Cost of Living Comparison Between Nelson and Wellington Cost of Living Comparison Between Nelson and Wellington

😐 Solo nomad: Nelson is 13.7% more expensive than Wellington without rent, and 12.6% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Nelson is 1% more expensive than Wellington without rent, and 14.1% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.50 NZ$37.41

$17.57 NZ$30.57

22.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.4 NZ$145

$82.9 NZ$144

0.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.46 NZ$16.46

$9.59 NZ$16.69

-1.36%

Cappuccino

$3.30 NZ$5.74

$3.61 NZ$6.28

-8.59%

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

$2.68 NZ$4.66

$2.62 NZ$4.55

2.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 NZ$4.75

$2.14 NZ$3.72

27.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.07 NZ$12.29

$7.10 NZ$12.36

-0.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.86 NZ$10.20

$7.13 NZ$12.41

-17.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.40 NZ$4.18

$1.83 NZ$3.19

31.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.26 NZ$3.93

$2.05 NZ$3.56

10.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 NZ$3.94

$1.88 NZ$3.26

20.21%

Eggs

$5.97 NZ$10.39

$6.96 NZ$12.10

-14.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.10 NZ$17.57

$8.05 NZ$14.01

25.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.05 NZ$14.01

$11.06 NZ$19.24

-27.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.02 NZ$27.88

$13.02 NZ$22.65

23.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.50 NZ$6.09

$3.03 NZ$5.27

15.51%

Banana (1kg)

$2.60 NZ$4.53

$2.33 NZ$4.06

11.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.97 NZ$5.17

Tomato (1kg)

$6.72 NZ$11.69

$4.81 NZ$8.37

39.71%

Potato (1kg)

$3.74 NZ$6.51

$2.09 NZ$3.64

78.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 NZ$4.29

$1.59 NZ$2.77

55.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.57 NZ$4.48

$2.20 NZ$3.83

16.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 NZ$2.24

$1.30 NZ$2.26

-0.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$30.38 NZ$52.9

$26.98 NZ$46.94

12.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.99 NZ$17.38

$10.58 NZ$18.41

-5.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.20 NZ$5.57

$3.51 NZ$6.10

-8.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.64 NZ$8.07

$3.23 NZ$5.62

43.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.34 NZ$4.07

$2.63 NZ$4.58

-11.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.3 NZ$112

$107 NZ$186

-39.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.32 NZ$7.51

$2.77 NZ$4.81

55.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.81 NZ$3.15

$1.77 NZ$3.09

2.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.64 NZ$62.0

$61.1 NZ$106

-41.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 NZ$2.88

$1.67 NZ$2.90

-1.20%

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

$18.5K NZ$32.3K

$33.2K NZ$57.8K

-44.21%

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

$21.9K NZ$38.1K

$24.7K NZ$43.0K

-11.41%

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

$217 NZ$377

$157 NZ$273

37.94%

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

$36.41 NZ$63.4

$32.98 NZ$57.4

10.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.82 NZ$86.7

$52.5 NZ$91.4

-5.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.78 NZ$83.1

$36.82 NZ$64.1

29.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.83 NZ$36.24

$20.35 NZ$35.42

2.36%

Cinema Ticket

$10.08 NZ$17.54

$11.85 NZ$20.62

-14.94%

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

$480 NZ$836

$814 NZ$1,416

-40.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K NZ$20.7K

$12.8K NZ$22.2K

-6.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.3 NZ$103

$72.7 NZ$126

-18.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.2 NZ$115

$53.0 NZ$92.1

24.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$132 NZ$229

$121 NZ$210

9.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 NZ$189

$141 NZ$245

-22.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$965 NZ$1,679

$1,297 NZ$2,257

-25.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$745 NZ$1,297

$1,106 NZ$1,924

-32.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,398 NZ$2,432

$2,115 NZ$3,680

-33.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,217 NZ$2,118

$1,906 NZ$3,317

-36.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,882 NZ$5,014

$6,842 NZ$11.9K

-57.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,362 NZ$4,110

$3,920 NZ$6,821

-39.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,858 NZ$4,973

$2,973 NZ$5,173

-3.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

6.94

-1.73%

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

Last update for Nelson: January 11, 2026

Last update for Wellington: January 10, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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