Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Modena and Wellington

For one person, living is cheaper in Modena: $1,881 a month against $2,313 in Wellington, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Modena, Italy
Wellington, New Zealand
Modena
🇮🇹 Italy
$1,881
/mo nomad
Wellington
🇳🇿 New Zealand
$2,313
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,881 per month in Modena vs $2,313 in Wellington, rent included.

  • Modena $1,881
  • Wellington $2,313

A couple spends around $3,040 per month in Modena vs $3,422 in Wellington, rent included.

  • Modena $3,040
  • Wellington $3,422

A family of three spends $4,200 per month in Modena vs $4,530 in Wellington, rent included.

  • Modena $4,200
  • Wellington $4,530

Modena is about 19% cheaper than Wellington, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Modena and Wellington sit above the global median – Modena by 38%, Wellington by 70%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Modena
Wellington
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$22.58 €20.14
$14.02 NZ$24.94
61.06%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$87.9 €78.4
$66.5 NZ$118
32.23%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.18 €11.76
$9.23 NZ$16.41
42.80%
Cappuccino
$1.89 €1.69
$3.41 NZ$6.07
-44.57%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.94 €2.62
$2.43 NZ$4.32
20.99%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.55 €1.38
$1.69 NZ$3.01
-8.28%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.59 €5.88
$7.48 NZ$13.31
-11.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 €5.13
$6.74 NZ$11.99
-14.69%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Modena
Wellington
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.46 €1.30
$1.95 NZ$3.47
-25.13%
White Bread (500g)
$2.54 €2.27
$2.25 NZ$4.01
12.89%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.66 €1.49
$1.85 NZ$3.30
-10.27%
Eggs
$4.92 €4.39
$7.10 NZ$12.64
-30.70%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$20.46 €18.25
$9.54 NZ$16.97
114.47%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.82 €12.33
$9.62 NZ$17.11
43.66%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$21.61 €19.28
$15.26 NZ$27.14
41.61%
Apples (1kg)
$2.58 €2.30
$3.09 NZ$5.50
-16.50%
Banana (1kg)
$2.55 €2.27
$2.15 NZ$3.83
18.60%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.28 €2.92
$3.08 NZ$5.48
6.49%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.06 €2.73
$6.42 NZ$11.42
-52.34%
Potato (1kg)
$2.46 €2.20
$2.10 NZ$3.73
17.14%
Onion (1kg)
$1.66 €1.48
$1.23 NZ$2.20
34.96%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.36 €1.22
$2.01 NZ$3.58
-32.34%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.67 €0.60
$1.16 NZ$2.06
-42.24%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.51 €5.81
$25.37 NZ$45.12
-74.34%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.00 €8.03
$11.48 NZ$20.42
-21.60%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.54 €1.37
$3.12 NZ$5.55
-50.64%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.62 €2.34
$2.89 NZ$5.13
-9.34%
🚌 Getting Around
Modena
Wellington
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.21 €1.97
$2.86 NZ$5.09
-22.73%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$37.38 €33.35
$105 NZ$187
-64.36%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.41 €5.72
$1.88 NZ$3.35
240.96%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.40 €1.25
$1.83 NZ$3.26
-23.50%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$31.81 €28.38
$34.31 NZ$61.0
-7.29%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.09 €1.86
$1.84 NZ$3.27
13.59%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$37.0K €33.0K
$28.4K NZ$50.5K
30.17%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$35.4K €31.6K
$23.8K NZ$42.3K
48.69%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Modena
Wellington
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$195 €174
$201 NZ$357
-2.81%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.10 €11.68
$33.35 NZ$59.3
-60.72%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.99 €27.65
$53.7 NZ$95.4
-42.24%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Modena
Wellington
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$71.2 €63.5
$35.87 NZ$63.8
98.38%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.60 €20.17
$16.18 NZ$28.79
39.68%
Cinema Ticket
$10.96 €9.78
$11.78 NZ$20.96
-6.96%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Modena
Wellington
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$763 €681
$1,065 NZ$1,894
-28.29%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.3K €13.6K
$13.3K NZ$23.6K
15.11%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Modena
Wellington
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$85.1 €76.0
$80.4 NZ$143
5.84%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.41 €36.94
$28.04 NZ$49.87
47.68%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.9 €86.5
$102 NZ$181
-4.61%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$108 €96.3
$154 NZ$274
-29.98%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Modena
Wellington
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$856 €764
$1,143 NZ$2,032
-25.06%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$661 €590
$1,078 NZ$1,918
-38.72%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,716 €1,531
$2,057 NZ$3,658
-16.57%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,336 €1,192
$1,814 NZ$3,226
-26.35%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,557 €3,174
$6,594 NZ$11.7K
-46.06%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,291 €2,044
$3,655 NZ$6,501
-37.30%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Modena
Wellington
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,028 €1,809
$2,785 NZ$4,954
-27.20%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.29
5.39
-38.96%

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

Last update for Modena: 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
Modena
$661
Wellington
$1.1K 63.2% $417
Groceries & Markets
Modena
$373
Wellington
$348 6.7% $25
Eating Out
Modena
$305
Wellington
$248 18.7% $57
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Modena
$239
Wellington
$288 20.3% $49
Clothing & Footwear
Modena
$149
Wellington
$164 9.9% $15
Sport & Entertainment
Modena
$93
Wellington
$59 36.2% $34
Getting Around
Modena
$60
Wellington
$127 114% $68

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $856 in Modena 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 run about 37% higher in Wellington. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $88 in Modena versus $66 in Wellington. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $373 vs $348 – making Wellington the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇹 Modena
🇳🇿 Wellington
🕒 Local time
19:18 7:18 PM
07:18 7:18 AM
12 h ahead of Modena
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
184,973
215,900 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.562 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Modena Wellington 18,650 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Modena
  • 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
Modena vs Wellington: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Modena or Wellington?
Wellington costs about 23% more than Modena, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Modena and in Wellington?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,821 per month in Modena and $3,470 in Wellington. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Modena or Wellington?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Modena, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $856 there versus $1,143 in Wellington.
How do dining costs compare in Modena and in Wellington?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $88 in Modena and $66 in Wellington. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How much does it cost to live in Modena compared to Wellington?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,881 in Modena and $2,313 in Wellington. That makes Modena about 19% cheaper.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Modena – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
How safe is Modena compared to Wellington?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Should I move to Modena or to Wellington?
If budget matters most, go with Modena. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Wellington makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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