Cost of Living Comparison Between Christchurch and Palmerston North Cost of Living Comparison Between Christchurch and Palmerston North

😐 Solo nomad: Christchurch is 6.5% more expensive than Palmerston North without rent, and 35.5% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Christchurch is 7.4% more expensive than Palmerston North without rent, and 6.7% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.56 NZ$27.32

$16.86 NZ$27.81

-1.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.4 NZ$118

$72.1 NZ$119

-0.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.41 NZ$15.53

$12.27 NZ$20.23

-23.31%

Cappuccino

$3.34 NZ$5.52

$3.44 NZ$5.67

-2.91%

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

$2.3 NZ$3.8

$2.37 NZ$3.91

-2.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 NZ$3.34

$2.08 NZ$3.43

-2.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.31 NZ$12.06

$7.32 NZ$12.07

-0.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.2 NZ$11.87

$6.32 NZ$10.42

13.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.91 NZ$3.16

$1.92 NZ$3.16

-0.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.94 NZ$3.2

$2.05 NZ$3.39

-5.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 NZ$2.85

$1.81 NZ$2.99

-4.42%

Eggs

$6.26 NZ$10.33

$5.41 NZ$8.92

15.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.18 NZ$13.48

$8.35 NZ$13.77

-2.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 NZ$15.91

$9.37 NZ$15.46

2.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.83 NZ$21.17

$12.3 NZ$20.28

4.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.06 NZ$5.04

$2.52 NZ$4.16

21.43%

Banana (1kg)

$2.71 NZ$4.46

$1.81 NZ$2.99

49.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 NZ$4.87

$2.56 NZ$4.22

15.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.52 NZ$9.11

$3.41 NZ$5.63

61.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 NZ$3.54

$2.17 NZ$3.57

-0.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 NZ$3.64

$2.18 NZ$3.59

1.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.98 NZ$4.91

$2.14 NZ$3.53

39.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 NZ$2.4

$1 NZ$1.66

45.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.66 NZ$39.02

$20.09 NZ$33.14

17.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.93 NZ$14.72

$8.77 NZ$14.47

1.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.82 NZ$6.29

$2.46 NZ$4.06

55.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.85 NZ$8

$5.25 NZ$8.66

-7.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 NZ$2.05

$4.64 NZ$7.65

-73.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.94 NZ$69.2

$30.49 NZ$50.3

37.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.63 NZ$4.34

$2.36 NZ$3.89

11.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 NZ$2.7

$1.8 NZ$2.97

-8.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.26 NZ$49.91

$17.23 NZ$28.42

75.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.71 NZ$2.81

$1.65 NZ$2.73

3.64%

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

$27K NZ$44.5K

$18.8K NZ$31K

43.62%

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

$20K NZ$33K

$21.6K NZ$35.7K

-7.56%

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

$116 NZ$191

$89.5 NZ$148

29.10%

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

$32.15 NZ$53

$38 NZ$62.7

-15.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.6 NZ$86.8

$48.26 NZ$79.6

9.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.61 NZ$57.1

$35 NZ$57.7

-1.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.47 NZ$25.51

$12.95 NZ$21.37

19.46%

Cinema Ticket

$10.81 NZ$17.83

$8.9 NZ$14.68

21.46%

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

$653 NZ$1,077

$999 NZ$1,648

-34.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,249 NZ$15.3K

$6,262 NZ$10.3K

47.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64 NZ$105

$56.2 NZ$92.7

13.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 NZ$71.1

$38.3 NZ$63.2

12.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.8 NZ$150

$92.6 NZ$153

-1.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$150 NZ$247

$93.4 NZ$154

60.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,536 NZ$2,534

$836 NZ$1,379

83.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,158 NZ$1,911

$695 NZ$1,146

66.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,059 NZ$3,395

$1,565 NZ$2,581

31.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,488 NZ$2,453

$1,386 NZ$2,286

7.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,194 NZ$6,918

$2,102 NZ$3,466

99.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,361 NZ$5,543

$2,444 NZ$4,032

37.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,736 NZ$4,512

$2,487 NZ$4,101

10.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

6.69

0.75%

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

Last update for Christchurch: October 27, 2025

Last update for Palmerston North: October 29, 2025

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