Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Folkestone and Wellington

For one person, living is cheaper in Folkestone: $1,977 a month against $2,376 in Wellington, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

95

Cost of Living Index in Folkestone
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Folkestone Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Wellington
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Wellington Living Index

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Folkestone

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$1,977

/mo nomad

Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,376

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Folkestone 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 Folkestone and in Wellington actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,977 per month in Folkestone vs $2,376 in Wellington, rent included.

Folkestone $1,977
Wellington $2,376

A couple spends around $3,052 per month in Folkestone vs $3,407 in Wellington, rent included.

Folkestone $3,052
Wellington $3,407

A family of three spends $4,128 per month in Folkestone vs $4,439 in Wellington, rent included.

Folkestone $4,128
Wellington $4,439

Folkestone is about 17% cheaper than Wellington, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Folkestone and Wellington sit above the global median – Folkestone by 46%, Wellington by 75%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.37 £13.03

$14.01 NZ$24.78

23.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.7 £50.1

$65.8 NZ$116

1.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 £7.90

$9.37 NZ$16.56

12.49%

Cappuccino

$4.74 £3.56

$3.40 NZ$6.02

39.41%

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

$2.72 £2.04

$2.46 NZ$4.35

10.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 £1.38

$1.75 NZ$3.09

5.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.75 £5.06

$7.27 NZ$12.85

-7.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.45 £4.84

$6.71 NZ$11.87

-3.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 £1.13

$1.94 NZ$3.43

-22.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.33 £1.00

$2.15 NZ$3.81

-38.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.30 £0.98

$1.83 NZ$3.25

-28.96%

Eggs

$2.98 £2.23

$6.88 NZ$12.16

-56.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.60 £7.20

$9.19 NZ$16.26

4.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.80 £5.85

$9.99 NZ$17.67

-21.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.76 £11.07

$14.97 NZ$26.48

-1.40%

Apples (1kg)

$3.25 £2.44

$3.03 NZ$5.36

7.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 £1.09

$2.24 NZ$3.96

-35.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.79 £2.09

$3.09 NZ$5.47

-9.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.26 £2.44

$6.55 NZ$11.59

-50.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.59 £1.20

$2.16 NZ$3.83

-26.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.41 £1.06

$1.28 NZ$2.27

10.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.69 £1.27

$2.10 NZ$3.71

-19.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 £1.11

$1.20 NZ$2.12

23.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.97 £17.98

$25.79 NZ$45.60

-7.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.79 £8.09

$11.27 NZ$19.94

-4.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 £2.09

$3.12 NZ$5.51

-10.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 £2.75

$2.82 NZ$4.98

30.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.71 £2.03

$2.76 NZ$4.89

-1.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.78 £24.59

$104 NZ$184

-68.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 £0.99

$1.88 NZ$3.33

-29.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.68 £1.26

$1.78 NZ$3.14

-5.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.69 £16.28

$33.72 NZ$59.6

-35.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.98 £1.48

$1.85 NZ$3.27

7.03%

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

$38.4K £28.8K

$28.7K NZ$50.8K

33.67%

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

$40.6K £30.5K

$23.8K NZ$42.1K

70.59%

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

$253 £190

$194 NZ$344

30.08%

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

$24.53 £18.40

$33.42 NZ$59.1

-26.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.77 £30.58

$53.5 NZ$94.7

-23.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.1 £54.8

$38.12 NZ$67.4

91.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.46 £7.10

$16.15 NZ$28.56

-41.42%

Cinema Ticket

$21.11 £15.84

$11.97 NZ$21.17

76.36%

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

$1,046 £785

$1,056 NZ$1,868

-0.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.3K £15.2K

$12.9K NZ$22.9K

56.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.4 £52.1

$79.2 NZ$140

-12.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.93 £23.95

$28.87 NZ$51.1

10.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.6 £58.2

$103 NZ$182

-24.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$51.1 £38.30

$156 NZ$275

-67.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,130 £848

$1,217 NZ$2,152

-7.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$810 £607

$1,147 NZ$2,028

-29.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,479 £1,109

$2,154 NZ$3,809

-31.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,631 £1,224

$1,731 NZ$3,061

-5.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,465 £2,600

$6,780 NZ$12.0K

-48.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,474 £2,606

$3,655 NZ$6,464

-4.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,812 NZ$4,972

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: October 20, 2026

Last update for Wellington: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Folkestone

$810 41%

Wellington

$1.1K 48.3% 41.6% $337

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Folkestone

$318 16.1%

Wellington

$281 11.8% 11.6% $37

Eating Out

Folkestone

$292 14.8%

Wellington

$248 10.4% 15.3% $45

Groceries & Markets

Folkestone

$285 14.4%

Wellington

$348 14.6% 22% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Folkestone

$115 5.8%

Wellington

$62 2.6% 46.2% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Folkestone

$103 5.2%

Wellington

$165 6.9% 59.4% $61

Getting Around

Folkestone

$53 2.7%

Wellington

$126 5.3% 136% $73

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,130 in Folkestone 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Folkestone versus $66.0 in Wellington. Groceries tell a different story – $285 in Folkestone vs $348 in Wellington – so Folkestone wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Folkestone

🇳🇿 Wellington

🕒 Local time

17:23 5:23 PM

05:23 5:23 AM

12 h ahead of Folkestone

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

45,273

215,900 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 22, 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 22, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Folkestone Wellington 18,820 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Folkestone
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

Folkestone vs Wellington: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,977 in Folkestone, $2,376 in Wellington – roughly 20% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,966 per month in Folkestone and $3,564 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 $67.0 in Folkestone and $66.0 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 $1,977 in Folkestone and $2,376 in Wellington. That's a gap of about 20%.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Folkestone, where all-in costs run around $1,977, than in Wellington at $2,376. 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 $1,977 in Folkestone to $2,376 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.