Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Masterton and Auckland

For one person, living is cheaper in Masterton: $832 a month against $2,388 in Auckland, rent and utilities included – about $18,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Masterton
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Masterton Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Auckland
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Auckland Living Index

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Masterton

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$832

/mo nomad

Auckland

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,388

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Masterton and in Auckland

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $832 in Masterton versus $2,388 in Auckland.

Masterton $832
Auckland $2,388

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,432 in Masterton versus $3,355 in Auckland.

Masterton $1,432
Auckland $3,355

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,032 in Masterton versus $4,321 in Auckland.

Masterton $2,032
Auckland $4,321

Living in Masterton costs roughly 65% less than in Auckland, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Masterton is 38% below, Auckland is 77% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.54 NZ$16.88

$14.10 NZ$24.93

-32.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.9 NZ$115

$65.9 NZ$116

-1.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.56 NZ$15.14

$8.86 NZ$15.68

-3.39%

Cappuccino

$3.18 NZ$5.62

$3.34 NZ$5.91

-4.79%

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

$2.02 NZ$3.57

$2.00 NZ$3.54

1.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 NZ$1.93

$1.73 NZ$3.05

-36.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.89 NZ$6.88

$6.64 NZ$11.74

-41.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 NZ$5.79

$6.56 NZ$11.59

-50.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.42 NZ$2.51

$1.96 NZ$3.46

-27.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 NZ$3.91

$2.22 NZ$3.93

-0.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 NZ$1.82

$1.82 NZ$3.21

-43.41%

Eggs

$6.32 NZ$11.17

$6.14 NZ$10.86

2.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.29 NZ$14.65

$8.55 NZ$15.12

-3.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 NZ$16.76

$9.73 NZ$17.21

-2.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.18 NZ$26.85

$17.27 NZ$30.54

-12.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.18 NZ$3.85

$2.77 NZ$4.90

-21.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 NZ$3.02

$2.06 NZ$3.65

-16.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.98 NZ$5.27

$3.01 NZ$5.31

-1.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.58 NZ$8.11

$5.79 NZ$10.24

-20.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 NZ$2.71

$2.13 NZ$3.77

-28.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 NZ$1.90

$1.55 NZ$2.75

-30.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 NZ$3.00

$1.97 NZ$3.48

-13.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 NZ$0.92

$1.09 NZ$1.92

-52.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.51 NZ$34.50

$26.91 NZ$47.59

-27.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.21 NZ$19.83

$10.31 NZ$18.24

8.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 NZ$1.50

$2.72 NZ$4.82

-68.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.14 NZ$2.02

$3.24 NZ$5.74

-64.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.23 NZ$3.94

$2.47 NZ$4.37

-9.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$123 NZ$218

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 NZ$3.20

$2.27 NZ$4.01

-20.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.75 NZ$3.09

$1.92 NZ$3.40

-8.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.16 NZ$60.4

$32.31 NZ$57.1

5.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 NZ$3.12

$1.86 NZ$3.29

-4.84%

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

$22.0K NZ$39.0K

$25.2K NZ$44.6K

-12.59%

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

$24.8K NZ$43.9K

$22.0K NZ$38.8K

13.10%

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

$55.0 NZ$97.3

$179 NZ$316

-69.23%

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

$29.34 NZ$51.9

$26.64 NZ$47.12

10.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.8 NZ$93.3

$51.4 NZ$90.8

2.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.79 NZ$73.9

$45.16 NZ$79.9

-7.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.51 NZ$15.06

$18.06 NZ$31.95

-52.88%

Cinema Ticket

$9.68 NZ$17.12

$12.77 NZ$22.59

-24.20%

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

$1,056 NZ$1,868

$1,134 NZ$2,005

-6.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K NZ$22.5K

$19.2K NZ$34.0K

-33.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 NZ$98.3

$80.2 NZ$142

-30.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.59 NZ$48.79

$40.05 NZ$70.8

-31.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 NZ$181

$93.7 NZ$166

9.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$142 NZ$251

$109 NZ$193

29.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,290 NZ$2,281

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,191 NZ$2,107

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,002 NZ$1,773

$2,209 NZ$3,906

-54.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,659 NZ$2,934

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,466 NZ$13.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,346 NZ$9,455

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,327 NZ$4,115

$2,881 NZ$5,095

-19.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

5.37

0.37%

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

Last update for Masterton: October 13, 2026

Last update for Auckland: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Masterton

$288 34.7%

Auckland

$338 14.2% 17.3% $50

Eating Out

Masterton

$179 21.5%

Auckland

$241 10.1% 34.8% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Masterton

$147 17.7%

Auckland

$146 6.1% 1.3% $1.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Masterton

$137 16.5%

Auckland

$257 10.8% 87.3% $120

Sport & Entertainment

Masterton

$61 7.4%

Auckland

$71 3% 15.6% $9.6

Getting Around

Masterton

$19 * 2.3%

Auckland

$145 6.1% 646% $126

Accommodation & Living

Masterton

- * 0%

Auckland

$1.2K 49.9%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Auckland pays 24% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $65.0 in Masterton vs $66.0 in Auckland for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $338 per month, with Masterton cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Masterton

🇳🇿 Auckland

🕒 Local time

03:09 3:09 AM

Same time as Masterton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,800

1,463,000

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Masterton Auckland 460 km

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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

Masterton vs Auckland: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Masterton wins on cost – living expenses run 187% lower than in Auckland. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Masterton the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 24% lower in Auckland. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Childcare runs $1,056 in Masterton versus $1,134 in Auckland. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Masterton – a meal for two runs $65.0 versus $66.0 in Auckland. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $832 in Masterton versus $2,388 in Auckland, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Masterton but tight or insufficient in Auckland. The gap between the two cities makes Masterton the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Masterton delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $832 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Masterton hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Masterton and Auckland 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 Masterton gentler on the wallet – expenses run 187% less than in Auckland. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.