Cost of Living Comparison Between Christchurch and Oamaru Cost of Living Comparison Between Christchurch and Oamaru

😐 Solo nomad: Christchurch is 19.4% more expensive than Oamaru without rent, and 28.5% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Christchurch is 15% more expensive than Oamaru without rent, and 7% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Christchurch
Oamaru
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.56 NZ$27.32
$17.05 NZ$28.12
-2.87%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$71.4 NZ$118
$73.7 NZ$122
-3.11%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.41 NZ$15.53
$9.79 NZ$16.14
-3.88%
Cappuccino
$3.34 NZ$5.52
$3.45 NZ$5.69
-3.19%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.3 NZ$3.8
$2.28 NZ$3.76
0.88%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.03 NZ$3.34
$2.05 NZ$3.39
-0.98%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.31 NZ$12.06
$7.23 NZ$11.92
1.11%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.2 NZ$11.87
$7.4 NZ$12.21
-2.70%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Christchurch
Oamaru
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.91 NZ$3.16
$1.8 NZ$2.96
6.11%
White Bread (500g)
$1.94 NZ$3.2
$1.16 NZ$1.92
67.24%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.73 NZ$2.85
$1.2 NZ$1.97
44.17%
Eggs
$6.26 NZ$10.33
$3.88 NZ$6.4
61.34%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.18 NZ$13.48
$8.53 NZ$14.06
-4.10%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.65 NZ$15.91
$9.42 NZ$15.54
2.44%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.83 NZ$21.17
$12.72 NZ$20.98
0.86%
Apples (1kg)
$3.06 NZ$5.04
$2.35 NZ$3.87
30.21%
Banana (1kg)
$2.71 NZ$4.46
$1.83 NZ$3.02
48.09%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.95 NZ$4.87
$2.95 NZ$4.87
-
Tomato (1kg)
$5.52 NZ$9.11
$5.62 NZ$9.26
-1.78%
Potato (1kg)
$2.15 NZ$3.54
$1.54 NZ$2.54
39.61%
Onion (1kg)
$2.21 NZ$3.64
$1.19 NZ$1.96
85.71%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.98 NZ$4.91
$1.76 NZ$2.9
69.32%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.45 NZ$2.4
$1.43 NZ$2.35
1.40%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.66 NZ$39.02
$24.05 NZ$39.66
-1.62%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.93 NZ$14.72
$5.74 NZ$9.47
55.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.82 NZ$6.29
$3.69 NZ$6.08
3.52%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.85 NZ$8
$5.06 NZ$8.35
-4.15%
🚌 Getting Around
Christchurch
Oamaru
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.24 NZ$2.05
$2.16 NZ$3.57
-42.59%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$41.94 NZ$69.2
$65.1 NZ$107
-35.61%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.63 NZ$4.34
$2.69 NZ$4.44
-2.23%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.64 NZ$2.7
$1.66 NZ$2.73
-1.20%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$30.26 NZ$49.91
$29.56 NZ$48.75
2.37%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.71 NZ$2.81
$1.71 NZ$2.82
-
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27K NZ$44.5K
$27.5K NZ$45.4K
-2.14%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20K NZ$33K
$19.8K NZ$32.6K
1.23%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Christchurch
Oamaru
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$116 NZ$191
$115 NZ$190
0.41%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$32.15 NZ$53
$17.96 NZ$29.63
79.01%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$52.6 NZ$86.8
$47.84 NZ$78.9
10.01%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Christchurch
Oamaru
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.61 NZ$57.1
$37.39 NZ$61.7
-7.44%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.47 NZ$25.51
$12.02 NZ$19.82
28.70%
Cinema Ticket
$10.81 NZ$17.83
$11.05 NZ$18.23
-2.17%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Christchurch
Oamaru
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$653 NZ$1,077
$649 NZ$1,070
0.65%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,249 NZ$15.3K
$9,276 NZ$15.3K
-0.29%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Christchurch
Oamaru
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$64 NZ$105
$59.7 NZ$98.5
7.10%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.12 NZ$71.1
$17.73 NZ$29.25
143.20%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$90.8 NZ$150
$48.37 NZ$79.8
87.68%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$150 NZ$247
$54.7 NZ$90.2
174.53%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Christchurch
Oamaru
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,536 NZ$2,534
$962 NZ$1,586
59.72%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,158 NZ$1,911
$785 NZ$1,295
47.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,059 NZ$3,395
$1,547 NZ$2,551
33.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,488 NZ$2,453
$1,452 NZ$2,395
2.44%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,194 NZ$6,918
$4,246 NZ$7,002
-1.21%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,361 NZ$5,543
$3,859 NZ$6,365
-12.91%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Christchurch
Oamaru
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,736 NZ$4,512
$2,061 NZ$3,399
32.75%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.74
6
12.33%

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

Last update for Christchurch: October 27, 2025

Last update for Oamaru: October 28, 2025

Similar cities

Join the CityCost newsletter – low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.