Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New Zealand and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $2,096 in New Zealand, rent and utilities included – about $15,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in New Zealand
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New Zealand Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in China
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China Living Index

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🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,096

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 China actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,096 in New Zealand versus $791 in China.

New Zealand $2,096
China $791

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,101 in New Zealand versus $1,251 in China.

New Zealand $3,101
China $1,251

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,106 in New Zealand versus $1,711 in China.

New Zealand $4,106
China $1,711

Internal cost variation is higher in New Zealand: monthly costs span $841 to $2,421, compared to $465–$1,222 in China. City choice carries more weight in New Zealand.

Living in New Zealand is roughly 165% more expensive than in China on average.

New Zealand (54% above) and China (42% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.33 NZ$25.21

$2.98 ¥19.84

380.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 NZ$120

$22.09 ¥147

209.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.17 NZ$16.14

$5.20 ¥34.66

76.35%

Cappuccino

$3.32 NZ$5.84

$2.97 ¥19.77

11.78%

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

$2.21 NZ$3.90

$0.48 ¥3.19

360.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 NZ$3.47

$0.30 ¥2.01

556.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.68 NZ$11.75

$1.08 ¥7.19

518.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.67 NZ$11.73

$2.28 ¥15.18

192.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 NZ$3.13

$1.80 ¥11.98

-1.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 NZ$3.31

$1.68 ¥11.17

11.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 NZ$3.07

$0.92 ¥6.14

89.13%

Eggs

$6.03 NZ$10.62

$1.61 ¥10.75

274.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.01 NZ$14.10

$13.38 ¥89.2

-40.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.55 NZ$16.81

$3.35 ¥22.31

185.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.49 NZ$25.50

$11.35 ¥75.7

27.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 NZ$4.81

$1.82 ¥12.14

50.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 NZ$3.73

$1.31 ¥8.71

61.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 NZ$5.21

$1.49 ¥9.91

98.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.02 NZ$8.83

$1.27 ¥8.49

295.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 NZ$3.49

$0.71 ¥4.74

178.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 NZ$2.67

$0.93 ¥6.22

63.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.06 NZ$3.62

$0.62 ¥4.12

232.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 NZ$1.95

$0.56 ¥3.75

98.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.38 NZ$42.90

$3.78 ¥25.19

544.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.82 NZ$15.52

$12.13 ¥80.9

-27.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 NZ$5.59

$0.83 ¥5.55

281.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 NZ$5.89

$1.68 ¥11.23

99.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 NZ$3.56

$0.29 ¥1.92

596.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$114 NZ$200

$17.83 ¥119

538.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.33 NZ$4.11

$1.49 ¥9.91

56.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.94 NZ$3.41

$0.37 ¥2.50

424.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.85 NZ$57.8

$7.10 ¥47.31

362.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 NZ$3.13

$1.26 ¥8.39

41.27%

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

$27.9K NZ$49.1K

$19.4K ¥129.6K

43.42%

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

$23.3K NZ$41.0K

$17.5K ¥116.9K

32.84%

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

$154 NZ$272

$54.6 ¥364

182.75%

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

$32.00 NZ$56.3

$8.73 ¥58.2

266.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.2 NZ$88.4

$11.07 ¥73.8

353.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.74 NZ$59.4

$40.77 ¥272

-17.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.70 NZ$25.87

$14.48 ¥96.5

1.52%

Cinema Ticket

$11.18 NZ$19.69

$6.78 ¥45.19

64.90%

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

$870 NZ$1,531

$517 ¥3,443

68.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K NZ$28.8K

$19.8K ¥132.0K

-17.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.9 NZ$121

$46.53 ¥310

48.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.42 NZ$64.1

$35.66 ¥238

2.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 NZ$164

$77.0 ¥513

21.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 NZ$205

$80.3 ¥535

45.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,117 NZ$1,965

$386 ¥2,572

189.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$965 NZ$1,699

$235 ¥1,563

311.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,762 NZ$3,100

$822 ¥5,478

114.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,554 NZ$2,736

$453 ¥3,020

243.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,530 NZ$9,732

$4,697 ¥31.3K

17.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,778 NZ$6,650

$2,372 ¥15.8K

59.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,758 NZ$4,855

$1,093 ¥7,286

152.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.27

3.46

81.21%

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

Last update for New Zealand: October 26, 2026

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New Zealand

$965 46.1%

China

$235 29.6% 75.7% $731

Groceries & Markets

New Zealand

$317 15.1%

China

$210 26.5% 33.7% $107

Eating Out

New Zealand

$245 11.7%

China

$88 11.1% 64.1% $157

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New Zealand

$236 11.3%

China

$74 9.4% 68.6% $162

Clothing & Footwear

New Zealand

$142 6.8%

China

$108 13.6% 24.1% $34

Getting Around

New Zealand

$134 6.4%

China

$22 2.8% 83.3% $112

Sport & Entertainment

New Zealand

$56 2.7%

China

$54 6.9% 3.2% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $999 in New Zealand, $298 in China. Capital cities: $1,143 in Wellington vs $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $2,922 in New Zealand, $873 in China. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 235% higher in New Zealand.

Dining out costs 205% more in New Zealand.

Public transport is 472% more expensive in New Zealand.

Salaries are about 3.3 times higher in New Zealand, and purchasing power comes out stronger in New Zealand.

Good to know

🇳🇿 New Zealand

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

00:06 12:06 AM

19:06 7:06 PM

5 h behind New Zealand

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,118,700

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.568 USD

1 NZD = 0.511 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.76 NZD (1 NZD = 0.568 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 NZD (1 NZD = 0.511 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

New Zealand China 10,780 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

New Zealand
China

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 China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $791 per month in China and $2,096 in New Zealand, there’s a 165% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in China: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $999 in New Zealand and $298 in China. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In China, $2,000 covers most cities easily; in New Zealand it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you’ll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you’re after: China wins on affordability; New Zealand may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.