Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Christchurch and Brescia

For one person, living is cheaper in Christchurch: $2,040 a month against $2,192 in Brescia, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. The total is higher in Brescia despite lower rent and utilities.

99

Cost of Living Index in Christchurch
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Christchurch Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Brescia
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Brescia Living Index

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Christchurch

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,040

/mo nomad

Brescia

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,192

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Christchurch and in Brescia

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 Brescia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,040 in Christchurch versus $2,192 in Brescia.

Christchurch $2,040
Brescia $2,192

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,951 in Christchurch versus $3,367 in Brescia.

Christchurch $2,951
Brescia $3,367

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,862 in Christchurch versus $4,543 in Brescia.

Christchurch $3,862
Brescia $4,543

Living in Christchurch costs roughly 7% less than in Brescia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Christchurch 51% above, Brescia 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.12 NZ$24.98

$22.66 €20.16

-37.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.3 NZ$117

$85.1 €75.7

-22.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.02 NZ$15.95

$14.27 €12.69

-36.79%

Cappuccino

$3.18 NZ$5.63

$2.50 €2.23

27.20%

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

$2.25 NZ$3.98

$3.42 €3.04

-34.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 NZ$3.11

$1.68 €1.49

4.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.79 NZ$12.01

$6.83 €6.08

-0.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.54 NZ$11.56

$6.55 €5.82

-0.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 NZ$3.06

$2.01 €1.79

-13.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 NZ$3.32

$3.33 €2.96

-43.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 NZ$2.56

$3.25 €2.89

-55.38%

Eggs

$5.72 NZ$10.12

$4.40 €3.92

30.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.23 NZ$12.79

$23.61 €21.00

-69.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.21 NZ$16.30

$12.60 €11.21

-26.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.46 NZ$23.80

$23.14 €20.58

-41.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.47 NZ$4.37

$2.75 €2.45

-10.18%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 NZ$4.07

$2.27 €2.02

1.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 NZ$4.62

$2.56 €2.28

1.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.93 NZ$6.94

$3.84 €3.42

2.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 NZ$2.63

$2.17 €1.93

-31.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.45 NZ$2.56

$2.03 €1.81

-28.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.24 NZ$3.95

$1.63 €1.45

37.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 NZ$2.37

$0.58 €0.52

131.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.49 NZ$41.54

$6.98 €6.21

236.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.60 NZ$15.21

$8.72 €7.76

-1.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.40 NZ$6.01

$2.53 €2.25

34.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.27 NZ$7.55

$2.37 €2.11

80.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.65 NZ$2.92

$1.88 €1.67

-12.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.7 NZ$176

$44.07 €39.20

126.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.45 NZ$4.34

$9.72 €8.65

-74.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 NZ$3.04

$1.62 €1.44

6.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.46 NZ$48.57

$31.74 €28.24

-13.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 NZ$3.28

$2.11 €1.88

-11.85%

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

$25.3K NZ$44.8K

$36.4K €32.4K

-30.37%

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

$24.5K NZ$43.3K

$37.1K €33.0K

-33.92%

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

$156 NZ$275

$330 €293

-52.78%

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

$22.14 NZ$39.16

$14.22 €12.65

55.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.68 NZ$80.8

$30.20 €26.87

51.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.49 NZ$41.54

$41.20 €36.65

-42.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.03 NZ$15.97

$26.60 €23.66

-66.05%

Cinema Ticket

$11.28 NZ$19.96

$15.81 €14.06

-28.65%

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

$665 NZ$1,175

$910 €810

-26.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.3K NZ$37.7K

$16.5K €14.7K

28.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.6 NZ$105

$119 €106

-49.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.28 NZ$69.5

$45.80 €40.74

-14.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.4 NZ$172

$114 €101

-14.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 NZ$215

$161 €144

-24.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,202 NZ$2,127

$912 €811

31.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$965 NZ$1,706

$753 €670

28.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,528 NZ$2,703

$1,856 €1,651

-17.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,444 NZ$2,554

$1,375 €1,223

5.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,009 NZ$8,858

$3,360 €2,988

49.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,755 NZ$4,873

$2,213 €1,968

24.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,639 NZ$4,667

$1,928 €1,715

36.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.91

3.47

70.32%

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

Last update for Christchurch: October 11, 2026

Last update for Brescia: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Christchurch

$965 47.3%

Brescia

$753 34.4% 21.9% $212

Groceries & Markets

Christchurch

$304 14.9%

Brescia

$403 18.4% 32.4% $99

Eating Out

Christchurch

$241 11.8%

Brescia

$322 14.7% 33.4% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Christchurch

$224 11%

Brescia

$374 17.1% 67.4% $151

Clothing & Footwear

Christchurch

$143 7%

Brescia

$198 9% 38.3% $55

Getting Around

Christchurch

$117 5.8%

Brescia

$69 3.2% 40.9% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Christchurch

$46 2.3%

Brescia

$73 3.3% 58.1% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,202 in Christchurch and $912 in Brescia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Christchurch pays 37% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Christchurch vs $85.0 in Brescia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $304 vs $403 per month, with Christchurch cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Christchurch

🇮🇹 Brescia

🕒 Local time

18:31 6:31 PM

07:31 7:31 AM

11 h behind Christchurch

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

380,600

187,567

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 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 October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Christchurch Brescia 18,610 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Christchurch
Brescia

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 Brescia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Christchurch wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Brescia. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Christchurch the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 37% higher in Christchurch, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,202 in Christchurch versus $912 in Brescia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Christchurch – a meal for two runs $66.0 versus $85.0 in Brescia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,040 per month in Christchurch versus $2,192 in Brescia – a 7% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,040 in Christchurch versus $2,192 in Brescia, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Christchurch but tight or insufficient in Brescia. The gap between the two cities makes Christchurch 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, Christchurch and Brescia 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 Christchurch gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Brescia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.