Cost of Living Comparison Between Christchurch and Canterbury Cost of Living Comparison Between Christchurch and Canterbury

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Christchurch is 0.2% more expensive than Canterbury without rent, and 26.9% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Christchurch is 15.7% more expensive than Canterbury without rent, and 7.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Christchurch
Canterbury
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.56 NZ$27.32
$11.9 NZ$19.63
39.16%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$71.4 NZ$118
$66.8 NZ$110
6.95%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.41 NZ$15.53
$8.97 NZ$14.8
4.91%
Cappuccino
$3.34 NZ$5.52
$3.39 NZ$5.59
-1.47%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.3 NZ$3.8
$2.18 NZ$3.59
5.50%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.03 NZ$3.34
$2.07 NZ$3.42
-1.93%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.31 NZ$12.06
$4.27 NZ$7.04
71.19%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.2 NZ$11.87
$6.04 NZ$9.97
19.21%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Christchurch
Canterbury
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.91 NZ$3.16
$1.18 NZ$1.94
61.86%
White Bread (500g)
$1.94 NZ$3.2
$1.9 NZ$3.13
2.11%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.73 NZ$2.85
$1.9 NZ$3.13
-8.95%
Eggs
$6.26 NZ$10.33
$5.78 NZ$9.53
8.30%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.18 NZ$13.48
$6.5 NZ$10.72
25.85%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.65 NZ$15.91
$10.7 NZ$17.64
-9.81%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.83 NZ$21.17
$9.12 NZ$15.03
40.68%
Apples (1kg)
$3.06 NZ$5.04
$2.2 NZ$3.62
39.09%
Banana (1kg)
$2.71 NZ$4.46
$2.31 NZ$3.8
17.32%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.95 NZ$4.87
$3.37 NZ$5.56
-12.46%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.52 NZ$9.11
$4.57 NZ$7.55
20.79%
Potato (1kg)
$2.15 NZ$3.54
$1.18 NZ$1.95
82.20%
Onion (1kg)
$2.21 NZ$3.64
$2 NZ$3.29
10.50%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.98 NZ$4.91
$1.77 NZ$2.92
68.36%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.45 NZ$2.4
$1.12 NZ$1.84
29.46%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.66 NZ$39.02
$24.11 NZ$39.76
-1.87%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.93 NZ$14.72
$8.91 NZ$14.69
0.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.82 NZ$6.29
$2.47 NZ$4.08
54.66%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.85 NZ$8
$3.64 NZ$6
33.24%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Christchurch
Canterbury
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.24 NZ$2.05
$0.88 NZ$1.45
40.91%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$41.94 NZ$69.2
$65.1 NZ$107
-35.57%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.63 NZ$4.34
$2.76 NZ$4.55
-4.71%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.64 NZ$2.7
$1.09 NZ$1.8
50.46%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$30.26 NZ$49.91
$30.65 NZ$50.6
-1.27%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.71 NZ$2.81
$1.67 NZ$2.75
2.40%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27K NZ$44.5K
$19.9K NZ$32.9K
35.34%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20K NZ$33K
$25.5K NZ$42K
-21.54%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Christchurch
Canterbury
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$116 NZ$191
$101 NZ$166
14.95%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$32.15 NZ$53
$36.21 NZ$59.7
-11.21%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$52.6 NZ$86.8
$54.5 NZ$89.9
-3.47%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Christchurch
Canterbury
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.61 NZ$57.1
$36.86 NZ$60.8
-6.10%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.47 NZ$25.51
$11.84 NZ$19.53
30.66%
Cinema Ticket
$10.81 NZ$17.83
$9.5 NZ$15.67
13.79%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Christchurch
Canterbury
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$653 NZ$1,077
$587 NZ$968
11.16%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,249 NZ$15.3K
$12.2K NZ$20.1K
-24.18%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Christchurch
Canterbury
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$64 NZ$105
$53.3 NZ$87.9
20.05%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.12 NZ$71.1
$29.95 NZ$49.4
43.97%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$90.8 NZ$150
$94.6 NZ$156
-4.01%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$150 NZ$247
$121 NZ$200
23.89%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Christchurch
Canterbury
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,536 NZ$2,534
$963 NZ$1,589
59.49%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,158 NZ$1,911
$794 NZ$1,309
45.98%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,059 NZ$3,395
$1,604 NZ$2,646
28.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,488 NZ$2,453
$1,434 NZ$2,366
3.70%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,194 NZ$6,918
$4,128 NZ$6,809
1.59%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,361 NZ$5,543
$3,036 NZ$5,007
10.72%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Christchurch
Canterbury
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,736 NZ$4,512
$2,416 NZ$3,985
13.24%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.74
7.07
-4.67%

Citycost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Christchurch: October 27, 2025

Last update for Canterbury: October 28, 2025

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