Cost of Living Comparison Between Christchurch and Townsville Cost of Living Comparison Between Christchurch and Townsville

😐 Solo nomad: Christchurch is 9.5% more expensive than Townsville without rent, and 1.7% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Christchurch is 4.6% cheaper than Townsville without rent, and 10% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.11 NZ$29.88

$11.57 A$17.68

47.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.7 NZ$125

$61.5 A$93.9

16.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.37 NZ$16.36

$10 A$15.29

-6.30%

Cappuccino

$3.47 NZ$6.06

$3.07 A$4.7

13.03%

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

$2.36 NZ$4.13

$2.51 A$3.84

-5.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 NZ$3.56

$2.21 A$3.37

-7.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.26 NZ$12.68

$6.68 A$10.21

8.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.09 NZ$12.39

$5.06 A$7.73

40.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 NZ$3.28

$1.48 A$2.26

27.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 NZ$3.38

$2.1 A$3.21

-8.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 NZ$3.03

$1.61 A$2.45

8.07%

Eggs

$6.5 NZ$11.34

$4.16 A$6.36

56.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.15 NZ$14.23

$7.16 A$10.94

13.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.21 NZ$16.08

$8.37 A$12.8

10.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.77 NZ$22.31

$11.9 A$18.18

7.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 NZ$5.54

$3.76 A$5.74

-15.69%

Banana (1kg)

$2.68 NZ$4.68

$2.92 A$4.45

-8.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 NZ$5.22

$3.33 A$5.09

-10.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.76 NZ$10.06

$4.22 A$6.45

36.49%

Potato (1kg)

$2.14 NZ$3.73

$2.55 A$3.9

-16.08%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 NZ$4

$2.48 A$3.79

-7.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.92 NZ$5.11

$2.07 A$3.17

41.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 NZ$2.46

$2.03 A$3.1

-30.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.07 NZ$42.03

$23.77 A$36.32

1.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.75 NZ$15.28

$8.65 A$13.22

1.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.65 NZ$6.37

$3.4 A$5.19

7.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 NZ$8.63

$7.78 A$11.89

-36.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.23 NZ$2.14

$2.05 A$3.14

-40.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.34 NZ$72.2

$72.2 A$110

-42.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.76 NZ$4.82

$3.55 A$5.42

-22.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 NZ$2.88

$1.42 A$2.16

16.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.58 NZ$51.7

$48.02 A$73.4

-38.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 NZ$3

$1.12 A$1.71

53.57%

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

$27K NZ$47.2K

$22.4K A$34.2K

20.80%

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

$19.9K NZ$34.7K

$19.3K A$29.6K

2.67%

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

$115 NZ$201

$150 A$230

-23.58%

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

$31.13 NZ$54.4

$35.06 A$53.6

-11.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.2 NZ$92.8

$60.2 A$92

-11.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.19 NZ$61.4

$41.79 A$63.9

-15.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.59 NZ$27.22

$14.41 A$22.01

8.19%

Cinema Ticket

$10.97 NZ$19.16

$15.58 A$23.81

-29.59%

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

$644 NZ$1,125

$1,142 A$1,746

-43.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,189 NZ$16K

$12K A$18.4K

-23.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.5 NZ$111

$96.2 A$147

-33.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.31 NZ$73.9

$60.4 A$92.4

-30.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 NZ$163

$101 A$154

-7.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$151 NZ$264

$119 A$181

27.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,489 NZ$2,600

$1,208 A$1,846

23.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,175 NZ$2,051

$1,066 A$1,629

10.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,101 NZ$3,668

$2,381 A$3,639

-11.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,452 NZ$2,535

$1,909 A$2,917

-23.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,556 NZ$7,955

$3,837 A$5,863

18.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,253 NZ$5,680

$3,227 A$4,932

0.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,527 NZ$4,413

$4,213 A$6,438

-40.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

6.06

11.22%

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

Last update for Christchurch: November 24, 2025

Last update for Townsville: November 24, 2025

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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