Cost of Living Comparison Between Invercargill and Wellington Cost of Living Comparison Between Invercargill and Wellington

🙂 Solo nomad: Invercargill is 22.5% cheaper than Wellington without rent, and 32.9% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Invercargill is 9.7% cheaper than Wellington without rent, and 28% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Invercargill
Wellington
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.2 NZ$20.13
$17.57 NZ$28.98
-30.56%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$72 NZ$119
$82.9 NZ$137
-13.18%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.59 NZ$14.16
$9.53 NZ$15.72
-9.86%
Cappuccino
$3.51 NZ$5.79
$3.59 NZ$5.92
-2.23%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.73 NZ$2.86
$2.47 NZ$4.08
-29.96%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.46 NZ$2.41
$2.2 NZ$3.62
-33.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.93 NZ$9.79
$7.03 NZ$11.6
-15.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.84 NZ$7.99
$7.38 NZ$12.18
-34.42%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Invercargill
Wellington
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.49 NZ$2.46
$1.88 NZ$3.1
-20.74%
White Bread (500g)
$1.73 NZ$2.86
$2.09 NZ$3.44
-17.22%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.76 NZ$2.91
$1.96 NZ$3.23
-10.20%
Eggs
$5.7 NZ$9.4
$6.89 NZ$11.37
-17.27%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.17 NZ$13.48
$8.24 NZ$13.6
-0.85%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.38 NZ$15.48
$10.92 NZ$18.01
-14.10%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.31 NZ$21.95
$12.99 NZ$21.42
2.46%
Apples (1kg)
$2.84 NZ$4.69
$3.12 NZ$5.15
-8.97%
Banana (1kg)
$2.27 NZ$3.74
$2.31 NZ$3.82
-1.73%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.57 NZ$4.24
$3.1 NZ$5.12
-17.10%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.66 NZ$6.03
$4.68 NZ$7.72
-21.79%
Potato (1kg)
$2 NZ$3.29
$2.07 NZ$3.41
-3.38%
Onion (1kg)
$1.78 NZ$2.93
$1.57 NZ$2.59
13.38%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.48 NZ$4.09
$2.3 NZ$3.79
7.83%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 NZ$1.77
$1.28 NZ$2.11
-16.41%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$21.97 NZ$36.23
$27.02 NZ$44.57
-18.69%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.55 NZ$14.1
$10.48 NZ$17.28
-18.42%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.06 NZ$6.69
$3.68 NZ$6.08
10.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.66 NZ$6.03
$3.24 NZ$5.35
12.96%
🚌 Getting Around
Invercargill
Wellington
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.6 NZ$2.63
$2.78 NZ$4.59
-42.45%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$63.2 NZ$104
$106 NZ$175
-40.62%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.35 NZ$3.88
$2.67 NZ$4.41
-11.99%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.95 NZ$3.21
$1.78 NZ$2.93
9.55%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$30.23 NZ$49.86
$59.2 NZ$97.6
-48.89%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.63 NZ$2.69
$1.66 NZ$2.73
-1.81%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$25.5K NZ$42.1K
$33K NZ$54.5K
-22.72%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.2K NZ$33.3K
$25K NZ$41.3K
-19.25%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Invercargill
Wellington
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$101 NZ$167
$161 NZ$265
-36.92%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$35.1 NZ$57.9
$33.1 NZ$54.6
6.04%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$49.5 NZ$81.7
$52.6 NZ$86.7
-5.86%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Invercargill
Wellington
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$29.19 NZ$48.15
$36.7 NZ$60.5
-20.46%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.93 NZ$19.67
$20.16 NZ$33.25
-40.82%
Cinema Ticket
$9.71 NZ$16.02
$11.86 NZ$19.56
-18.13%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Invercargill
Wellington
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$584 NZ$963
$789 NZ$1,301
-25.98%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.2K NZ$20.1K
$12.7K NZ$20.9K
-3.98%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Invercargill
Wellington
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$65.6 NZ$108
$72.5 NZ$120
-9.48%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.5 NZ$58.6
$53.7 NZ$88.6
-33.93%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$82 NZ$135
$118 NZ$195
-30.56%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$83.9 NZ$138
$145 NZ$240
-42.28%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Invercargill
Wellington
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$649 NZ$1,071
$1,341 NZ$2,211
-51.57%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$586 NZ$966
$1,091 NZ$1,800
-46.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$873 NZ$1,439
$2,146 NZ$3,539
-59.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,081 NZ$1,783
$1,893 NZ$3,122
-42.90%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,707 NZ$9,413
$6,617 NZ$10.9K
-13.75%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,429 NZ$5,655
$4,828 NZ$7,962
-28.97%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Invercargill
Wellington
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,804 NZ$4,624
$3,228 NZ$5,324
-13.14%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.87
6.94
-1.01%

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

Last update for Invercargill: October 28, 2025

Last update for Wellington: October 28, 2025

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