Cost of Living Comparison Between Christchurch and Queenstown Cost of Living Comparison Between Christchurch and Queenstown

🙂 Solo nomad: Christchurch is 20.2% cheaper than Queenstown without rent, and 20.2% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Christchurch is 16.6% cheaper than Queenstown without rent, and 32.4% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Christchurch
Queenstown
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.56 NZ$27.32
$15.24 NZ$25.13
8.66%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$71.4 NZ$118
$85.4 NZ$141
-16.41%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.41 NZ$15.53
$9.59 NZ$15.82
-1.88%
Cappuccino
$3.34 NZ$5.52
$3.35 NZ$5.53
-0.30%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.3 NZ$3.8
$2.38 NZ$3.92
-3.36%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.03 NZ$3.34
$2.38 NZ$3.92
-14.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.31 NZ$12.06
$7.37 NZ$12.16
-0.81%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.2 NZ$11.87
$6.05 NZ$9.98
19.01%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Christchurch
Queenstown
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.91 NZ$3.16
$2.28 NZ$3.75
-16.23%
White Bread (500g)
$1.94 NZ$3.2
$2.1 NZ$3.46
-7.62%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.73 NZ$2.85
$2.45 NZ$4.04
-29.39%
Eggs
$6.26 NZ$10.33
$6.62 NZ$10.92
-5.44%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.18 NZ$13.48
$10.07 NZ$16.6
-18.77%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.65 NZ$15.91
$10.66 NZ$17.58
-9.47%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.83 NZ$21.17
$16.66 NZ$27.48
-22.99%
Apples (1kg)
$3.06 NZ$5.04
$3.04 NZ$5.01
0.66%
Banana (1kg)
$2.71 NZ$4.46
$2.54 NZ$4.18
6.69%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.95 NZ$4.87
$4 NZ$6.6
-26.25%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.52 NZ$9.11
$5.76 NZ$9.51
-4.17%
Potato (1kg)
$2.15 NZ$3.54
$2.61 NZ$4.3
-17.62%
Onion (1kg)
$2.21 NZ$3.64
$2.26 NZ$3.72
-2.21%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.98 NZ$4.91
$2.87 NZ$4.73
3.83%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.45 NZ$2.4
$1.12 NZ$1.84
29.46%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.66 NZ$39.02
$29.04 NZ$47.89
-18.53%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.93 NZ$14.72
$10.05 NZ$16.57
-11.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.82 NZ$6.29
$4.6 NZ$7.59
-16.96%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.85 NZ$8
$6.87 NZ$11.33
-29.40%
🚌 Getting Around
Christchurch
Queenstown
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.24 NZ$2.05
$2.73 NZ$4.5
-54.58%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$41.94 NZ$69.2
$127 NZ$210
-67.04%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.63 NZ$4.34
$2.77 NZ$4.57
-5.05%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.64 NZ$2.7
$1.86 NZ$3.07
-11.83%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$30.26 NZ$49.91
$31.55 NZ$52
-4.09%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.71 NZ$2.81
$1.72 NZ$2.84
-0.58%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27K NZ$44.5K
$30K NZ$49.4K
-10.06%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20K NZ$33K
$18.1K NZ$29.8K
10.78%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Christchurch
Queenstown
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$116 NZ$191
$277 NZ$456
-58.23%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$32.15 NZ$53
$40.53 NZ$66.8
-20.68%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$52.6 NZ$86.8
$63.9 NZ$105
-17.59%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Christchurch
Queenstown
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.61 NZ$57.1
$58.7 NZ$96.9
-41.07%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.47 NZ$25.51
$24.73 NZ$40.78
-37.44%
Cinema Ticket
$10.81 NZ$17.83
$13.04 NZ$21.51
-17.10%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Christchurch
Queenstown
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$653 NZ$1,077
$486 NZ$801
34.38%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,249 NZ$15.3K
$6,939 NZ$11.4K
33.28%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Christchurch
Queenstown
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$64 NZ$105
$87.1 NZ$144
-26.58%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.12 NZ$71.1
$50.4 NZ$83.1
-14.41%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$90.8 NZ$150
$98 NZ$162
-7.41%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$150 NZ$247
$279 NZ$460
-46.14%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Christchurch
Queenstown
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,536 NZ$2,534
$1,498 NZ$2,471
2.53%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,158 NZ$1,911
$1,277 NZ$2,106
-9.28%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,059 NZ$3,395
$3,044 NZ$5,020
-32.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,488 NZ$2,453
$2,539 NZ$4,187
-41.41%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,194 NZ$6,918
$6,162 NZ$10.2K
-31.93%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,361 NZ$5,543
$4,252 NZ$7,013
-20.96%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Christchurch
Queenstown
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,736 NZ$4,512
$3,259 NZ$5,375
-16.04%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.74
6.74
-

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

Last update for Christchurch: October 27, 2025

Last update for Queenstown: October 29, 2025

Similar cities

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