in Best. 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 50% higher in Best. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69 in Christchurch versus $86 in Best. Groceries tell a different story – $309 in Christchurch vs $280 in Best – so Best wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Christchurch

🇳🇱 Best

🕒 Local time

13:48 1:48 PM

01:48 1:48 AM

12 h behind Christchurch

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

380,600

29,988

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.562 USD

1 NZD = 0.502 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.562 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.502 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Christchurch Best 18,710 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Christchurch
Best

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

Christchurch vs Best: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Best is pricier by about 8%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,061 per month in Christchurch and $3,298 in Best. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Christchurch, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,211 there versus $1,534 in Best.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,041 in Christchurch and $2,198 in Best. That makes Christchurch about 7% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 29% less in Best. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,041 in Christchurch and $2,198 in Best. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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