Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New Plymouth and Auckland

For one person, living is cheaper in New Plymouth: $1,820 a month against $2,421 in Auckland, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in New Plymouth
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New Plymouth Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Auckland
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Auckland Living Index

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New Plymouth

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,820

/mo nomad

Auckland

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,421

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in New Plymouth and in Auckland

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in New Plymouth and in Auckland actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,820 in New Plymouth versus $2,421 in Auckland.

New Plymouth $1,820
Auckland $2,421

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in New Plymouth versus $3,382 in Auckland.

New Plymouth $2,828
Auckland $3,382

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,836 in New Plymouth versus $4,343 in Auckland.

New Plymouth $3,836
Auckland $4,343

Living in New Plymouth costs roughly 25% less than in Auckland, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: New Plymouth 34% above, Auckland 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.43 NZ$22.06

$14.26 NZ$25.32

-12.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.9 NZ$121

$67.0 NZ$119

1.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.44 NZ$14.98

$9.12 NZ$16.20

-7.46%

Cappuccino

$3.34 NZ$5.93

$3.47 NZ$6.17

-3.75%

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

$2.12 NZ$3.76

$2.04 NZ$3.62

3.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 NZ$3.28

$1.75 NZ$3.10

5.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.32 NZ$9.45

$6.79 NZ$12.05

-21.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.65 NZ$10.02

$6.78 NZ$12.03

-16.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 NZ$2.55

$1.92 NZ$3.40

-25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 NZ$2.22

$2.17 NZ$3.85

-42.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 NZ$2.92

$1.83 NZ$3.26

-9.84%

Eggs

$5.53 NZ$9.82

$6.16 NZ$10.94

-10.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.52 NZ$9.79

$8.97 NZ$15.93

-38.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.19 NZ$12.76

$9.99 NZ$17.73

-28.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.42 NZ$20.28

$17.72 NZ$31.47

-35.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 NZ$4.67

$2.97 NZ$5.27

-11.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 NZ$3.29

$2.08 NZ$3.70

-10.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 NZ$5.20

$3.07 NZ$5.46

-4.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.12 NZ$10.86

$5.72 NZ$10.15

6.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 NZ$3.53

$2.17 NZ$3.85

-8.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.41 NZ$2.51

$1.54 NZ$2.74

-8.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.88 NZ$3.33

$2.04 NZ$3.63

-7.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 NZ$2.35

$1.10 NZ$1.95

20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.12 NZ$41.04

$27.07 NZ$48.06

-14.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.73 NZ$15.51

$10.21 NZ$18.13

-14.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.03 NZ$5.37

$2.87 NZ$5.10

5.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.78 NZ$6.72

$3.38 NZ$6.00

11.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.68 NZ$2.99

$1.93 NZ$3.43

-12.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.6 NZ$133

$123 NZ$218

-39.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.68 NZ$6.53

$2.29 NZ$4.06

60.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 NZ$3.59

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.32 NZ$57.4

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.67 NZ$2.97

$1.83 NZ$3.25

-8.74%

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

$28.7K NZ$50.9K

$27.2K NZ$48.3K

5.31%

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

$22.8K NZ$40.5K

$22.2K NZ$39.3K

2.89%

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

$130 NZ$231

$184 NZ$327

-29.59%

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

$27.85 NZ$49.44

$26.77 NZ$47.53

4.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.35 NZ$85.8

$51.6 NZ$91.5

-6.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.29 NZ$76.9

$42.05 NZ$74.7

2.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.31 NZ$32.50

Cinema Ticket

$8.20 NZ$14.55

$12.18 NZ$21.62

-32.68%

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

$680 NZ$1,206

$1,063 NZ$1,888

-36.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.1K NZ$41.0K

$19.5K NZ$34.7K

18.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.3 NZ$109

$80.3 NZ$143

-23.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.74 NZ$68.8

$39.90 NZ$70.8

-2.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.6 NZ$161

$92.7 NZ$165

-2.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 NZ$188

$113 NZ$200

-6.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$907 NZ$1,611

$1,271 NZ$2,256

-28.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$836 NZ$1,485

$1,213 NZ$2,153

-31.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,740 NZ$3,089

$2,222 NZ$3,945

-21.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 NZ$2,821

$1,658 NZ$2,943

-4.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,209 NZ$5,697

$7,413 NZ$13.2K

-56.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,622 NZ$4,655

$5,429 NZ$9,638

-51.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,787 NZ$4,948

$2,958 NZ$5,251

-5.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.93

5.37

10.43%

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

Last update for New Plymouth: October 26, 2026

Last update for Auckland: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New Plymouth

$836 45.9%

Auckland

$1.2K 50.1% 45% $376

Groceries & Markets

New Plymouth

$281 15.5%

Auckland

$344 14.2% 22.2% $62

Eating Out

New Plymouth

$219 12%

Auckland

$246 10.2% 12.4% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New Plymouth

$206 11.3%

Auckland

$263 10.9% 27.5% $57

Clothing & Footwear

New Plymouth

$133 7.3%

Auckland

$147 6.1% 9.9% $13

Getting Around

New Plymouth

$85 * 4.7%

Auckland

$143 5.9% 68.1% $58

Sport & Entertainment

New Plymouth

$60 3.3%

Auckland

$66 2.7% 11.3% $6.7

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 $907 in New Plymouth and $1,271 in Auckland. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Auckland pays 6% 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: $68 in New Plymouth vs $67 in Auckland. Groceries flip the comparison at $281 vs $344, with New Plymouth cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 New Plymouth

🇳🇿 Auckland

🕒 Local time

20:46 8:46 PM

Same time as New Plymouth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,400

1,463,000

💱 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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New Plymouth Auckland 250 km

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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

New Plymouth vs Auckland: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New Plymouth wins on cost – living expenses run 25% lower than in Auckland. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making New Plymouth the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 6% lower in New Plymouth. 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: $907 in New Plymouth versus $1,271 in Auckland. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $680 in New Plymouth versus $1,063 in Auckland. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in New Plymouth runs roughly 39% less than in Auckland. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though New Plymouth gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, New Plymouth and Auckland are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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