Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nelson and Wellington

For one person, living is cheaper in Nelson: $1,865 a month against $2,313 in Wellington, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

90

Cost of Living Index in Nelson
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Nelson Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Wellington
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Wellington Living Index

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Nelson

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,865

/mo nomad

Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,313

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,865 in Nelson versus $2,313 in Wellington.

Nelson $1,865
Wellington $2,313

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,872 in Nelson versus $3,422 in Wellington.

Nelson $2,872
Wellington $3,422

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,879 in Nelson versus $4,530 in Wellington.

Nelson $3,879
Wellington $4,530

Living in Nelson costs roughly 19% less than in Wellington, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nelson 37% above, Wellington 70% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.72 NZ$24.37

$14.02 NZ$24.90

-2.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.8 NZ$115

$66.5 NZ$118

-2.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.27 NZ$14.69

$9.23 NZ$16.38

-10.40%

Cappuccino

$3.19 NZ$5.65

$3.41 NZ$6.06

-6.45%

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

$1.82 NZ$3.23

$2.43 NZ$4.32

-25.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 NZ$2.93

$1.69 NZ$3.00

-2.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.61 NZ$13.51

$7.48 NZ$13.29

1.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.84 NZ$10.37

$6.74 NZ$11.97

-13.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 NZ$3.43

$1.95 NZ$3.47

-1.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 NZ$3.89

$2.25 NZ$4.00

-2.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 NZ$3.47

$1.85 NZ$3.29

5.95%

Eggs

$5.85 NZ$10.39

$7.10 NZ$12.61

-17.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.13 NZ$16.20

$9.54 NZ$16.94

-4.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.62 NZ$13.53

$9.62 NZ$17.08

-20.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.65 NZ$24.23

$15.26 NZ$27.09

-10.55%

Apples (1kg)

$3.15 NZ$5.60

$3.09 NZ$5.49

1.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 NZ$3.81

$2.15 NZ$3.83

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 NZ$5.33

$3.08 NZ$5.47

-2.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.63 NZ$10.00

$6.42 NZ$11.40

-12.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 NZ$3.68

$2.10 NZ$3.72

-1.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 NZ$2.19

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.02 NZ$3.59

$2.01 NZ$3.57

0.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 NZ$1.92

$1.16 NZ$2.06

-6.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.87 NZ$45.93

$25.37 NZ$45.04

1.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.94 NZ$17.64

$11.48 NZ$20.39

-13.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.14 NZ$5.58

$3.12 NZ$5.53

0.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 NZ$4.99

$2.89 NZ$5.12

-2.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.20 NZ$3.91

$2.86 NZ$5.08

-23.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 NZ$186

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.83 NZ$3.25

$1.88 NZ$3.34

-2.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 NZ$3.18

$1.83 NZ$3.25

-2.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.80 NZ$60.0

$34.31 NZ$60.9

-1.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 NZ$2.77

$1.84 NZ$3.27

-15.22%

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

$17.1K NZ$30.3K

$28.4K NZ$50.4K

-39.91%

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

$22.4K NZ$39.7K

$23.8K NZ$42.3K

-6.08%

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

$130 NZ$231

$201 NZ$357

-35.16%

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

$32.93 NZ$58.5

$33.35 NZ$59.2

-1.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.70 NZ$77.6

$53.7 NZ$95.3

-18.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$101 NZ$179

$35.87 NZ$63.7

180.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.48 NZ$61.2

$16.18 NZ$28.73

113.10%

Cinema Ticket

$11.14 NZ$19.78

$11.78 NZ$20.92

-5.43%

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

$458 NZ$813

$1,065 NZ$1,890

-56.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K NZ$23.3K

$13.3K NZ$23.6K

-1.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.9 NZ$94.0

$80.4 NZ$143

-34.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.57 NZ$50.7

$28.04 NZ$49.78

1.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 NZ$184

$102 NZ$180

2.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 NZ$253

$154 NZ$274

-7.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 NZ$1,817

$1,143 NZ$2,029

-10.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$813 NZ$1,443

$1,078 NZ$1,914

-24.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,755 NZ$3,116

$2,057 NZ$3,651

-14.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,455 NZ$2,582

$1,814 NZ$3,220

-19.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,396 NZ$2,479

$6,594 NZ$11.7K

-78.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$852 NZ$1,512

$3,655 NZ$6,489

-76.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,043 NZ$3,627

$2,785 NZ$4,945

-26.64%

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 Nelson: October 24, 2026

Last update for Wellington: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nelson

$813 43.6%

Wellington

$1.1K 46.6% 32.7% $266

Groceries & Markets

Nelson

$319 17.1%

Wellington

$348 15.1% 9.3% $30

Eating Out

Nelson

$236 12.7%

Wellington

$248 10.7% 5% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nelson

$207 11.1%

Wellington

$288 12.4% 39.1% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Nelson

$148 7.9%

Wellington

$164 7.1% 11% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Nelson

$123 6.6%

Wellington

$59 2.6% 51.6% $63

Getting Around

Nelson

$20 * 1.1%

Wellington

$127 5.5% 550% $108

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,023 in Nelson and $1,143 in Wellington. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wellington pays 36% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $65 in Nelson vs $66 in Wellington for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $319 vs $348 per month, with Nelson cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Nelson

🇳🇿 Wellington

🕒 Local time

07:45 7:45 AM

Same time as Nelson

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

51,100

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

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From you

Nelson
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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

Nelson vs Wellington: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nelson wins on cost – living expenses run 19% lower than in Wellington. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Nelson the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 27% lower in Nelson. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,023 in Nelson versus $1,143 in Wellington. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,865 per month in Nelson versus $2,313 in Wellington – Nelson is about 19% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Wellington. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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, Nelson and Wellington are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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