Cost of Living Comparison Between Hamilton and Christchurch Cost of Living Comparison Between Hamilton and Christchurch

๐Ÿ™‚ Solo nomad: Hamilton is 8.2% cheaper than Christchurch without rent, and 16.4% cheaper with rent.
๐Ÿ™‚ Family of 3: Hamilton is 3.8% cheaper than Christchurch without rent, and 1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Hamilton
Christchurch
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.79 NZ$22.75
$16.56 NZ$27.32
-16.73%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$85.1 NZ$140
$71.4 NZ$118
19.15%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.71 NZ$14.36
$9.41 NZ$15.53
-7.44%
Cappuccino
$3.53 NZ$5.82
$3.34 NZ$5.52
5.69%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.41 NZ$3.97
$2.3 NZ$3.8
4.78%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.92 NZ$4.81
$2.03 NZ$3.34
43.84%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.89 NZ$11.37
$7.31 NZ$12.06
-5.75%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.09 NZ$10.04
$7.2 NZ$11.87
-15.42%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Hamilton
Christchurch
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.59 NZ$2.63
$1.91 NZ$3.16
-16.75%
White Bread (500g)
$1.28 NZ$2.1
$1.94 NZ$3.2
-34.02%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.98 NZ$3.27
$1.73 NZ$2.85
14.45%
Eggs
$5.8 NZ$9.57
$6.26 NZ$10.33
-7.35%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.82 NZ$9.6
$8.18 NZ$13.48
-28.85%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.08 NZ$13.32
$9.65 NZ$15.91
-16.27%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.05 NZ$18.23
$12.83 NZ$21.17
-13.87%
Apples (1kg)
$2.77 NZ$4.56
$3.06 NZ$5.04
-9.48%
Banana (1kg)
$2.88 NZ$4.75
$2.71 NZ$4.46
6.27%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.94 NZ$4.85
$2.95 NZ$4.87
-0.34%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.81 NZ$11.24
$5.52 NZ$9.11
23.37%
Potato (1kg)
$2.2 NZ$3.62
$2.15 NZ$3.54
2.33%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 NZ$3.25
$2.21 NZ$3.64
-10.86%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.59 NZ$4.28
$2.98 NZ$4.91
-13.09%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.02 NZ$1.68
$1.45 NZ$2.4
-29.66%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$25.81 NZ$42.56
$23.66 NZ$39.02
9.09%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.43 NZ$18.85
$8.93 NZ$14.72
28.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.57 NZ$5.89
$3.82 NZ$6.29
-6.54%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.5 NZ$7.42
$4.85 NZ$8
-7.22%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Hamilton
Christchurch
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.67 NZ$2.76
$1.24 NZ$2.05
34.68%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$47.97 NZ$79.1
$41.94 NZ$69.2
14.38%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.24 NZ$7
$2.63 NZ$4.34
61.22%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.94 NZ$3.2
$1.64 NZ$2.7
18.29%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$42.77 NZ$70.5
$30.26 NZ$49.91
41.34%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.69 NZ$2.79
$1.71 NZ$2.81
-1.17%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.4K NZ$38.7K
$27K NZ$44.5K
-13.06%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.2K NZ$38.3K
$20K NZ$33K
16.00%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hamilton
Christchurch
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$91 NZ$150
$116 NZ$191
-21.24%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$39.28 NZ$64.8
$32.15 NZ$53
22.18%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$53 NZ$87.5
$52.6 NZ$86.8
0.76%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Hamilton
Christchurch
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$32.17 NZ$53.1
$34.61 NZ$57.1
-7.05%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.44 NZ$27.11
$15.47 NZ$25.51
6.27%
Cinema Ticket
$13.63 NZ$22.47
$10.81 NZ$17.83
26.09%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Hamilton
Christchurch
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$830 NZ$1,369
$653 NZ$1,077
27.17%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18K NZ$29.7K
$9,249 NZ$15.3K
94.54%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Hamilton
Christchurch
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$61.3 NZ$101
$64 NZ$105
-4.14%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.61 NZ$67
$43.12 NZ$71.1
-5.82%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$90.1 NZ$149
$90.8 NZ$150
-0.73%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 NZ$196
$150 NZ$247
-20.77%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Hamilton
Christchurch
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$982 NZ$1,620
$1,536 NZ$2,534
-36.06%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$877 NZ$1,447
$1,158 NZ$1,911
-24.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,225 NZ$2,021
$2,059 NZ$3,395
-40.49%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,576 NZ$2,599
$1,488 NZ$2,453
5.94%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,447 NZ$8,984
$4,194 NZ$6,918
29.88%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,724 NZ$7,791
$3,361 NZ$5,543
40.55%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Hamilton
Christchurch
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,676 NZ$4,413
$2,736 NZ$4,512
-2.20%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.83
6.74
1.34%

Citycost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Hamilton: October 29, 2025

Last update for Christchurch: October 27, 2025

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