Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fox Glacier and Wellington

For one person, living is cheaper in Fox Glacier: $1,965 a month against $2,313 in Wellington, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

96

Cost of Living Index in Fox Glacier
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Fox Glacier Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Wellington
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Wellington Living Index

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Fox Glacier

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,965

/mo nomad

Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,313

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,965 in Fox Glacier versus $2,313 in Wellington.

Fox Glacier $1,965
Wellington $2,313

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,013 in Fox Glacier versus $3,422 in Wellington.

Fox Glacier $3,013
Wellington $3,422

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,061 in Fox Glacier versus $4,530 in Wellington.

Fox Glacier $4,061
Wellington $4,530

Living in Fox Glacier costs roughly 15% less than in Wellington, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Fox Glacier 44% above, Wellington 70% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.92 NZ$26.49

$14.02 NZ$24.90

6.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.1 NZ$110

$66.5 NZ$118

-6.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.20 NZ$14.56

$9.23 NZ$16.38

-11.16%

Cappuccino

$3.55 NZ$6.30

$3.41 NZ$6.06

4.11%

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

$1.78 NZ$3.17

$2.43 NZ$4.32

-26.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 NZ$2.93

$1.69 NZ$3.00

-2.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.68 NZ$11.86

$7.48 NZ$13.29

-10.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.97 NZ$12.37

$6.74 NZ$11.97

3.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 NZ$3.57

$1.95 NZ$3.47

3.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 NZ$3.18

$2.25 NZ$4.00

-20.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 NZ$3.07

$1.85 NZ$3.29

-6.49%

Eggs

$5.99 NZ$10.63

$7.10 NZ$12.61

-15.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.41 NZ$16.71

$9.54 NZ$16.94

-1.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.72 NZ$15.47

$9.62 NZ$17.08

-9.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.28 NZ$27.13

$15.26 NZ$27.09

0.13%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 NZ$5.36

$3.09 NZ$5.49

-2.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 NZ$3.86

$2.15 NZ$3.83

0.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 NZ$4.71

$3.08 NZ$5.47

-13.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.95 NZ$8.79

$6.42 NZ$11.40

-22.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 NZ$3.95

$2.10 NZ$3.72

5.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 NZ$2.65

$1.23 NZ$2.19

21.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 NZ$4.08

$2.01 NZ$3.57

14.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 NZ$2.08

$1.16 NZ$2.06

0.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.30 NZ$43.15

$25.37 NZ$45.04

-4.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.18 NZ$14.51

$11.48 NZ$20.39

-28.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 NZ$5.08

$3.12 NZ$5.53

-8.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 NZ$5.13

$2.89 NZ$5.12

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.90 NZ$3.38

$2.86 NZ$5.08

-33.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.2 NZ$169

$105 NZ$186

-9.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.08 NZ$3.70

$1.88 NZ$3.34

10.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 NZ$3.58

$1.83 NZ$3.25

10.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.35 NZ$48.56

$34.31 NZ$60.9

-20.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 NZ$3.48

$1.84 NZ$3.27

6.52%

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

$27.8K NZ$49.4K

$28.4K NZ$50.4K

-1.90%

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

$25.5K NZ$45.2K

$23.8K NZ$42.3K

6.94%

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

$96.7 NZ$172

$201 NZ$357

-51.84%

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

$29.56 NZ$52.5

$33.35 NZ$59.2

-11.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.5 NZ$93.3

$53.7 NZ$95.3

-2.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.47 NZ$66.5

$35.87 NZ$63.7

4.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.18 NZ$28.73

Cinema Ticket

$9.87 NZ$17.53

$11.78 NZ$20.92

-16.21%

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

$704 NZ$1,250

$1,065 NZ$1,890

-33.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K NZ$30.3K

$13.3K NZ$23.6K

28.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.3 NZ$127

$80.4 NZ$143

-11.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.01 NZ$58.6

$28.04 NZ$49.78

17.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.8 NZ$177

$102 NZ$180

-1.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 NZ$178

$154 NZ$274

-35.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 NZ$1,913

$1,143 NZ$2,029

-5.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$911 NZ$1,617

$1,078 NZ$1,914

-15.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,580 NZ$2,806

$2,057 NZ$3,651

-23.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,645 NZ$2,921

$1,814 NZ$3,220

-9.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,875 NZ$8,655

$6,594 NZ$11.7K

-26.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,516 NZ$6,242

$3,655 NZ$6,489

-3.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,785 NZ$4,945

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.83

5.39

8.16%

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

Last update for Fox Glacier: October 26, 2026

Last update for Wellington: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fox Glacier

$911 46.3%

Wellington

$1.1K 46.6% 18.4% $168

Groceries & Markets

Fox Glacier

$319 16.3%

Wellington

$348 15.1% 9% $29

Eating Out

Fox Glacier

$248 12.6%

Wellington

$248 10.7% 0.2% $0.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fox Glacier

$179 9.1%

Wellington

$288 12.4% 61% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Fox Glacier

$137 7%

Wellington

$164 7.1% 19.7% $27

Getting Around

Fox Glacier

$115 5.9%

Wellington

$127 5.5% 10.8% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Fox Glacier

$57 2.9%

Wellington

$59 2.6% 3.9% $2.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,078 in Fox Glacier and $1,143 in Wellington. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62 in Fox Glacier vs $66 in Wellington for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $319 vs $348 per month, with Fox Glacier cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Fox Glacier

🇳🇿 Wellington

🕒 Local time

09:20 9:20 AM

Same time as Fox Glacier

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

300

215,900 Capital

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Fox Glacier vs Wellington: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,965 in Fox Glacier and $2,313 in Wellington, so Fox Glacier is about 15% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,948 in Fox Glacier and $3,470 in Wellington to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,078 in Fox Glacier versus $1,143 in Wellington. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Fox Glacier runs roughly 9% less than in Wellington. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $704 in Fox Glacier versus $1,065 in Wellington. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Fox Glacier gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Fox Glacier gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Wellington. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.