Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and New Zealand Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and New Zealand

Name: New Zealand
Address: NZ

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,720 in Italy versus $1,877 in New Zealand.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,626 in Italy versus $2,887 in New Zealand.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,531 in Italy versus $3,896 in New Zealand.

Living in Italy costs about 8% less than in New Zealand on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Italy 29% above, New Zealand 41% above.

Italy ($1,191–$2,443) and New Zealand ($1,444–$2,737) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.16 €14.86

$15.08 NZ$25.57

13.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.4 €70.5

$79.5 NZ$135

2.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.60 €10.05

$9.53 NZ$16.15

21.72%

Cappuccino

$1.98 €1.71

$3.44 NZ$5.84

-42.44%

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

$3.00 €2.60

$2.29 NZ$3.88

31.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.18

$2.16 NZ$3.67

-37.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.92 €5.13

$6.90 NZ$11.69

-14.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.25 €4.55

$6.72 NZ$11.40

-21.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 €1.48

$1.86 NZ$3.15

-8.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 €2.05

$1.91 NZ$3.24

24.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.03 €2.63

$1.81 NZ$3.07

67.40%

Eggs

$3.95 €3.42

$6.55 NZ$11.11

-39.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.66 €14.43

$8.38 NZ$14.21

98.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.26 €10.61

$9.79 NZ$16.60

25.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.06 €17.37

$13.24 NZ$22.44

51.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 €2.21

$2.79 NZ$4.73

-8.60%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 €1.91

$2.27 NZ$3.85

-3.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.75 €2.38

$3.15 NZ$5.33

-12.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.22 €2.79

$4.62 NZ$7.84

-30.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 €1.68

$2.12 NZ$3.59

-8.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 €1.58

$1.80 NZ$3.05

1.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 €1.28

$2.36 NZ$4.01

-37.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 €0.43

$1.20 NZ$2.03

-58.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.13 €6.17

$23.77 NZ$40.30

-70.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.37 €6.38

$9.10 NZ$15.43

-19.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 €1.52

$3.08 NZ$5.22

-42.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 €2.19

$3.65 NZ$6.18

-30.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.99 €1.72

$2.35 NZ$3.99

-15.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.32 €36.65

$106 NZ$179

-59.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.67 €4.91

$2.40 NZ$4.06

136.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 €1.31

$1.87 NZ$3.16

-18.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.94 €30.25

$36.12 NZ$61.2

-3.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 €1.81

$1.66 NZ$2.81

25.90%

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

$32.7K €28.3K

$27.6K NZ$46.8K

18.26%

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

$32.9K €28.5K

$21.9K NZ$37.2K

50.14%

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

$227 €196

$140 NZ$238

61.51%

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

$13.58 €11.76

$35.04 NZ$59.4

-61.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.57 €27.34

$51.3 NZ$87.0

-38.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 €49.93

$37.23 NZ$63.1

54.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.23 €21.85

$15.15 NZ$25.68

66.53%

Cinema Ticket

$10.59 €9.18

$12.01 NZ$20.36

-11.82%

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

$568 €492

$751 NZ$1,273

-24.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K €9,126

$11.8K NZ$19.9K

-10.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €78.5

$69.0 NZ$117

31.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.49 €35.06

$42.75 NZ$72.5

-5.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.8 €86.4

$97.3 NZ$165

2.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 €112

$118 NZ$200

9.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$865 €749

$1,106 NZ$1,875

-21.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$672 €582

$903 NZ$1,531

-25.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,523 €1,319

$1,781 NZ$3,020

-14.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 €934

$1,549 NZ$2,626

-30.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,767 €3,262

$5,620 NZ$9,527

-32.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,360 €2,044

$3,628 NZ$6,151

-34.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,949 €1,688

$2,911 NZ$4,935

-33.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.41

6.74

-34.57%

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

Last update for Italy: July 27, 2026

Last update for New Zealand: July 26, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $743 in Italy, $983 in New Zealand. Capital cities: $1,334 in Rome vs $1,315 in Wellington.

National salary averages: $1,912 in Italy, $3,036 in New Zealand. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 32% higher in New Zealand.

Public transport is 55% more expensive in New Zealand.

Salaries are 59% higher in New Zealand, and purchasing power comes out stronger in New Zealand.

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

Italy vs New Zealand: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,817 per month in Italy and $2,091 in New Zealand, there's a 15% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is simply cheaper in Italy: lower food prices, cheaper commutes, smaller household bills. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent in New Zealand is consistently higher than in Italy across the board, especially in major cities. Housing is usually the single biggest driver of the overall cost difference between the two countries.

In Italy, $2,500 covers most cities easily; in New Zealand it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: Italy wins on affordability; New Zealand may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.