Cost of Living Comparison Between New Plymouth and Christchurch Cost of Living Comparison Between New Plymouth and Christchurch

😐 Solo nomad: New Plymouth is 7.2% more expensive than Christchurch without rent, and 20.4% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: New Plymouth is 4.4% cheaper than Christchurch without rent, and 5.7% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
New Plymouth
Christchurch
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$15.20 NZ$25.84
$17.08 NZ$29.03
-11.01%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$78.7 NZ$134
$73.4 NZ$125
7.21%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 NZ$18.27
$9.88 NZ$16.80
8.81%
Cappuccino
$3.68 NZ$6.25
$3.49 NZ$5.93
5.44%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 NZ$3.84
$2.31 NZ$3.92
-2.16%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.07 NZ$3.52
$1.96 NZ$3.33
5.61%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.34 NZ$9.08
$7.38 NZ$12.55
-27.64%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.40 NZ$12.57
$7.43 NZ$12.64
-0.40%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
New Plymouth
Christchurch
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.97 NZ$3.36
$1.84 NZ$3.12
7.07%
White Bread (500g)
$1.49 NZ$2.53
$1.99 NZ$3.38
-25.13%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.76 NZ$2.99
$1.69 NZ$2.87
4.14%
Eggs
$6.25 NZ$10.62
$6.51 NZ$11.06
-3.99%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.28 NZ$12.37
$8.03 NZ$13.66
-9.34%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.49 NZ$22.94
$9.65 NZ$16.41
39.79%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.05 NZ$22.18
$13.11 NZ$22.28
-0.46%
Apples (1kg)
$2.15 NZ$3.66
$3.05 NZ$5.18
-29.51%
Banana (1kg)
$1.98 NZ$3.37
$2.59 NZ$4.40
-23.55%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.14 NZ$5.34
$2.98 NZ$5.06
5.37%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.74 NZ$11.46
$5.66 NZ$9.62
19.08%
Potato (1kg)
$2.51 NZ$4.28
$2.13 NZ$3.63
17.84%
Onion (1kg)
$1.60 NZ$2.71
$2.22 NZ$3.78
-27.93%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.93 NZ$3.29
$2.93 NZ$4.98
-34.13%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.43 NZ$2.43
$1.43 NZ$2.43
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$21.12 NZ$35.90
$23.66 NZ$40.23
-10.74%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.70 NZ$14.78
$9.09 NZ$15.45
-4.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.86 NZ$6.57
$3.82 NZ$6.49
1.05%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.41 NZ$7.50
$4.81 NZ$8.18
-8.32%
🚌 Getting Around
New Plymouth
Christchurch
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.83 NZ$3.12
$1.24 NZ$2.10
47.58%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$62.9 NZ$107
$41.57 NZ$70.7
51.29%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.77 NZ$3.01
$2.73 NZ$4.64
-35.16%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.32 NZ$5.65
$1.65 NZ$2.81
101.21%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$36.43 NZ$61.9
$30.27 NZ$51.5
20.35%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.65 NZ$2.80
$1.63 NZ$2.77
1.23%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$49.1K NZ$83.4K
$27.4K NZ$46.6K
78.94%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.7K NZ$40.4K
$19.6K NZ$33.3K
21.07%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
New Plymouth
Christchurch
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$214 NZ$363
$115 NZ$196
85.06%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$29.89 NZ$50.8
$31.15 NZ$53.0
-4.04%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.19 NZ$51.3
$54.0 NZ$91.8
-44.10%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
New Plymouth
Christchurch
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$35.59 NZ$60.5
$35.49 NZ$60.3
0.28%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$12.00 NZ$20.40
$15.56 NZ$26.45
-22.88%
Cinema Ticket
$10.90 NZ$18.52
$11.12 NZ$18.90
-1.98%
🧸 Childcare & Education
New Plymouth
Christchurch
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$727 NZ$1,236
$641 NZ$1,089
13.52%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.1K NZ$20.6K
$9,245 NZ$15.7K
30.82%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
New Plymouth
Christchurch
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$91.3 NZ$155
$62.4 NZ$106
46.35%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.76 NZ$62.5
$43.14 NZ$73.3
-14.79%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$70.9 NZ$121
$92.6 NZ$157
-23.40%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$65.3 NZ$111
$150 NZ$254
-56.36%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
New Plymouth
Christchurch
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$740 NZ$1,259
$1,539 NZ$2,616
-51.89%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$675 NZ$1,147
$1,167 NZ$1,984
-42.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,331 NZ$2,263
$2,038 NZ$3,464
-34.68%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 NZ$2,013
$1,441 NZ$2,450
-17.83%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,340 NZ$5,678
$5,018 NZ$8,530
-33.43%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,789 NZ$4,742
$2,772 NZ$4,712
0.63%
💵 Salaries & Financials
New Plymouth
Christchurch
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,653 NZ$4,510
$2,691 NZ$4,574
-1.40%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.93
6.74
-12.02%

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

Last update for New Plymouth: February 28, 2026

Last update for Christchurch: March 2, 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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