Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New Zealand and Italy

Name: Italy
Address: IT

For one person, living is cheaper in Italy: $1,832 a month against $2,074 in New Zealand, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in New Zealand outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

100

Cost of Living Index in New Zealand
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New Zealand Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Italy
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Italy Living Index

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🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,074

/mo nomad

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,832

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,074 in New Zealand versus $1,832 in Italy.

New Zealand $2,074
Italy $1,832

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,050 in New Zealand versus $2,809 in Italy.

New Zealand $3,050
Italy $2,809

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,026 in New Zealand versus $3,787 in Italy.

New Zealand $4,026
Italy $3,787

New Zealand ($835–$2,406) and Italy ($1,163–$2,537) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in New Zealand is roughly 13% more expensive than in Italy on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: New Zealand 53% above, Italy 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.77 NZ$24.62

$20.47 €18.26

-32.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.2 NZ$120

$78.9 €70.4

-14.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.79 NZ$15.71

$11.23 €10.02

-21.73%

Cappuccino

$3.40 NZ$6.07

$2.04 €1.82

66.67%

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

$2.09 NZ$3.74

$3.09 €2.75

-32.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 NZ$3.54

$1.34 €1.19

47.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.83 NZ$12.20

$5.71 €5.10

19.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.67 NZ$11.93

$5.43 €4.84

22.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 NZ$3.11

$1.57 €1.40

10.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.81 NZ$3.24

$2.39 €2.14

-24.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 NZ$3.09

$2.85 €2.54

-39.30%

Eggs

$6.03 NZ$10.77

$4.19 €3.74

43.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.24 NZ$14.73

$17.06 €15.22

-51.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.29 NZ$16.61

$12.49 €11.14

-25.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.12 NZ$25.24

$20.30 €18.11

-30.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 NZ$4.97

$2.61 €2.33

6.51%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 NZ$3.86

$2.18 €1.95

-0.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.79 NZ$4.99

$2.59 €2.31

7.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.98 NZ$8.91

$3.31 €2.95

50.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 NZ$3.48

$2.01 €1.80

-2.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.57 NZ$2.81

$1.82 €1.62

-13.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.07 NZ$3.70

$1.57 €1.40

31.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 NZ$1.92

$0.52 €0.46

105.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.33 NZ$43.49

$6.74 €6.01

260.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.76 NZ$15.66

$7.91 €7.05

10.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.00 NZ$5.36

$1.76 €1.57

70.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 NZ$5.69

$2.36 €2.10

34.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.93 NZ$3.45

$1.95 €1.74

-1.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 NZ$198

$42.83 €38.20

158.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.30 NZ$4.11

$5.53 €4.93

-58.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 NZ$3.52

$1.71 €1.52

15.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.22 NZ$57.6

$33.80 €30.15

-4.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.71 NZ$3.05

$2.08 €1.86

-17.79%

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

$28.3K NZ$50.7K

$36.0K €32.1K

-21.22%

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

$23.1K NZ$41.4K

$37.2K €33.2K

-37.75%

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

$158 NZ$282

$231 €206

-31.92%

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

$31.06 NZ$55.5

$11.80 €10.53

163.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.72 NZ$88.9

$29.94 €26.70

66.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.64 NZ$60.2

$53.0 €47.30

-36.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.96 NZ$26.75

$23.61 €21.06

-36.64%

Cinema Ticket

$11.26 NZ$20.14

$10.75 €9.59

4.74%

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

$841 NZ$1,504

$566 €505

48.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.0K NZ$37.6K

$17.6K €15.7K

19.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.6 NZ$121

$90.8 €81.0

-25.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.73 NZ$63.9

$38.57 €34.41

-7.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.0 NZ$168

$103 €92.1

-8.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 NZ$206

$130 €116

-11.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,102 NZ$1,971

$829 €740

32.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$955 NZ$1,707

$630 €562

51.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,743 NZ$3,117

$1,377 €1,228

26.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,508 NZ$2,697

$1,050 €937

43.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,719 NZ$10.2K

$3,650 €3,256

56.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,643 NZ$6,514

$2,306 €2,057

57.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,766 NZ$4,945

$1,951 €1,740

41.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.26

3.55

76.34%

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

Last update for New Zealand: November 1, 2026

Last update for Italy: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New Zealand

$955 46.1%

Italy

$630 34.4% 34% $324

Groceries & Markets

New Zealand

$312 15.1%

Italy

$347 18.9% 11.2% $35

Eating Out

New Zealand

$241 11.6%

Italy

$279 15.2% 15.8% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New Zealand

$238 11.5%

Italy

$273 14.9% 14.6% $35

Clothing & Footwear

New Zealand

$141 6.8%

Italy

$163 8.9% 15.9% $22

Getting Around

New Zealand

$131 6.3%

Italy

$65 3.5% 50.5% $66

Sport & Entertainment

New Zealand

$56 2.7%

Italy

$75 4.1% 32.7% $18

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $998 in New Zealand, $728 in Italy. Capital cities: $1,148 in Wellington vs $1,348 in Rome.

National salary averages: $2,907 in New Zealand, $1,908 in Italy. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 37% higher in New Zealand.

Dining out costs 11% more in Italy.

Public transport is 137% more expensive in New Zealand.

Salaries are 52% higher in New Zealand, and purchasing power comes out stronger in New Zealand.

Good to know

🇳🇿 New Zealand

🇮🇹 Italy

🕒 Local time

06:33 6:33 AM

18:33 6:33 PM

12 h behind New Zealand

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,118,700

58,850,717

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.559 USD

1 NZD = 0.499 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 NZD (1 NZD = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2 NZD (1 NZD = 0.499 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

New Zealand Italy 18,540 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

New Zealand
Italy

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 Italy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,832 per month in Italy and $2,074 in New Zealand, Italy comes out about 12% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $998 in New Zealand and $728 in Italy. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: Italy wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.