Cost of Living Comparison Between Christchurch and Nelson Cost of Living Comparison Between Christchurch and Nelson

🙂 Solo nomad: Christchurch is 18.5% cheaper than Nelson without rent, and 13.5% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Christchurch is 10.8% cheaper than Nelson without rent, and 2.5% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.03 NZ$29.64

$21.50 NZ$37.41

-20.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.4 NZ$126

$83.4 NZ$145

-13.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.63 NZ$16.75

$9.46 NZ$16.46

1.80%

Cappuccino

$3.34 NZ$5.80

$3.30 NZ$5.74

1.21%

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

$2.38 NZ$4.14

$2.68 NZ$4.66

-11.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 NZ$3.42

$2.73 NZ$4.75

-27.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.13 NZ$12.41

$7.07 NZ$12.29

0.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.16 NZ$12.45

$5.86 NZ$10.20

22.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.91 NZ$3.32

$2.40 NZ$4.18

-20.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.00 NZ$3.48

$2.26 NZ$3.93

-11.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 NZ$3.03

$2.26 NZ$3.94

-23.01%

Eggs

$6.48 NZ$11.28

$5.97 NZ$10.39

8.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.13 NZ$14.14

$10.10 NZ$17.57

-19.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.20 NZ$16.01

$8.05 NZ$14.01

14.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.01 NZ$22.64

$16.02 NZ$27.88

-18.79%

Apples (1kg)

$3.07 NZ$5.35

$3.50 NZ$6.09

-12.29%

Banana (1kg)

$2.66 NZ$4.63

$2.60 NZ$4.53

2.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 NZ$5.10

$2.97 NZ$5.17

-1.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.80 NZ$10.10

$6.72 NZ$11.69

-13.69%

Potato (1kg)

$2.14 NZ$3.72

$3.74 NZ$6.51

-42.78%

Onion (1kg)

$2.32 NZ$4.04

$2.47 NZ$4.29

-6.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.08 NZ$5.35

$2.57 NZ$4.48

19.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 NZ$2.55

$1.29 NZ$2.24

13.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.17 NZ$42.06

$30.38 NZ$52.9

-20.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.70 NZ$15.13

$9.99 NZ$17.38

-12.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.70 NZ$6.45

$3.20 NZ$5.57

15.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.06 NZ$8.80

$4.64 NZ$8.07

9.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.23 NZ$2.14

$2.34 NZ$4.07

-47.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.89 NZ$72.9

$64.3 NZ$112

-34.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.77 NZ$4.83

$4.32 NZ$7.51

-35.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 NZ$2.96

$1.81 NZ$3.15

-6.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.00 NZ$52.2

$35.64 NZ$62.0

-15.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 NZ$2.98

$1.65 NZ$2.88

4.24%

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

$27.3K NZ$47.6K

$18.5K NZ$32.3K

47.44%

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

$19.7K NZ$34.3K

$21.9K NZ$38.1K

-10.06%

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

$117 NZ$204

$217 NZ$377

-45.91%

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

$32.10 NZ$55.9

$36.41 NZ$63.4

-11.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.0 NZ$92.2

$49.82 NZ$86.7

6.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.20 NZ$61.3

$47.78 NZ$83.1

-26.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.15 NZ$26.36

$20.83 NZ$36.24

-27.27%

Cinema Ticket

$11.11 NZ$19.32

$10.08 NZ$17.54

10.22%

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

$643 NZ$1,120

$480 NZ$836

33.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,240 NZ$16.1K

$11.9K NZ$20.7K

-22.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.3 NZ$112

$59.3 NZ$103

8.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.28 NZ$75.3

$66.2 NZ$115

-34.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.0 NZ$162

$132 NZ$229

-29.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$152 NZ$264

$109 NZ$189

39.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,511 NZ$2,630

$965 NZ$1,679

56.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,158 NZ$2,014

$745 NZ$1,297

55.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,114 NZ$3,678

$1,398 NZ$2,432

51.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,448 NZ$2,520

$1,217 NZ$2,118

18.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,962 NZ$8,634

$2,882 NZ$5,014

72.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,674 NZ$4,653

$2,362 NZ$4,110

13.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,666 NZ$4,640

$2,858 NZ$4,973

-6.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

6.82

-1.17%

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

Last update for Christchurch: January 12, 2026

Last update for Nelson: January 11, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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