Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New Zealand and Spain

Name: Spain
Address: ES

For one person, living is cheaper in Spain: $1,775 a month against $2,096 in New Zealand, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in New Zealand
Learn more

New Zealand Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Spain
Learn more

Spain Living Index

Jump to prices

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,096

/mo nomad

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $2,096 per month in New Zealand vs $1,775 in Spain, rent included.

New Zealand $2,096
Spain $1,775

A couple spends around $3,101 per month in New Zealand vs $2,606 in Spain, rent included.

New Zealand $3,101
Spain $2,606

A family of three spends $4,106 per month in New Zealand vs $3,438 in Spain, rent included.

New Zealand $4,106
Spain $3,438

Cost ranges are similar: New Zealand spans $841–$2,421, Spain $931–$2,610. City choice affects budget similarly in either country.

The cost of living in New Zealand is about 18% higher than in Spain on average.

Both New Zealand and Spain are pricier than the global median – New Zealand by 54%, Spain by 30%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.33 NZ$25.43

$16.69 €14.95

-14.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 NZ$121

$55.7 €49.88

22.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.17 NZ$16.28

$11.37 €10.18

-19.35%

Cappuccino

$3.32 NZ$5.89

$2.42 €2.16

37.19%

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

$2.21 NZ$3.93

$2.68 €2.40

-17.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 NZ$3.50

$1.79 €1.60

10.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.68 NZ$11.85

$3.42 €3.07

95.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.67 NZ$11.84

$3.88 €3.47

71.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 NZ$3.15

$1.20 €1.07

48.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 NZ$3.34

$1.48 €1.33

27.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 NZ$3.09

$1.67 €1.50

4.19%

Eggs

$6.03 NZ$10.71

$3.42 €3.06

76.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.01 NZ$14.22

$14.17 €12.69

-43.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.55 NZ$16.96

$8.33 €7.46

14.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.49 NZ$25.72

$16.20 €14.51

-10.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 NZ$4.85

$2.45 €2.20

11.43%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 NZ$3.76

$2.03 €1.82

4.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 NZ$5.26

$2.08 €1.86

42.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.02 NZ$8.91

$2.58 €2.31

94.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 NZ$3.52

$1.83 €1.64

8.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 NZ$2.70

$2.00 €1.79

-24.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.06 NZ$3.65

$1.31 €1.17

57.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 NZ$1.96

$0.77 €0.69

44.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.38 NZ$43.28

$6.36 €5.70

283.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.82 NZ$15.66

$5.64 €5.05

56.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 NZ$5.64

$1.30 €1.17

143.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 NZ$5.94

$2.09 €1.87

60.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 NZ$3.60

$1.64 €1.47

23.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$114 NZ$202

$32.91 €29.48

246.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.33 NZ$4.14

$4.43 €3.96

-47.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.94 NZ$3.44

$1.47 €1.31

31.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.85 NZ$58.3

$24.98 €22.38

31.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 NZ$3.16

$1.77 €1.59

0.56%

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

$27.9K NZ$49.5K

$35.5K €31.8K

-21.49%

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

$23.3K NZ$41.4K

$30.6K €27.4K

-23.90%

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

$154 NZ$274

$149 €134

3.34%

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

$32.00 NZ$56.8

$17.67 €15.83

81.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.2 NZ$89.1

$31.88 €28.55

57.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.74 NZ$59.9

$44.24 €39.62

-23.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.70 NZ$26.10

$15.29 €13.70

-3.86%

Cinema Ticket

$11.18 NZ$19.86

$9.66 €8.65

15.73%

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

$870 NZ$1,544

$544 €487

59.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K NZ$29.1K

$10.6K €9,499

54.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.9 NZ$122

$84.9 €76.0

-18.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.42 NZ$64.7

$37.11 €33.24

-1.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 NZ$166

$89.2 €79.9

4.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 NZ$207

$106 €94.7

10.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,117 NZ$1,982

$1,056 €946

5.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$965 NZ$1,714

$808 €723

19.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,762 NZ$3,128

$1,621 €1,452

8.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,554 NZ$2,759

$1,246 €1,116

24.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,530 NZ$9,818

$4,135 €3,704

33.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,778 NZ$6,708

$2,633 €2,358

43.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,758 NZ$4,897

$1,999 €1,790

37.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.27

3.3

90.00%

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

Last update for New Zealand: October 26, 2026

Last update for Spain: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New Zealand

$965 46.1%

Spain

$808 45.5% 16.3% $158

Groceries & Markets

New Zealand

$317 15.1%

Spain

$272 15.3% 14.3% $45

Eating Out

New Zealand

$245 11.7%

Spain

$239 13.5% 2.5% $6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New Zealand

$236 11.3%

Spain

$199 11.2% 15.9% $38

Clothing & Footwear

New Zealand

$142 6.8%

Spain

$143 8% 0.5% $0.7

Getting Around

New Zealand

$134 6.4%

Spain

$51 2.9% 61.8% $83

Sport & Entertainment

New Zealand

$56 2.7%

Spain

$64 3.6% 13.3% $7.5

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $999 in New Zealand vs $920 in Spain. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,143 in Wellington and $1,508 in Madrid.

Average salary: $2,922 in New Zealand vs $1,972 in Spain. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 9% higher in New Zealand.

Dining out costs 18% more in New Zealand.

Public transport is 232% more expensive in New Zealand.

Salaries are 48% higher in New Zealand, and purchasing power comes out stronger in New Zealand.

Good to know

🇳🇿 New Zealand

🇪🇸 Spain

🕒 Local time

20:33 8:33 PM

08:33 8:33 AM

12 h behind New Zealand

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,118,700

47,415,750

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.505 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.505 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

New Zealand Spain 19,850 km ≈ 25 h nonstop flight

From you

New Zealand
Spain

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 Spain: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Spain is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 15% lower on average.

Housing costs more in New Zealand: a central one-bedroom averages $999 versus $920 in Spain.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Spain – part of why living there is about 15% cheaper overall.

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