Cost of Living Comparison Between Nelson and Auckland Cost of Living Comparison Between Nelson and Auckland

πŸ™‚ Solo nomad: Nelson is 7.8% cheaper than Auckland without rent, and 13.2% cheaper with rent.
πŸ™‚ Family of 3: Nelson is 8.7% cheaper than Auckland without rent, and 7.3% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Nelson
Auckland
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.86 NZ$34.41
$15.02 NZ$24.78
38.88%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$85.7 NZ$141
$79.7 NZ$132
7.50%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.4 NZ$15.5
$9.76 NZ$16.1
-3.69%
Cappuccino
$3.17 NZ$5.22
$3.54 NZ$5.83
-10.45%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.66 NZ$4.39
$2.27 NZ$3.75
17.18%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.76 NZ$4.56
$2.18 NZ$3.59
26.61%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.34 NZ$12.1
$7.16 NZ$11.8
2.51%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.95 NZ$9.82
$7.34 NZ$12.1
-18.94%
πŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Nelson
Auckland
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.34 NZ$3.86
$1.74 NZ$2.87
34.48%
White Bread (500g)
$2.32 NZ$3.82
$2.1 NZ$3.46
10.48%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.25 NZ$3.71
$2.02 NZ$3.33
11.39%
Eggs
$6.11 NZ$10.07
$6.69 NZ$11.03
-8.67%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.87 NZ$16.28
$8.61 NZ$14.2
14.63%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.07 NZ$13.31
$9.66 NZ$15.94
-16.46%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.25 NZ$26.8
$12.97 NZ$21.39
25.29%
Apples (1kg)
$3.6 NZ$5.94
$2.83 NZ$4.67
27.21%
Banana (1kg)
$2.61 NZ$4.31
$2.27 NZ$3.74
14.98%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.97 NZ$4.9
$3.21 NZ$5.3
-7.48%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.46 NZ$10.66
$4.03 NZ$6.64
60.30%
Potato (1kg)
$3.73 NZ$6.15
$2 NZ$3.31
86.50%
Onion (1kg)
$2.58 NZ$4.25
$1.63 NZ$2.69
58.28%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.5 NZ$4.13
$1.94 NZ$3.2
28.87%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.29 NZ$2.12
$1.29 NZ$2.12
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$29.66 NZ$48.91
$25.57 NZ$42.17
16.00%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.11 NZ$16.67
$11.73 NZ$19.34
-13.81%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.2 NZ$5.28
$2.92 NZ$4.82
9.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.39 NZ$7.24
$3.91 NZ$6.45
12.28%
🚌 Getting Around
Nelson
Auckland
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.38 NZ$3.92
$2.73 NZ$4.5
-12.82%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$63.3 NZ$104
$129 NZ$213
-50.89%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.25 NZ$7.01
$2.08 NZ$3.43
104.33%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.81 NZ$2.98
$1.92 NZ$3.16
-5.73%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$35.25 NZ$58.1
$34.83 NZ$57.5
1.21%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.72 NZ$2.83
$1.65 NZ$2.71
4.24%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$18.6K NZ$30.7K
$28.5K NZ$47K
-34.77%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22K NZ$36.2K
$21.9K NZ$36K
0.48%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nelson
Auckland
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$222 NZ$367
$146 NZ$241
51.91%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$36.1 NZ$59.5
$30.75 NZ$50.7
17.40%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$49.67 NZ$81.9
$49.23 NZ$81.2
0.89%
πŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Nelson
Auckland
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$48.98 NZ$80.8
$35.1 NZ$57.9
39.54%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.68 NZ$34.11
$16.78 NZ$27.67
23.24%
Cinema Ticket
$10.13 NZ$16.7
$15.31 NZ$25.24
-33.83%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Nelson
Auckland
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$473 NZ$780
$917 NZ$1,512
-48.41%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.1K NZ$20K
$13.6K NZ$22.4K
-10.55%
πŸ‘•πŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Nelson
Auckland
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$59.5 NZ$98.2
$70.2 NZ$116
-15.23%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$66.8 NZ$110
$49.41 NZ$81.5
35.28%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$133 NZ$220
$96.8 NZ$160
37.73%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$112 NZ$185
$125 NZ$207
-10.77%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Nelson
Auckland
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$967 NZ$1,594
$1,274 NZ$2,101
-24.10%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$749 NZ$1,235
$1,152 NZ$1,900
-34.96%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,446 NZ$2,384
$2,492 NZ$4,110
-41.99%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,209 NZ$1,994
$1,853 NZ$3,056
-34.75%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,910 NZ$4,799
$7,281 NZ$12K
-60.04%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,354 NZ$3,883
$5,886 NZ$9,708
-60.00%
πŸ’΅ Salaries & Financials
Nelson
Auckland
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,850 NZ$4,701
$3,219 NZ$5,309
-11.44%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.82
6.37
7.06%

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

Last update for Nelson: October 29, 2025

Last update for Auckland: October 27, 2025

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