Cost of Living Comparison Between Folkestone and Wellington Cost of Living Comparison Between Folkestone and Wellington

Monthly Cost of Living

A single person spends $1,970 per month in Folkestone vs $2,447 in Wellington, rent included.

A couple spends around $3,055 per month in Folkestone vs $3,492 in Wellington, rent included.

A family of three spends $4,140 per month in Folkestone vs $4,537 in Wellington, rent included.

Folkestone is about 19% cheaper than Wellington, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both Folkestone and Wellington sit above the global median – Folkestone by 43%, Wellington by 78%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.90 £13.24

$14.31 NZ$24.32

25.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.8 £50.9

$67.5 NZ$115

1.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.94 £8.09

$9.66 NZ$16.42

13.25%

Cappuccino

$4.75 £3.51

$3.43 NZ$5.84

38.48%

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

$2.68 £1.98

$2.51 NZ$4.27

6.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 £1.34

$1.83 NZ$3.11

-1.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.08 £5.24

$7.75 NZ$13.18

-8.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.60 £4.88

$7.04 NZ$11.96

-6.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 £1.15

$1.95 NZ$3.32

-20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 £0.99

$2.35 NZ$3.99

-42.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 £0.98

$1.96 NZ$3.34

-32.14%

Eggs

$3.22 £2.38

$7.23 NZ$12.29

-55.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.93 £7.35

$9.50 NZ$16.14

4.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 £5.88

$10.08 NZ$17.13

-21.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.10 £11.17

$15.65 NZ$26.61

-3.51%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 £2.39

$3.30 NZ$5.60

-2.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 £1.10

$2.28 NZ$3.87

-34.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.86 £2.11

$3.11 NZ$5.28

-8.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.26 £2.41

$6.90 NZ$11.73

-52.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 £1.26

$2.28 NZ$3.87

-25.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 £1.10

$1.34 NZ$2.28

11.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.74 £1.29

$2.10 NZ$3.56

-17.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 £1.13

$1.25 NZ$2.13

21.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.71 £17.54

$26.38 NZ$44.84

-10.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.04 £8.17

$12.04 NZ$20.47

-8.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.73 £2.02

$3.29 NZ$5.60

-17.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 £2.77

$2.91 NZ$4.94

28.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.70 £1.99

$2.99 NZ$5.08

-9.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.68 £24.92

$107 NZ$182

-68.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.40 £1.03

$1.96 NZ$3.34

-28.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 £1.26

$1.94 NZ$3.31

-12.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.22 £16.44

$34.91 NZ$59.3

-36.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 £1.50

$1.95 NZ$3.32

3.59%

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

$37.8K £27.9K

$27.1K NZ$46.1K

39.08%

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

$41.8K £31.0K

$26.2K NZ$44.6K

59.53%

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

$249 £185

$210 NZ$357

18.64%

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

$18.87 £13.96

$32.92 NZ$56.0

-42.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.42 £30.64

$57.1 NZ$97.0

-27.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.1 £54.1

$40.38 NZ$68.6

81.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.08 £7.46

$17.41 NZ$29.59

-42.10%

Cinema Ticket

$21.35 £15.80

$13.14 NZ$22.34

62.48%

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

$1,086 £804

$1,097 NZ$1,864

-0.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.1K £14.9K

$13.8K NZ$23.5K

45.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.2 £52.7

$82.6 NZ$140

-13.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 £21.23

$29.26 NZ$49.73

-1.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 £58.7

$106 NZ$180

-25.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.5 £38.86

$158 NZ$269

-66.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,161 £859

$1,305 NZ$2,218

-11.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$818 £605

$1,205 NZ$2,047

-32.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,504 £1,112

$2,293 NZ$3,897

-34.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,640 £1,213

$1,790 NZ$3,043

-8.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,465 £2,563

$6,973 NZ$11.9K

-50.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,476 £2,571

$3,721 NZ$6,324

-6.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,956 NZ$5,024

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.91

5.39

-8.91%

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

Last update for Folkestone: August 29, 2026

Last update for Wellington: August 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,161 in Folkestone versus $1,305 in Wellington. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69.0 in Folkestone versus $67.0 in Wellington. Groceries tell a different story – $291 in Folkestone vs $362 in Wellington – so Folkestone wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

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

Folkestone vs Wellington: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,970 in Folkestone, $2,447 in Wellington – roughly 24% apart. Wellington costs more across the board, with Getting Around showing the biggest gap.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,954 per month in Folkestone and $3,670 in Wellington. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Folkestone, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69.0 in Folkestone and $67.0 in Wellington. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,970 in Folkestone and $2,447 in Wellington. The difference isn't just one category – it shows up across housing, food, transport, and services.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Folkestone, where all-in costs run around $1,970, than in Wellington at $2,447. In Folkestone it covers expenses comfortably, while in Wellington it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Wellington has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,970 in Folkestone to $2,447 in Wellington. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Folkestone. 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.