Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Invercargill and Courtenay

For one person, living is cheaper in Invercargill: $1,425 a month against $2,184 in Courtenay, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Invercargill
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Invercargill Living Index
104

Cost of Living Index in Courtenay
Learn more

Courtenay Living Index

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Invercargill

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,425

/mo nomad

Courtenay

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,184

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Invercargill and in Courtenay

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

A single person spends $1,425 per month in Invercargill vs $2,184 in Courtenay, rent included.

Invercargill $1,425
Courtenay $2,184

A couple spends around $2,122 per month in Invercargill vs $3,080 in Courtenay, rent included.

Invercargill $2,122
Courtenay $3,080

A family of three spends $2,819 per month in Invercargill vs $3,975 in Courtenay, rent included.

Invercargill $2,819
Courtenay $3,975

Invercargill is about 35% cheaper than Courtenay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Invercargill and Courtenay sit above the global median – Invercargill by 5%, Courtenay by 60%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.31 NZ$25.44

$14.38 CA$20.09

-0.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.1 NZ$110

$57.2 CA$79.9

8.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.28 NZ$14.72

$9.76 CA$13.64

-15.16%

Cappuccino

$3.17 NZ$5.63

$3.68 CA$5.14

-13.86%

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

$1.67 NZ$2.98

$2.04 CA$2.85

-18.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 NZ$3.79

$1.55 CA$2.17

37.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.79 NZ$4.97

$5.79 CA$8.09

-51.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 NZ$5.09

$5.74 CA$8.02

-50.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 NZ$3.07

$2.41 CA$3.37

-28.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 NZ$3.39

$2.05 CA$2.87

-6.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 NZ$3.15

$2.08 CA$2.91

-14.90%

Eggs

$5.78 NZ$10.27

$3.20 CA$4.47

80.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.67 NZ$15.42

$10.17 CA$14.20

-14.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.78 NZ$15.60

$9.20 CA$12.85

-4.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.05 NZ$21.42

$19.79 CA$27.64

-39.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.70 NZ$4.81

$3.30 CA$4.61

-18.18%

Banana (1kg)

$2.40 NZ$4.27

$1.31 CA$1.83

83.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 NZ$4.64

$2.35 CA$3.28

11.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.44 NZ$6.11

$3.07 CA$4.29

12.05%

Potato (1kg)

$3.29 NZ$5.85

$2.65 CA$3.71

24.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 NZ$2.95

$2.15 CA$3.00

-22.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 NZ$4.10

$2.07 CA$2.89

11.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 NZ$1.86

$1.64 CA$2.29

-35.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.03 NZ$37.38

$14.20 CA$19.84

48.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.42 NZ$14.97

$10.89 CA$15.22

-22.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 NZ$5.15

$2.59 CA$3.62

11.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 NZ$5.86

$2.44 CA$3.40

34.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.46 NZ$2.60

$1.94 CA$2.71

-24.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.49 CA$59.4

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 NZ$3.99

$2.75 CA$3.84

-18.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.89 NZ$3.35

$1.40 CA$1.96

35.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.04 NZ$49.85

$17.82 CA$24.89

57.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 NZ$2.82

$1.28 CA$1.78

23.44%

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

$24.1K NZ$42.9K

$20.8K CA$29.1K

15.66%

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

$18.6K NZ$33.1K

$18.2K CA$25.5K

1.95%

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

$113 NZ$201

$139 CA$194

-18.49%

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

$32.59 NZ$57.9

$36.71 CA$51.3

-11.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.59 NZ$75.7

$65.3 CA$91.3

-34.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.26 NZ$50.2

$42.38 CA$59.2

-33.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.12 NZ$25.10

$38.49 CA$53.8

-63.32%

Cinema Ticket

$8.86 NZ$15.75

$10.78 CA$15.06

-17.81%

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

$597 NZ$1,060

$648 CA$906

-7.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K CA$17.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.1 NZ$105

$56.9 CA$79.5

3.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.27 NZ$62.7

$45.43 CA$63.5

-22.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.3 NZ$125

$78.5 CA$110

-10.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 NZ$139

$59.8 CA$83.5

30.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$611 NZ$1,087

$1,219 CA$1,703

-49.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$550 NZ$978

$1,137 CA$1,588

-51.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$835 NZ$1,484

$2,043 CA$2,854

-59.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$769 NZ$1,367

$1,629 CA$2,277

-52.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,776 NZ$10.3K

$5,318 CA$7,429

8.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,013 NZ$8,910

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,756 NZ$4,900

$3,239 CA$4,525

-14.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.72

4.87

37.99%

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

Last update for Invercargill: October 25, 2026

Last update for Courtenay: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Invercargill

$550 38.6%

Courtenay

$1.1K 52.1% 107% $586

Groceries & Markets

Invercargill

$301 21.1%

Courtenay

$331 15.1% 9.8% $30

Eating Out

Invercargill

$212 14.9%

Courtenay

$243 11.1% 14.6% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Invercargill

$188 13.2%

Courtenay

$241 11% 27.9% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Invercargill

$109 7.7%

Courtenay

$108 5% 1% $1.1

Sport & Entertainment

Invercargill

$46 3.2%

Courtenay

$64 2.9% 39% $18

Getting Around

Invercargill

$18 * 1.2%

Courtenay

$60 2.8% 243% $43

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $611 in Invercargill versus $1,219 in Courtenay. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 17% higher in Courtenay, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Invercargill versus $57 in Courtenay. Groceries tell a different story – $301 in Invercargill vs $331 in Courtenay – so Invercargill wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Invercargill

🇨🇦 Courtenay

🕒 Local time

21:50 9:50 PM

01:50 1:50 AM

20 h behind Invercargill

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

56,200

25,599

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.716 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Invercargill Courtenay 12,460 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Invercargill
Courtenay

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

Invercargill vs Courtenay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Courtenay is pricier by about 53%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,138 per month in Invercargill and $3,276 in Courtenay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Invercargill, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $611 there versus $1,219 in Courtenay.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,425 in Invercargill and $2,184 in Courtenay. That makes Invercargill about 35% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $597 per month in Invercargill and $648 in Courtenay. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,425 in Invercargill and $2,184 in Courtenay. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

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