Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kerikeri and Wellington

For one person, living is cheaper in Kerikeri: $1,901 a month against $2,313 in Wellington, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

98

Cost of Living Index in Kerikeri
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Kerikeri Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Wellington
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Wellington Living Index

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Kerikeri

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,901

/mo nomad

Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,313

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kerikeri and in Wellington

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

A single person spends $1,901 per month in Kerikeri vs $2,313 in Wellington, rent included.

Kerikeri $1,901
Wellington $2,313

A couple spends around $2,858 per month in Kerikeri vs $3,422 in Wellington, rent included.

Kerikeri $2,858
Wellington $3,422

A family of three spends $3,815 per month in Kerikeri vs $4,530 in Wellington, rent included.

Kerikeri $3,815
Wellington $4,530

Kerikeri is about 18% cheaper than Wellington, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Kerikeri and Wellington sit above the global median – Kerikeri by 40%, Wellington by 70%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 NZ$24.84

$14.02 NZ$24.90

-0.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.8 NZ$122

$66.5 NZ$118

3.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.19 NZ$16.32

$9.23 NZ$16.38

-0.43%

Cappuccino

$3.35 NZ$5.96

$3.41 NZ$6.06

-1.76%

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

$2.05 NZ$3.64

$2.43 NZ$4.32

-15.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 NZ$3.16

$1.69 NZ$3.00

5.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.62 NZ$11.76

$7.48 NZ$13.29

-11.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.72 NZ$11.93

$6.74 NZ$11.97

-0.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 NZ$3.42

$1.95 NZ$3.47

-1.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 NZ$3.94

$2.25 NZ$4.00

-1.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.89 NZ$3.35

$1.85 NZ$3.29

2.16%

Eggs

$6.31 NZ$11.21

$7.10 NZ$12.61

-11.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.92 NZ$14.05

$9.54 NZ$16.94

-16.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.18 NZ$18.06

$9.62 NZ$17.08

5.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.40 NZ$30.89

$15.26 NZ$27.09

14.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 NZ$5.09

$3.09 NZ$5.49

-7.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 NZ$3.87

$2.15 NZ$3.83

1.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 NZ$5.33

$3.08 NZ$5.47

-2.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.01 NZ$10.67

$6.42 NZ$11.40

-6.39%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 NZ$3.68

$2.10 NZ$3.72

-1.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 NZ$2.71

$1.23 NZ$2.19

23.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 NZ$3.50

$2.01 NZ$3.57

-1.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 NZ$0.97

$1.16 NZ$2.06

-53.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$27.72 NZ$49.22

$25.37 NZ$45.04

9.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.57 NZ$18.76

$11.48 NZ$20.39

-7.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.89 NZ$5.13

$3.12 NZ$5.53

-7.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 NZ$6.08

$2.89 NZ$5.12

18.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.74 NZ$3.09

$2.86 NZ$5.08

-39.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 NZ$189

$105 NZ$186

1.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.75 NZ$3.11

$1.88 NZ$3.34

-6.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 NZ$2.94

$1.83 NZ$3.25

-9.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.70 NZ$58.1

$34.31 NZ$60.9

-4.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 NZ$2.87

$1.84 NZ$3.27

-11.96%

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

$26.7K NZ$47.5K

$28.4K NZ$50.4K

-5.84%

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

$22.1K NZ$39.3K

$23.8K NZ$42.3K

-7.07%

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

$119 NZ$212

$201 NZ$357

-40.63%

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

$27.03 NZ$48.00

$33.35 NZ$59.2

-18.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.7 NZ$90.1

$53.7 NZ$95.3

-5.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.13 NZ$67.7

$35.87 NZ$63.7

6.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.18 NZ$28.73

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 NZ$18.35

$11.78 NZ$20.92

-12.22%

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

$1,059 NZ$1,880

$1,065 NZ$1,890

-0.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.4K NZ$34.5K

$13.3K NZ$23.6K

46.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.4 NZ$141

$80.4 NZ$143

-1.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.58 NZ$59.6

$28.04 NZ$49.78

19.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.7 NZ$170

$102 NZ$180

-5.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 NZ$198

$154 NZ$274

-27.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$968 NZ$1,719

$1,143 NZ$2,029

-15.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$800 NZ$1,420

$1,078 NZ$1,914

-25.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,620 NZ$2,876

$2,057 NZ$3,651

-21.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 NZ$2,286

$1,814 NZ$3,220

-29.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,323 NZ$7,676

$6,594 NZ$11.7K

-34.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,871 NZ$5,098

$3,655 NZ$6,489

-21.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,793 NZ$10.3K

$2,785 NZ$4,945

108.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.37

5.39

-0.37%

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

Last update for Kerikeri: October 25, 2026

Last update for Wellington: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kerikeri

$800 42.1%

Wellington

$1.1K 46.6% 34.8% $278

Groceries & Markets

Kerikeri

$337 17.7%

Wellington

$348 15.1% 3.4% $12

Eating Out

Kerikeri

$242 12.7%

Wellington

$248 10.7% 2.7% $6.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kerikeri

$197 10.4%

Wellington

$288 12.4% 46.1% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Kerikeri

$144 7.6%

Wellington

$164 7.1% 13.8% $20

Getting Around

Kerikeri

$123 6.5%

Wellington

$127 5.5% 3.3% $4.1

Sport & Entertainment

Kerikeri

$59 3.1%

Wellington

$59 2.6% 1.1% $0.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $968 in Kerikeri versus $1,143 in Wellington. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Kerikeri are about 2.1 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69 in Kerikeri versus $66 in Wellington. Groceries tell a different story – $337 in Kerikeri vs $348 in Wellington – so Kerikeri wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Kerikeri

🇳🇿 Wellington

🕒 Local time

05:31 5:31 AM

Same time as Kerikeri

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

215,900 Capital

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Kerikeri Wellington 680 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Kerikeri
Wellington

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

Kerikeri vs Wellington: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Wellington costs about 22% more than Kerikeri, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,852 per month in Kerikeri and $3,470 in Wellington. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kerikeri, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $968 there versus $1,143 in Wellington.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69 in Kerikeri and $66 in Wellington. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 3% more in Wellington, though the gap depends on what you buy.

It depends on your priorities. Wellington has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,901 in Kerikeri to $2,313 in Wellington. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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