Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Masterton and Wellington

For one person, living is cheaper in Masterton: $841 a month against $2,313 in Wellington, rent and utilities included – about $17,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Masterton
Learn more

Masterton Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Wellington
Learn more

Wellington Living Index

Jump to prices

Masterton

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$841

/mo nomad

Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,313

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Masterton 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 Masterton and in Wellington actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $841 in Masterton versus $2,313 in Wellington.

Masterton $841
Wellington $2,313

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,446 in Masterton versus $3,422 in Wellington.

Masterton $1,446
Wellington $3,422

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,051 in Masterton versus $4,530 in Wellington.

Masterton $2,051
Wellington $4,530

Living in Masterton costs roughly 64% less than in Wellington, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Masterton is 38% below, Wellington is 70% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.26 NZ$16.44

$14.02 NZ$24.90

-33.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.0 NZ$115

$66.5 NZ$118

-2.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.77 NZ$15.58

$9.23 NZ$16.38

-4.98%

Cappuccino

$3.35 NZ$5.95

$3.41 NZ$6.06

-1.76%

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

$1.95 NZ$3.46

$2.43 NZ$4.32

-19.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.11 NZ$1.97

$1.69 NZ$3.00

-34.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.96 NZ$7.04

$7.48 NZ$13.29

-47.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 NZ$6.04

$6.74 NZ$11.97

-49.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 NZ$2.59

$1.95 NZ$3.47

-25.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.13 NZ$3.77

$2.25 NZ$4.00

-5.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 NZ$1.95

$1.85 NZ$3.29

-40.54%

Eggs

$6.49 NZ$11.51

$7.10 NZ$12.61

-8.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.59 NZ$15.25

$9.54 NZ$16.94

-9.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.94 NZ$17.65

$9.62 NZ$17.08

3.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.03 NZ$26.69

$15.26 NZ$27.09

-1.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 NZ$3.93

$3.09 NZ$5.49

-28.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 NZ$3.21

$2.15 NZ$3.83

-15.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.04 NZ$5.40

$3.08 NZ$5.47

-1.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.48 NZ$7.95

$6.42 NZ$11.40

-30.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 NZ$2.69

$2.10 NZ$3.72

-28.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 NZ$1.94

$1.23 NZ$2.19

-11.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 NZ$3.04

$2.01 NZ$3.57

-14.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 NZ$0.93

$1.16 NZ$2.06

-55.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.90 NZ$35.33

$25.37 NZ$45.04

-21.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.48 NZ$20.39

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 NZ$1.56

$3.12 NZ$5.53

-71.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 NZ$2.17

$2.89 NZ$5.12

-57.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.23 NZ$3.97

$2.86 NZ$5.08

-22.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 NZ$186

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.89 NZ$3.36

$1.88 NZ$3.34

0.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.80 NZ$3.20

$1.83 NZ$3.25

-1.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.98 NZ$60.3

$34.31 NZ$60.9

-0.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.73 NZ$3.08

$1.84 NZ$3.27

-5.98%

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

$22.9K NZ$40.6K

$28.4K NZ$50.4K

-19.46%

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

$23.9K NZ$42.4K

$23.8K NZ$42.3K

0.32%

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

$56.0 NZ$99.5

$201 NZ$357

-72.10%

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

$29.91 NZ$53.1

$33.35 NZ$59.2

-10.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.4 NZ$94.8

$53.7 NZ$95.3

-0.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.36 NZ$75.2

$35.87 NZ$63.7

18.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.22 NZ$14.59

$16.18 NZ$28.73

-49.20%

Cinema Ticket

$9.47 NZ$16.81

$11.78 NZ$20.92

-19.61%

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

$1,038 NZ$1,844

$1,065 NZ$1,890

-2.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K NZ$23.6K

0.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.7 NZ$101

$80.4 NZ$143

-29.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.47 NZ$50.6

$28.04 NZ$49.78

1.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 NZ$186

$102 NZ$180

2.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 NZ$250

$154 NZ$274

-8.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,143 NZ$2,029

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 NZ$1,914

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,019 NZ$1,809

$2,057 NZ$3,651

-50.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,814 NZ$3,220

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,594 NZ$11.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,655 NZ$6,489

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,339 NZ$4,152

$2,785 NZ$4,945

-16.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

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

Last update for Masterton: October 25, 2026

Last update for Wellington: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Masterton

$293 34.8%

Wellington

$348 15.1% 18.9% $55

Eating Out

Masterton

$179 21.3%

Wellington

$248 10.7% 38.3% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Masterton

$149 17.7%

Wellington

$164 7.1% 10.2% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Masterton

$139 16.6%

Wellington

$288 12.4% 107% $148

Sport & Entertainment

Masterton

$61 7.3%

Wellington

$59 2.6% 3.1% $1.9

Getting Around

Masterton

$20 * 2.4%

Wellington

$127 5.5% 542% $108

Accommodation & Living

Masterton

- * 0%

Wellington

$1.1K 46.6%

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

Cost Breakdown

Wellington pays 19% 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 in Masterton vs $66 in Wellington for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $293 vs $348 per month, with Masterton cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Masterton

🇳🇿 Wellington

🕒 Local time

19:15 7:15 PM

Same time as Masterton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,800

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Masterton Wellington 83 km

From you

Masterton
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

Masterton vs Wellington: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Masterton is about 64% cheaper overall, especially in transport, eating out, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 16% lower in Masterton. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Wellington. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Childcare runs $1,038 in Masterton versus $1,065 in Wellington. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $841 in Masterton versus $2,313 in Wellington, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Masterton but tight or insufficient in Wellington. The gap between the two cities makes Masterton 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, Masterton and Wellington are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Masterton wins on affordability, Wellington on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.