Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Courtenay and Invercargill

For one person, living is cheaper in Invercargill: $1,425 a month against $2,184 in Courtenay, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in Courtenay
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Courtenay Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Invercargill
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Invercargill Living Index

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Courtenay

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,184

/mo nomad

Invercargill

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,425

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Courtenay and in Invercargill

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Courtenay and in Invercargill actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,184 per month in Courtenay vs $1,425 in Invercargill, rent included.

Courtenay $2,184
Invercargill $1,425

A couple spends around $3,080 per month in Courtenay vs $2,122 in Invercargill, rent included.

Courtenay $3,080
Invercargill $2,122

A family of three spends $3,975 per month in Courtenay vs $2,819 in Invercargill, rent included.

Courtenay $3,975
Invercargill $2,819

Courtenay costs about 53% more than Invercargill, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Courtenay and Invercargill sit above the global median – Courtenay by 60%, Invercargill by 5%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.38 CA$20.09

$14.31 NZ$25.44

0.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.2 CA$79.9

$62.1 NZ$110

-7.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.76 CA$13.64

$8.28 NZ$14.72

17.87%

Cappuccino

$3.68 CA$5.14

$3.17 NZ$5.63

16.09%

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

$2.04 CA$2.85

$1.67 NZ$2.98

22.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.17

$2.13 NZ$3.79

-27.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.79 CA$8.09

$2.79 NZ$4.97

107.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 CA$8.02

$2.86 NZ$5.09

100.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.41 CA$3.37

$1.73 NZ$3.07

39.31%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 CA$2.87

$1.91 NZ$3.39

7.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.08 CA$2.91

$1.77 NZ$3.15

17.51%

Eggs

$3.20 CA$4.47

$5.78 NZ$10.27

-44.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.17 CA$14.20

$8.67 NZ$15.42

17.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.20 CA$12.85

$8.78 NZ$15.60

4.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.79 CA$27.64

$12.05 NZ$21.42

64.23%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 CA$4.61

$2.70 NZ$4.81

22.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 CA$1.83

$2.40 NZ$4.27

-45.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.35 CA$3.28

$2.61 NZ$4.64

-9.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.29

$3.44 NZ$6.11

-10.76%

Potato (1kg)

$2.65 CA$3.71

$3.29 NZ$5.85

-19.45%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 CA$3.00

$1.66 NZ$2.95

29.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.07 CA$2.89

$2.30 NZ$4.10

-10.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 CA$2.29

$1.05 NZ$1.86

56.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.20 CA$19.84

$21.03 NZ$37.38

-32.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.89 CA$15.22

$8.42 NZ$14.97

29.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 CA$3.62

$2.90 NZ$5.15

-10.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 CA$3.40

$3.29 NZ$5.86

-25.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 CA$2.71

$1.46 NZ$2.60

32.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.49 CA$59.4

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.75 CA$3.84

$2.24 NZ$3.99

22.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 CA$1.96

$1.89 NZ$3.35

-25.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.82 CA$24.89

$28.04 NZ$49.85

-36.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 CA$1.78

$1.58 NZ$2.82

-18.99%

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

$20.8K CA$29.1K

$24.1K NZ$42.9K

-13.54%

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

$18.2K CA$25.5K

$18.6K NZ$33.1K

-1.91%

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

$139 CA$194

$113 NZ$201

22.69%

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

$36.71 CA$51.3

$32.59 NZ$57.9

12.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.3 CA$91.3

$42.59 NZ$75.7

53.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.38 CA$59.2

$28.26 NZ$50.2

49.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.49 CA$53.8

$14.12 NZ$25.10

172.59%

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 CA$15.06

$8.86 NZ$15.75

21.67%

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

$648 CA$906

$597 NZ$1,060

8.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K CA$17.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.9 CA$79.5

$59.1 NZ$105

-3.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.43 CA$63.5

$35.27 NZ$62.7

28.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.5 CA$110

$70.3 NZ$125

11.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.8 CA$83.5

$78.2 NZ$139

-23.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 CA$1,703

$611 NZ$1,087

99.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,137 CA$1,588

$550 NZ$978

106.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,043 CA$2,854

$835 NZ$1,484

144.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,629 CA$2,277

$769 NZ$1,367

111.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,318 CA$7,429

$5,776 NZ$10.3K

-7.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,013 NZ$8,910

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,239 CA$4,525

$2,756 NZ$4,900

17.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.87

6.72

-27.53%

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

Last update for Courtenay: October 26, 2026

Last update for Invercargill: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Courtenay

$1.1K 52.1%

Invercargill

$550 38.6% 51.6% $586

Groceries & Markets

Courtenay

$331 15.1%

Invercargill

$301 21.1% 8.9% $30

Eating Out

Courtenay

$243 11.1%

Invercargill

$212 14.9% 12.7% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Courtenay

$241 11%

Invercargill

$188 13.2% 21.8% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Courtenay

$108 5%

Invercargill

$109 7.7% 1% $1.1

Sport & Entertainment

Courtenay

$64 2.9%

Invercargill

$46 3.2% 28.1% $18

Getting Around

Courtenay

$60 2.8%

Invercargill

$18 * 1.2% 70.8% $43

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,219 in Courtenay versus $611 in Invercargill. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 17% higher in Courtenay, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57 in Courtenay versus $62 in Invercargill. Groceries tell a different story – $331 in Courtenay vs $301 in Invercargill – so Invercargill wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Courtenay

🇳🇿 Invercargill

🕒 Local time

01:50 1:50 AM

21:50 9:50 PM

20 h ahead of Courtenay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,599

56,200

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.716 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Courtenay Invercargill 12,460 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Courtenay
Invercargill

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Courtenay vs Invercargill: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Courtenay is pricier by about 53%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,276 per month in Courtenay and $2,138 in Invercargill. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Invercargill, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $611 there versus $1,219 in Courtenay.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,184 in Courtenay and $1,425 in Invercargill. That makes Invercargill about 35% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $648 per month in Courtenay and $597 in Invercargill. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,184 in Courtenay and $1,425 in Invercargill. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Invercargill – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Invercargill. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Courtenay makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.