Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Derby and Wellington

For one person, living is cheaper in Derby: $2,222 a month against $2,376 in Wellington, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Wellington outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Derby
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,222
/mo nomad
Wellington
🇳🇿 New Zealand
$2,376
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Derby and in Wellington

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

A single person spends $2,222 per month in Derby vs $2,376 in Wellington, rent included.

  • Derby $2,222
  • Wellington $2,376

A couple spends around $3,420 per month in Derby vs $3,407 in Wellington, rent included.

  • Derby $3,420
  • Wellington $3,407

A family of three spends $4,618 per month in Derby vs $4,439 in Wellington, rent included.

  • Derby $4,618
  • Wellington $4,439

Derby is about 6% cheaper than Wellington, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Derby and Wellington sit above the global median – Derby by 64%, Wellington by 75%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Derby
Wellington
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$26.87 £20.16
$14.01 NZ$24.78
91.79%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$95.0 £71.2
$65.8 NZ$116
44.32%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.68 £8.01
$9.37 NZ$16.56
13.98%
Cappuccino
$4.87 £3.65
$3.40 NZ$6.02
43.24%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.51 £1.88
$2.46 NZ$4.35
2.03%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.02 £1.52
$1.75 NZ$3.09
15.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.72 £5.04
$7.27 NZ$12.85
-7.57%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.02 £5.26
$6.71 NZ$11.87
4.62%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Derby
Wellington
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.56 £1.17
$1.94 NZ$3.43
-19.59%
White Bread (500g)
$1.44 £1.08
$2.15 NZ$3.81
-33.02%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.33 £1.75
$1.83 NZ$3.25
27.32%
Eggs
$3.79 £2.84
$6.88 NZ$12.16
-44.91%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.35 £6.26
$9.19 NZ$16.26
-9.14%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 £6.47
$9.99 NZ$17.67
-13.61%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$23.80 £17.85
$14.97 NZ$26.48
58.98%
Apples (1kg)
$5.22 £3.92
$3.03 NZ$5.36
72.28%
Banana (1kg)
$2.80 £2.10
$2.24 NZ$3.96
25.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.98 £2.24
$3.09 NZ$5.47
-3.56%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.80 £2.85
$6.55 NZ$11.59
-41.98%
Potato (1kg)
$1.54 £1.16
$2.16 NZ$3.83
-28.70%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 £1.19
$1.28 NZ$2.27
24.22%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.06 £0.79
$2.10 NZ$3.71
-49.52%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.40 £1.05
$1.20 NZ$2.12
16.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.20 £17.41
$25.79 NZ$45.60
-10.04%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.79 £8.09
$11.27 NZ$19.94
-4.26%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.27 £2.45
$3.12 NZ$5.51
4.81%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.57 £2.68
$2.82 NZ$4.98
26.60%
🚌 Getting Around
Derby
Wellington
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.05 £2.29
$2.76 NZ$4.89
10.51%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$93.4 £70.1
$104 NZ$184
-10.26%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.43 £3.33
$1.88 NZ$3.33
135.64%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.64 £1.23
$1.78 NZ$3.14
-7.87%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$31.46 £23.60
$33.72 NZ$59.6
-6.70%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.00 £1.50
$1.85 NZ$3.27
8.11%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.6K £28.9K
$28.7K NZ$50.8K
34.32%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.7K £29.8K
$23.8K NZ$42.1K
66.85%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Derby
Wellington
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$371 £278
$194 NZ$344
91.06%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$19.57 £14.68
$33.42 NZ$59.1
-41.44%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$39.53 £29.66
$53.5 NZ$94.7
-26.14%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Derby
Wellington
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.20 £33.91
$38.12 NZ$67.4
18.57%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$26.26 £19.70
$16.15 NZ$28.56
62.60%
Cinema Ticket
$15.53 £11.65
$11.97 NZ$21.17
29.74%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Derby
Wellington
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,815 £1,362
$1,056 NZ$1,868
71.89%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$20.5K £15.4K
$12.9K NZ$22.9K
58.95%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Derby
Wellington
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$114 £85.3
$79.2 NZ$140
43.62%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$57.2 £42.94
$28.87 NZ$51.1
98.27%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$86.6 £65.0
$103 NZ$182
-15.75%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$101 £75.6
$156 NZ$275
-35.29%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Derby
Wellington
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$794 £595
$1,217 NZ$2,152
-34.77%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$723 £543
$1,147 NZ$2,028
-36.94%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,596 £1,197
$2,154 NZ$3,809
-25.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,351 £1,014
$1,731 NZ$3,061
-21.94%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,857 £4,394
$6,780 NZ$12.0K
-13.61%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,136 £2,353
$3,655 NZ$6,464
-14.19%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Derby
Wellington
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,597 £2,699
$2,812 NZ$4,972
27.95%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.88
5.39
-9.46%

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

Last update for Derby: October 17, 2026

Last update for Wellington: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Derby
$723
Wellington
$1.1K 58.6% $424
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Derby
$430
Wellington
$281 34.6% $149
Eating Out
Derby
$371
Wellington
$248 33.3% $124
Groceries & Markets
Derby
$342
Wellington
$348 1.7% $5.8
Clothing & Footwear
Derby
$161
Wellington
$165 2.3% $3.7
Getting Around
Derby
$118
Wellington
$126 6.5% $7.6
Sport & Entertainment
Derby
$76
Wellington
$62 18.6% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $794 in Derby versus $1,217 in Wellington. 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 28% higher in Derby, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $95.0 in Derby versus $66.0 in Wellington. Groceries tell a different story – $342 in Derby vs $348 in Wellington – so Derby wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Derby
🇳🇿 Wellington
🕒 Local time
23:57 11:57 PM
11:57 11:57 AM
12 h ahead of Derby
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
233,700
215,900 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Derby Wellington 18,690 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Derby
  • Wellington

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
Derby vs Wellington: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Derby or Wellington?
Wellington costs about 7% more than Derby, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Derby and in Wellington?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,333 per month in Derby and $3,564 in Wellington. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Derby or Wellington?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Derby, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do childcare costs compare in Derby and in Wellington?
Kindergarten costs $1,815 per month in Derby and $1,056 in Wellington. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Derby or in Wellington?
Groceries cost about 2% more in Wellington, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Can you live on $2,000/month in Derby or in Wellington?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Derby, where all-in costs run around $2,222, than in Wellington at $2,376. In Derby it covers expenses comfortably, while in Wellington it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Derby or Wellington?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Derby costs $2,222 versus $2,376 in Wellington. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Derby compared to Wellington?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Should I move to Derby or to Wellington?
If budget matters most, go with Derby. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Wellington makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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