Cost of Living Comparison Between Lincoln and Wellington Cost of Living Comparison Between Lincoln and Wellington

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,236 in Lincoln versus $2,447 in Wellington.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,293 in Lincoln versus $3,492 in Wellington.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,350 in Lincoln versus $4,537 in Wellington.

Living in Lincoln costs roughly 9% less than in Wellington, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lincoln 63% above, Wellington 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.80 £18.35

$14.31 NZ$24.33

73.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.4 £61.0

$67.5 NZ$115

22.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.23 £6.83

$9.66 NZ$16.43

-4.45%

Cappuccino

$5.27 £3.90

$3.43 NZ$5.84

53.64%

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

$2.70 £1.99

$2.51 NZ$4.27

7.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 £1.48

$1.83 NZ$3.11

9.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.86 £5.08

$7.75 NZ$13.18

-11.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.89 £5.10

$7.04 NZ$11.96

-2.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 £1.06

$1.95 NZ$3.32

-26.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 £1.07

$2.35 NZ$3.99

-38.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 £1.02

$1.96 NZ$3.34

-30.10%

Eggs

$3.27 £2.42

$7.23 NZ$12.29

-54.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.69 £6.43

$9.50 NZ$16.14

-8.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.76 £6.48

$10.08 NZ$17.13

-13.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.96 £8.85

$15.65 NZ$26.61

-23.58%

Apples (1kg)

$3.57 £2.64

$3.30 NZ$5.61

8.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 £0.91

$2.28 NZ$3.88

-46.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 £2.26

$3.11 NZ$5.28

-1.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.59 £2.66

$6.90 NZ$11.73

-47.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 £1.11

$2.28 NZ$3.87

-34.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 £0.90

$1.34 NZ$2.28

-8.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 £0.77

$2.10 NZ$3.56

-50.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 £1.07

$1.25 NZ$2.13

16.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.89 £17.67

$26.38 NZ$44.85

-9.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.88 £8.05

$12.04 NZ$20.47

-9.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.23 £2.39

$3.29 NZ$5.60

-1.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 £2.75

$2.91 NZ$4.94

27.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.24 £3.13

$2.99 NZ$5.08

41.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$109 £80.3

$107 NZ$183

1.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.16 £3.08

$1.96 NZ$3.34

112.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.77 £0.57

$1.94 NZ$3.31

-60.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.58 £15.22

$34.91 NZ$59.3

-41.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.94 £1.43

$1.95 NZ$3.32

-0.51%

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

$38.9K £28.8K

$27.1K NZ$46.2K

43.38%

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

$40.8K £30.2K

$26.2K NZ$44.6K

55.38%

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

$312 £231

$210 NZ$357

48.37%

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

$17.34 £12.83

$32.92 NZ$56.0

-47.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.91 £30.27

$57.1 NZ$97.0

-28.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.23 £20.14

$40.38 NZ$68.7

-32.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.58 £15.97

$17.41 NZ$29.60

23.95%

Cinema Ticket

$15.75 £11.65

$13.14 NZ$22.34

19.86%

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

$1,849 £1,368

$1,097 NZ$1,865

68.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.8K £15.4K

$13.8K NZ$23.5K

50.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 £86.1

$82.6 NZ$140

40.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.8 £44.23

$29.26 NZ$49.74

104.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.1 £64.5

$106 NZ$180

-17.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 £74.4

$158 NZ$269

-36.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,086 £803

$1,305 NZ$2,218

-16.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$873 £646

$1,205 NZ$2,048

-27.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 £1,443

$2,293 NZ$3,898

-14.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 £1,104

$1,790 NZ$3,043

-16.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,590 £1,916

$6,973 NZ$11.9K

-62.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,246 £922

$3,721 NZ$6,325

-66.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,303 £2,443

$2,956 NZ$5,025

11.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.3

5.39

-1.67%

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

Last update for Lincoln: August 30, 2026

Last update for Wellington: August 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,086 in Lincoln and $1,305 in Wellington. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lincoln pays 12% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $82.0 in Lincoln vs $67.0 in Wellington. Groceries flip the comparison at $282 vs $362, with Lincoln cheaper for home cooking.

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

Lincoln vs Wellington: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lincoln and Wellington differ by about 9% in total monthly costs ($2,236 vs $2,447 including rent). Lincoln is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 12% higher in Lincoln, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,086 in Lincoln versus $1,305 in Wellington. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lincoln – a meal for two runs $82.0 versus $67.0 in Wellington. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,236 per month in Lincoln versus $2,447 in Wellington – a 9% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,236 in Lincoln versus $2,447 in Wellington, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lincoln but tight or insufficient in Wellington. The gap between the two cities makes Lincoln the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Lincoln and Wellington are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Lincoln gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Wellington. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.