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: $2,288 in Lincoln versus $2,354 in Wellington.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,366 in Lincoln versus $3,553 in Wellington.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,444 in Lincoln versus $4,751 in Wellington.

Living in Lincoln costs roughly 3% less than in Wellington, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lincoln 71% above, Wellington 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.59 £20.55

$17.30 NZ$29.46

59.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.0 £56.6

$84.5 NZ$144

-10.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.34 £7.70

$9.77 NZ$16.63

5.83%

Cappuccino

$5.41 £4.03

$3.80 NZ$6.46

42.37%

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

$2.26 £1.68

$2.60 NZ$4.44

-13.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 £1.17

$2.18 NZ$3.72

-27.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.91 £5.15

$7.03 NZ$11.98

-1.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.59 £4.91

$7.45 NZ$12.70

-11.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 £1.10

$1.87 NZ$3.18

-20.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 £1.10

$2.11 NZ$3.59

-30.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 £0.98

$1.95 NZ$3.33

-32.31%

Eggs

$3.40 £2.53

$6.88 NZ$11.72

-50.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.15 £6.82

$8.13 NZ$13.85

12.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.08 £6.76

$11.06 NZ$18.83

-17.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.87 £8.84

$13.14 NZ$22.38

-9.67%

Apples (1kg)

$3.86 £2.87

$3.12 NZ$5.32

23.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 £0.92

$2.24 NZ$3.81

-44.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 £2.12

$2.99 NZ$5.09

-4.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 £2.29

$4.72 NZ$8.04

-34.96%

Potato (1kg)

$0.98 £0.73

$2.07 NZ$3.52

-52.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 £1.22

$1.66 NZ$2.82

-1.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 £0.92

$2.21 NZ$3.76

-43.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 £1.07

$1.28 NZ$2.19

12.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.84 £14.03

$26.87 NZ$45.75

-29.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.21 £7.60

$11.74 NZ$19.99

-13.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.87 £2.88

$3.52 NZ$6.00

9.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 £2.36

$3.18 NZ$5.41

-0.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.42 £3.29

$2.75 NZ$4.68

60.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.8 £65.4

$107 NZ$182

-18.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.13 £3.08

$2.66 NZ$4.54

55.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 £1.14

$1.85 NZ$3.16

-17.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$47.13 £35.10

$60.4 NZ$103

-21.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.98 £1.47

$1.71 NZ$2.92

15.79%

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

$34.1K £25.4K

$33.6K NZ$57.2K

1.55%

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

$40.8K £30.4K

$24.6K NZ$41.9K

66.09%

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

$313 £233

$160 NZ$273

95.58%

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

$15.51 £11.55

$32.55 NZ$55.4

-52.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.54 £34.67

$51.5 NZ$87.7

-9.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.31 £32.26

$36.79 NZ$62.7

17.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.75 £13.96

$20.60 NZ$35.08

-8.98%

Cinema Ticket

$16.05 £11.96

$12.17 NZ$20.73

31.88%

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

$1,848 £1,377

$800 NZ$1,363

130.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.8K £15.5K

$12.6K NZ$21.5K

64.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$108 £80.5

$73.5 NZ$125

46.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.51 £32.41

$53.1 NZ$90.5

-18.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.6 £58.5

$119 NZ$203

-34.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 £75.7

$142 NZ$241

-28.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,105 £823

$1,339 NZ$2,281

-17.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$868 £646

$1,105 NZ$1,881

-21.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,948 £1,451

$2,103 NZ$3,582

-7.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,466 £1,092

$1,888 NZ$3,216

-22.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,594 £1,932

$6,602 NZ$11.2K

-60.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,897 NZ$6,636

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,247 £2,419

$3,057 NZ$5,206

6.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.56

6.94

-19.88%

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

Last update for Lincoln: June 1, 2026

Last update for Wellington: May 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,105 in Lincoln and $1,339 in Wellington. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lincoln pays 6% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $76.0 in Lincoln vs $85.0 in Wellington for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $285 vs $340 per month, with Lincoln cheaper across the board.

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 3% in total monthly costs ($2,288 vs $2,354 including rent). Lincoln is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Lincoln pays 6% more on average, 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: $1,105 in Lincoln versus $1,339 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 $76.0 versus $85.0 in Wellington. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,288 per month in Lincoln versus $2,354 in Wellington – a 3% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,288 in Lincoln versus $2,354 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 3% less than in Wellington. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.