Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Christchurch and Masterton

For one person, living is cheaper in Masterton: $841 a month against $2,041 in Christchurch, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Christchurch
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Christchurch Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Masterton
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Masterton Living Index

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Christchurch

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,041

/mo nomad

Masterton

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$841

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Christchurch and in Masterton

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

A single person spends $2,041 per month in Christchurch vs $841 in Masterton, rent included.

Christchurch $2,041
Masterton $841

A couple spends around $2,953 per month in Christchurch vs $1,446 in Masterton, rent included.

Christchurch $2,953
Masterton $1,446

A family of three spends $3,866 per month in Christchurch vs $2,051 in Masterton, rent included.

Christchurch $3,866
Masterton $2,051

Christchurch costs about 142% more than Masterton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Christchurch sits 50% above the global median, while Masterton is 38% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.17 NZ$25.16

$9.26 NZ$16.44

53.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.6 NZ$122

$65.0 NZ$115

5.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.94 NZ$15.87

$8.77 NZ$15.58

1.94%

Cappuccino

$3.24 NZ$5.75

$3.35 NZ$5.95

-3.28%

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

$2.26 NZ$4.01

$1.95 NZ$3.46

15.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 NZ$3.27

$1.11 NZ$1.97

65.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.77 NZ$12.02

$3.96 NZ$7.04

70.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.63 NZ$11.77

$3.40 NZ$6.04

95.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 NZ$2.98

$1.46 NZ$2.59

15.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 NZ$3.35

$2.13 NZ$3.77

-11.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 NZ$2.63

$1.10 NZ$1.95

34.55%

Eggs

$5.86 NZ$10.41

$6.49 NZ$11.51

-9.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.53 NZ$13.38

$8.59 NZ$15.25

-12.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 NZ$16.48

$9.94 NZ$17.65

-6.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.78 NZ$24.47

$15.03 NZ$26.69

-8.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.62 NZ$4.65

$2.22 NZ$3.93

18.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.36 NZ$4.18

$1.81 NZ$3.21

30.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 NZ$4.71

$3.04 NZ$5.40

-12.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.91 NZ$6.94

$4.48 NZ$7.95

-12.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 NZ$2.66

$1.51 NZ$2.69

-0.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.44 NZ$2.55

$1.09 NZ$1.94

32.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 NZ$4.05

$1.71 NZ$3.04

33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 NZ$2.28

$0.52 NZ$0.93

146.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.00 NZ$42.61

$19.90 NZ$35.33

20.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.74 NZ$15.52

$11.48 NZ$20.39

-23.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.51 NZ$6.23

$0.88 NZ$1.56

298.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.49 NZ$7.98

$1.22 NZ$2.17

268.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.72 NZ$3.05

$2.23 NZ$3.97

-22.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 NZ$181

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.51 NZ$4.46

$1.89 NZ$3.36

32.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.75 NZ$3.11

$1.80 NZ$3.20

-2.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.85 NZ$51.2

$33.98 NZ$60.3

-15.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 NZ$3.30

$1.73 NZ$3.08

7.51%

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

$28.6K NZ$50.7K

$22.9K NZ$40.6K

25.01%

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

$23.1K NZ$41.1K

$23.9K NZ$42.4K

-3.10%

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

$161 NZ$286

$56.0 NZ$99.5

187.77%

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

$23.03 NZ$40.89

$29.91 NZ$53.1

-23.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.74 NZ$83.0

$53.4 NZ$94.8

-12.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.98 NZ$42.58

$42.36 NZ$75.2

-43.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.43 NZ$16.74

$8.22 NZ$14.59

14.72%

Cinema Ticket

$11.67 NZ$20.73

$9.47 NZ$16.81

23.23%

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

$678 NZ$1,203

$1,038 NZ$1,844

-34.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.4K NZ$39.8K

$13.3K NZ$23.6K

68.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.9 NZ$106

$56.7 NZ$101

5.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.61 NZ$72.1

$28.47 NZ$50.6

42.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.2 NZ$176

$105 NZ$186

-5.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 NZ$220

$141 NZ$250

-12.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,211 NZ$2,151

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$945 NZ$1,678

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,544 NZ$2,741

$1,019 NZ$1,809

51.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,401 NZ$2,487

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,164 NZ$9,167

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,735 NZ$4,857

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,664 NZ$4,729

$2,339 NZ$4,152

13.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.91

5.39

9.65%

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

Last update for Christchurch: October 24, 2026

Last update for Masterton: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Christchurch

$945 46.3%

Masterton

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Christchurch

$309 15.1%

Masterton

$293 34.8% 5.1% $16

Eating Out

Christchurch

$243 11.9%

Masterton

$179 21.3% 26% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Christchurch

$231 11.3%

Masterton

$139 16.6% 39.7% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Christchurch

$146 7.1%

Masterton

$149 17.7% 2.1% $3.1

Getting Around

Christchurch

$120 5.9%

Masterton

$20 * 2.4% 83.5% $100

Sport & Entertainment

Christchurch

$47 2.3%

Masterton

$61 7.3% 29.5% $14

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 14% higher in Christchurch, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69 in Christchurch versus $65 in Masterton. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $309 vs $293 – making Masterton the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Christchurch

🇳🇿 Masterton

🕒 Local time

12:14 12:14 PM

Same time as Christchurch

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

380,600

26,800

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Christchurch Masterton 380 km

From you

Christchurch
Masterton

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 Masterton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Christchurch costs about 142% more than Masterton, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,061 per month in Christchurch and $1,262 in Masterton. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,041 in Christchurch and $841 in Masterton. That makes Masterton about 59% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $678 per month in Christchurch and $1,038 in Masterton. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Masterton, where all-in costs run around $841, than in Christchurch at $2,041. In Masterton it covers expenses comfortably, while in Christchurch it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Christchurch has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $841 in Masterton to $2,041 in Christchurch. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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