Cost of Living Comparison Between Christchurch and Wellington Cost of Living Comparison Between Christchurch and Wellington

🙂 Solo nomad: Christchurch is 7.3% cheaper than Wellington without rent, and 0.8% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Christchurch is 9.9% cheaper than Wellington without rent, and 16.3% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.03 NZ$29.64

$17.57 NZ$30.57

-3.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.4 NZ$126

$82.9 NZ$144

-12.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.63 NZ$16.75

$9.59 NZ$16.69

0.42%

Cappuccino

$3.34 NZ$5.80

$3.61 NZ$6.28

-7.48%

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

$2.38 NZ$4.14

$2.62 NZ$4.55

-9.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 NZ$3.42

$2.14 NZ$3.72

-7.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.13 NZ$12.41

$7.10 NZ$12.36

0.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.16 NZ$12.45

$7.13 NZ$12.41

0.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.91 NZ$3.32

$1.83 NZ$3.19

4.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.00 NZ$3.48

$2.05 NZ$3.56

-2.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 NZ$3.03

$1.88 NZ$3.26

-7.45%

Eggs

$6.48 NZ$11.28

$6.96 NZ$12.10

-6.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.13 NZ$14.14

$8.05 NZ$14.01

0.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.20 NZ$16.01

$11.06 NZ$19.24

-16.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.01 NZ$22.64

$13.02 NZ$22.65

-0.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.07 NZ$5.35

$3.03 NZ$5.27

1.32%

Banana (1kg)

$2.66 NZ$4.63

$2.33 NZ$4.06

14.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 NZ$5.10

$2.97 NZ$5.17

-1.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.80 NZ$10.10

$4.81 NZ$8.37

20.58%

Potato (1kg)

$2.14 NZ$3.72

$2.09 NZ$3.64

2.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.32 NZ$4.04

$1.59 NZ$2.77

45.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.08 NZ$5.35

$2.20 NZ$3.83

40.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 NZ$2.55

$1.30 NZ$2.26

13.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.17 NZ$42.06

$26.98 NZ$46.94

-10.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.70 NZ$15.13

$10.58 NZ$18.41

-17.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.70 NZ$6.45

$3.51 NZ$6.10

5.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.06 NZ$8.80

$3.23 NZ$5.62

56.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.23 NZ$2.14

$2.63 NZ$4.58

-53.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.89 NZ$72.9

$107 NZ$186

-60.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.77 NZ$4.83

$2.77 NZ$4.81

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 NZ$2.96

$1.77 NZ$3.09

-3.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.00 NZ$52.2

$61.1 NZ$106

-50.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 NZ$2.98

$1.67 NZ$2.90

2.99%

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

$27.3K NZ$47.6K

$33.2K NZ$57.8K

-17.75%

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

$19.7K NZ$34.3K

$24.7K NZ$43.0K

-20.32%

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

$117 NZ$204

$157 NZ$273

-25.39%

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

$32.10 NZ$55.9

$32.98 NZ$57.4

-2.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.0 NZ$92.2

$52.5 NZ$91.4

0.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.20 NZ$61.3

$36.82 NZ$64.1

-4.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.15 NZ$26.36

$20.35 NZ$35.42

-25.55%

Cinema Ticket

$11.11 NZ$19.32

$11.85 NZ$20.62

-6.24%

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

$643 NZ$1,120

$814 NZ$1,416

-20.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,240 NZ$16.1K

$12.8K NZ$22.2K

-27.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.3 NZ$112

$72.7 NZ$126

-11.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.28 NZ$75.3

$53.0 NZ$92.1

-18.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.0 NZ$162

$121 NZ$210

-22.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$152 NZ$264

$141 NZ$245

7.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,511 NZ$2,630

$1,297 NZ$2,257

16.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,158 NZ$2,014

$1,106 NZ$1,924

4.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,114 NZ$3,678

$2,115 NZ$3,680

-0.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,448 NZ$2,520

$1,906 NZ$3,317

-24.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,962 NZ$8,634

$6,842 NZ$11.9K

-27.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,674 NZ$4,653

$3,920 NZ$6,821

-31.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,666 NZ$4,640

$2,973 NZ$5,173

-10.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

6.94

-2.88%

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

Last update for Christchurch: January 12, 2026

Last update for Wellington: January 10, 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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