Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hastings, New Zealand and Townsville

For one person, living is cheaper in Hastings: $1,778 a month against $2,606 in Townsville, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Hastings
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Hastings Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Townsville
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Townsville Living Index

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Hastings

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,778

/mo nomad

Townsville

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,606

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hastings and in Townsville

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

A single person spends $1,778 per month in Hastings vs $2,606 in Townsville, rent included.

Hastings $1,778
Townsville $2,606

A couple spends around $2,590 per month in Hastings vs $3,842 in Townsville, rent included.

Hastings $2,590
Townsville $3,842

A family of three spends $3,402 per month in Hastings vs $5,078 in Townsville, rent included.

Hastings $3,402
Townsville $5,078

Hastings is about 32% cheaper than Townsville, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Hastings and Townsville sit above the global median – Hastings by 31%, Townsville by 93%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.32 NZ$20.22

$22.82 A$32.92

-50.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.9 NZ$99.9

$70.4 A$102

-20.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.28 NZ$16.58

$12.16 A$17.54

-23.68%

Cappuccino

$3.23 NZ$5.77

$3.58 A$5.17

-9.78%

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

$1.81 NZ$3.23

$2.64 A$3.80

-31.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 NZ$2.52

$2.47 A$3.57

-42.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.53 NZ$8.10

$8.53 A$12.30

-46.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.72 NZ$10.23

$7.20 A$10.39

-20.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 NZ$2.58

$1.77 A$2.56

-18.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.29 NZ$2.31

$2.27 A$3.27

-43.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 NZ$3.30

$1.36 A$1.96

36.03%

Eggs

$5.49 NZ$9.81

$5.23 A$7.54

4.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.72 NZ$10.22

$8.16 A$11.77

-29.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.48 NZ$13.36

$9.89 A$14.26

-24.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.60 NZ$20.73

$13.37 A$19.29

-13.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.69 NZ$4.80

$4.13 A$5.96

-34.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 NZ$3.49

$2.70 A$3.89

-27.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.25 NZ$5.82

$3.58 A$5.16

-9.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.36 NZ$6.01

$4.29 A$6.19

-21.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 NZ$3.14

$2.64 A$3.81

-33.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 NZ$1.88

$2.85 A$4.12

-63.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 NZ$2.67

$2.30 A$3.32

-35.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 NZ$1.74

$3.26 A$4.70

-70.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.61 NZ$31.46

$30.58 A$44.12

-42.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.56 NZ$17.09

$10.71 A$15.45

-10.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.88 NZ$6.94

$6.93 A$10.00

-44.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 NZ$5.26

$8.54 A$12.32

-65.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.80 NZ$5.01

$2.11 A$3.05

32.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$104 NZ$185

$55.2 A$79.7

87.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.71 NZ$6.63

$2.62 A$3.79

41.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.81 NZ$5.01

$2.04 A$2.95

37.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.41 NZ$52.6

$44.02 A$63.5

-33.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 NZ$2.77

$1.24 A$1.78

25.00%

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

$28.0K NZ$50.0K

$28.1K A$40.6K

-0.59%

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

$22.5K NZ$40.1K

$27.8K A$40.2K

-19.34%

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

$191 NZ$341

$383 A$552

-50.11%

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

$36.96 NZ$66.1

$36.42 A$52.5

1.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.7 NZ$107

$66.0 A$95.2

-9.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.92 NZ$49.89

$55.4 A$79.9

-49.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.73 A$28.46

Cinema Ticket

$10.09 NZ$18.03

$15.23 A$21.98

-33.75%

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

$681 NZ$1,216

$2,084 A$3,006

-67.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K NZ$39.8K

$12.2K A$17.7K

81.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.85 NZ$83.7

$92.5 A$133

-49.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.31 NZ$68.5

$70.1 A$101

-45.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.0 NZ$170

$164 A$236

-41.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.2 NZ$161

$131 A$190

-31.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$817 NZ$1,459

$1,286 A$1,854

-36.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$713 NZ$1,274

$1,025 A$1,478

-30.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,581 NZ$2,825

$2,313 A$3,336

-31.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,134 NZ$2,026

$1,845 A$2,662

-38.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,858 NZ$8,681

$4,976 A$7,178

-2.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,289 NZ$5,878

$4,112 A$5,932

-20.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,574 NZ$2,813

$4,066 A$5,865

-61.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.83

5.68

20.25%

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

Last update for Hastings: November 3, 2026

Last update for Townsville: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hastings

$713 40.1%

Townsville

$1K 39.3% 43.7% $312

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hastings

$288 16.2%

Townsville

$485 18.6% 68.7% $198

Groceries & Markets

Hastings

$270 15.2%

Townsville

$389 14.9% 43.6% $118

Eating Out

Hastings

$204 11.5%

Townsville

$340 13% 66.4% $135

Getting Around

Hastings

$133 7.5%

Townsville

$77 2.9% 42.3% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Hastings

$122 6.8%

Townsville

$206 7.9% 69.3% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Hastings

$48 2.7%

Townsville

$86 3.3% 78.4% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $817 in Hastings versus $1,286 in Townsville. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Townsville are about 2.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56 in Hastings versus $70 in Townsville. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $270 vs $389 – making Hastings the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Hastings

🇦🇺 Townsville

🕒 Local time

03:40 3:40 AM

00:40 12:40 AM

3 h behind Hastings

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,100

173,724

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.56 USD

1 NZD = 0.498 EUR

1 AUD = 0.693 USD

1 AUD = 0.617 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 NZD (1 NZD = 0.56 USD). 1 EUR = 2.01 NZD (1 NZD = 0.498 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.693 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.617 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hastings Townsville 3,660 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Hastings
Townsville

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

Hastings vs Townsville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Townsville costs about 47% more than Hastings, 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,666 per month in Hastings and $3,910 in Townsville. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Hastings, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $817 there versus $1,286 in Townsville.

Groceries cost about 44% more in Townsville, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56 in Hastings and $70 in Townsville. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Hastings, where all-in costs run around $1,778, than in Townsville at $2,606. In Hastings it covers expenses comfortably, while in Townsville it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Hastings – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Hastings. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Townsville makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.