Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New Zealand and Canada

Name: Canada
Address: CA

For one person, living is cheaper in New Zealand: $2,096 a month against $2,310 in Canada, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in New Zealand
Learn more

New Zealand Living Index
111

Cost of Living Index in Canada
Learn more

Canada Living Index

Jump to prices

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,096

/mo nomad

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,310

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in New Zealand and in Canada

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

A single person spends $2,096 per month in New Zealand vs $2,310 in Canada, rent included.

New Zealand $2,096
Canada $2,310

A couple spends around $3,101 per month in New Zealand vs $3,356 in Canada, rent included.

New Zealand $3,101
Canada $3,356

A family of three spends $4,106 per month in New Zealand vs $4,403 in Canada, rent included.

New Zealand $4,106
Canada $4,403

The regional cost range is wider in Canada ($889–$3,737) than in New Zealand ($841–$2,421), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in New Zealand is roughly 9% lower than in Canada on average.

Both New Zealand and Canada are pricier than the global median – New Zealand by 54%, Canada by 70%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.33 NZ$25.43

$18.16 CA$25.38

-21.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 NZ$121

$71.2 CA$99.5

-3.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.17 NZ$16.28

$10.81 CA$15.11

-15.17%

Cappuccino

$3.32 NZ$5.89

$3.78 CA$5.28

-12.17%

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

$2.21 NZ$3.93

$2.11 CA$2.96

4.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 NZ$3.50

$1.66 CA$2.32

18.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.68 NZ$11.85

$5.62 CA$7.85

18.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.67 NZ$11.84

$5.72 CA$7.99

16.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 NZ$3.15

$2.17 CA$3.04

-17.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 NZ$3.34

$2.60 CA$3.64

-27.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 NZ$3.09

$3.65 CA$5.11

-52.33%

Eggs

$6.03 NZ$10.71

$3.63 CA$5.07

66.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.01 NZ$14.22

$10.76 CA$15.04

-25.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.55 NZ$16.96

$11.90 CA$16.62

-19.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.49 NZ$25.72

$15.42 CA$21.55

-6.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 NZ$4.85

$4.03 CA$5.63

-32.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 NZ$3.76

$1.38 CA$1.94

53.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 NZ$5.26

$3.88 CA$5.41

-23.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.02 NZ$8.91

$4.08 CA$5.70

23.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 NZ$3.52

$2.57 CA$3.59

-22.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 NZ$2.70

$2.48 CA$3.46

-38.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.06 NZ$3.65

$2.65 CA$3.70

-22.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 NZ$1.96

$1.71 CA$2.40

-35.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.38 NZ$43.28

$14.32 CA$20.01

70.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.82 NZ$15.66

$13.49 CA$18.85

-34.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 NZ$5.64

$2.84 CA$3.97

11.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 NZ$5.94

$3.30 CA$4.62

1.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 NZ$3.60

$2.55 CA$3.57

-20.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$114 NZ$202

$71.9 CA$101

58.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.33 NZ$4.14

$3.18 CA$4.44

-26.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.94 NZ$3.44

$1.54 CA$2.15

25.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.85 NZ$58.3

$26.69 CA$37.30

23.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 NZ$3.16

$1.24 CA$1.74

43.55%

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

$27.9K NZ$49.5K

$27.9K CA$39.0K

0.04%

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

$23.3K NZ$41.4K

$21.1K CA$29.4K

10.58%

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

$154 NZ$274

$147 CA$206

4.67%

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

$32.00 NZ$56.8

$41.80 CA$58.4

-23.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.2 NZ$89.1

$60.2 CA$84.1

-16.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.74 NZ$59.9

$39.01 CA$54.5

-13.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.70 NZ$26.10

$19.06 CA$26.64

-22.88%

Cinema Ticket

$11.18 NZ$19.86

$11.21 CA$15.66

-0.27%

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

$870 NZ$1,544

$721 CA$1,008

20.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K NZ$29.1K

$14.8K CA$20.7K

10.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.9 NZ$122

$55.3 CA$77.2

24.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.42 NZ$64.7

$38.95 CA$54.4

-6.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 NZ$166

$87.4 CA$122

6.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 NZ$207

$101 CA$142

15.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,117 NZ$1,982

$1,290 CA$1,803

-13.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$965 NZ$1,714

$1,130 CA$1,579

-14.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,762 NZ$3,128

$2,036 CA$2,845

-13.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,554 NZ$2,759

$1,731 CA$2,418

-10.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,530 NZ$9,818

$4,769 CA$6,664

15.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,778 NZ$6,708

$3,730 CA$5,211

1.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,758 NZ$4,897

$3,070 CA$4,289

-10.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.27

4.87

28.75%

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

Last update for New Zealand: October 26, 2026

Last update for Canada: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New Zealand

$965 46.1%

Canada

$1.1K 48.9% 17.1% $165

Groceries & Markets

New Zealand

$317 15.1%

Canada

$371 16.1% 17% $54

Eating Out

New Zealand

$245 11.7%

Canada

$278 12% 13.2% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New Zealand

$236 11.3%

Canada

$249 10.8% 5.5% $13

Clothing & Footwear

New Zealand

$142 6.8%

Canada

$127 5.5% 10.3% $15

Getting Around

New Zealand

$134 6.4%

Canada

$93 4% 30.6% $41

Sport & Entertainment

New Zealand

$56 2.7%

Canada

$61 2.7% 9.5% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $999 in New Zealand vs $1,250 in Canada. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,143 in Wellington and $1,434 in Ottawa.

Average salary: $2,922 in New Zealand vs $2,968 in Canada. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 25% higher in Canada.

Public transport is 56% more expensive in New Zealand.

Good to know

🇳🇿 New Zealand

🇨🇦 Canada

🕒 Local time

06:26 6:26 AM

12:26 12:26 PM

18 h behind New Zealand

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,118,700

36,991,981

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.716 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

New Zealand Canada 14,480 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

New Zealand
Canada

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 Zealand vs Canada: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New Zealand is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 9% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Canada: a central one-bedroom averages $1,250 versus $999 in New Zealand.

New Zealand is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.