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

😐 Solo nomad: Christchurch is 15.9% more expensive than Palmerston North without rent, and 32.9% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Christchurch is 1% cheaper than Palmerston North without rent, and 4.5% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.03 NZ$29.64

$16.69 NZ$29.04

2.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.4 NZ$126

$73.7 NZ$128

-1.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.63 NZ$16.75

$12.13 NZ$21.11

-20.61%

Cappuccino

$3.34 NZ$5.80

$3.50 NZ$6.09

-4.57%

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

$2.38 NZ$4.14

$2.40 NZ$4.17

-0.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 NZ$3.42

$2.07 NZ$3.60

-4.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.13 NZ$12.41

$7.03 NZ$12.24

1.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.16 NZ$12.45

$6.45 NZ$11.23

11.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.91 NZ$3.32

White Bread (500g)

$2.00 NZ$3.48

$2.13 NZ$3.71

-6.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 NZ$3.03

$1.78 NZ$3.09

-2.25%

Eggs

$6.48 NZ$11.28

$5.41 NZ$9.41

19.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.13 NZ$14.14

$8.32 NZ$14.48

-2.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.20 NZ$16.01

$9.24 NZ$16.08

-0.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.01 NZ$22.64

$12.37 NZ$21.53

5.17%

Apples (1kg)

$3.07 NZ$5.35

$2.49 NZ$4.32

23.29%

Banana (1kg)

$2.66 NZ$4.63

$1.90 NZ$3.30

40.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 NZ$5.10

$2.43 NZ$4.23

20.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.80 NZ$10.10

$3.42 NZ$5.95

69.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.14 NZ$3.72

$2.06 NZ$3.59

3.88%

Onion (1kg)

$2.32 NZ$4.04

$2.26 NZ$3.94

2.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.08 NZ$5.35

$2.03 NZ$3.54

51.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 NZ$2.55

$0.95 NZ$1.65

54.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.17 NZ$42.06

$20.42 NZ$35.53

18.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.70 NZ$15.13

$8.86 NZ$15.42

-1.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.70 NZ$6.45

$2.45 NZ$4.26

51.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.06 NZ$8.80

$5.40 NZ$9.40

-6.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.23 NZ$2.14

$4.64 NZ$8.07

-73.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.89 NZ$72.9

$30.43 NZ$52.9

37.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.77 NZ$4.83

$2.40 NZ$4.17

15.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 NZ$2.96

$1.77 NZ$3.08

-3.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.00 NZ$52.2

$16.92 NZ$29.43

77.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 NZ$2.98

$1.73 NZ$3.01

-0.58%

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

$27.3K NZ$47.6K

$18.5K NZ$32.2K

47.69%

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

$19.7K NZ$34.3K

$21.2K NZ$36.9K

-7.14%

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

$117 NZ$204

$89.5 NZ$156

30.94%

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

$32.10 NZ$55.9

$37.86 NZ$65.9

-15.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.0 NZ$92.2

$48.07 NZ$83.7

10.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.20 NZ$61.3

$34.85 NZ$60.7

1.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.15 NZ$26.36

$13.22 NZ$23.00

14.60%

Cinema Ticket

$11.11 NZ$19.32

$9.08 NZ$15.80

22.36%

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

$643 NZ$1,120

$1,006 NZ$1,750

-36.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,240 NZ$16.1K

$6,145 NZ$10.7K

50.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.3 NZ$112

$56.8 NZ$98.9

13.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.28 NZ$75.3

$38.29 NZ$66.6

13.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.0 NZ$162

$91.3 NZ$159

1.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$152 NZ$264

$93.7 NZ$163

61.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,511 NZ$2,630

$834 NZ$1,452

81.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,158 NZ$2,014

$702 NZ$1,222

64.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,114 NZ$3,678

$1,527 NZ$2,657

38.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,448 NZ$2,520

$1,379 NZ$2,400

5.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,962 NZ$8,634

$2,137 NZ$3,719

132.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,674 NZ$4,653

$1,887 NZ$3,283

41.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,666 NZ$4,640

$2,504 NZ$4,357

6.49%

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: January 12, 2026

Last update for Palmerston North: January 12, 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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