Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New Zealand and the United Kingdom

Name: United Kingdom
Address: GB

For one person, living is cheaper in New Zealand: $2,096 a month against $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 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
119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
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United Kingdom Living Index

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🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,096

/mo nomad

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,462

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in New Zealand and in the United Kingdom

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 the United Kingdom actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,096 per month in New Zealand vs $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent included.

New Zealand $2,096
United Kingdom $2,462

A couple spends around $3,101 per month in New Zealand vs $3,600 in the United Kingdom, rent included.

New Zealand $3,101
United Kingdom $3,600

A family of three spends $4,106 per month in New Zealand vs $4,738 in the United Kingdom, rent included.

New Zealand $4,106
United Kingdom $4,738

The regional cost range is wider in the United Kingdom ($1,126–$4,646) than in New Zealand ($841–$2,421), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in New Zealand is roughly 15% lower than in the United Kingdom on average.

Both New Zealand and the United Kingdom are pricier than the global median – New Zealand by 54%, the United Kingdom by 81%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.33 NZ$25.21

$21.48 £16.15

-33.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 NZ$120

$85.7 £64.4

-20.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.17 NZ$16.14

$10.61 £7.98

-13.57%

Cappuccino

$3.32 NZ$5.84

$4.91 £3.69

-32.38%

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

$2.21 NZ$3.90

$2.66 £2.00

-16.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 NZ$3.47

$1.87 £1.40

5.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.68 NZ$11.75

$6.63 £4.98

0.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.67 NZ$11.73

$6.84 £5.14

-2.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 NZ$3.13

$1.68 £1.26

5.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 NZ$3.31

$1.72 £1.29

9.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 NZ$3.07

$2.17 £1.63

-19.82%

Eggs

$6.03 NZ$10.62

$4.00 £3.01

50.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.01 NZ$14.10

$9.42 £7.08

-14.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.55 NZ$16.81

$9.19 £6.90

3.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.49 NZ$25.50

$14.77 £11.10

-1.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 NZ$4.81

$2.97 £2.23

-8.08%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 NZ$3.73

$1.62 £1.22

30.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 NZ$5.21

$2.85 £2.15

3.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.02 NZ$8.83

$3.52 £2.65

42.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 NZ$3.49

$1.83 £1.38

8.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 NZ$2.67

$1.61 £1.21

-5.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.06 NZ$3.62

$1.25 £0.94

64.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 NZ$1.95

$1.66 £1.25

-33.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.38 NZ$42.90

$23.65 £17.77

3.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.82 NZ$15.52

$10.50 £7.89

-16.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 NZ$5.59

$2.98 £2.24

6.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 NZ$5.89

$3.51 £2.64

-4.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 NZ$3.56

$3.98 £2.99

-49.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$114 NZ$200

$107 £80.7

6.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.33 NZ$4.11

$5.18 £3.89

-55.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.94 NZ$3.41

$2.35 £1.76

-17.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.85 NZ$57.8

$26.84 £20.17

22.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 NZ$3.13

$1.99 £1.49

-10.55%

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

$27.9K NZ$49.1K

$39.4K £29.6K

-29.30%

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

$23.3K NZ$41.0K

$40.5K £30.4K

-42.46%

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

$154 NZ$272

$327 £246

-52.85%

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

$32.00 NZ$56.3

$18.21 £13.69

75.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.2 NZ$88.4

$43.60 £32.77

15.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.74 NZ$59.4

$42.36 £31.83

-20.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.70 NZ$25.87

$18.22 £13.69

-19.32%

Cinema Ticket

$11.18 NZ$19.69

$13.85 £10.41

-19.28%

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

$870 NZ$1,531

$1,868 £1,404

-53.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K NZ$28.8K

$22.6K £17.0K

-27.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.9 NZ$121

$92.9 £69.8

-25.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.42 NZ$64.1

$45.92 £34.51

-20.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 NZ$164

$102 £76.4

-8.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 NZ$205

$102 £76.8

14.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,117 NZ$1,965

$1,342 £1,009

-16.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$965 NZ$1,699

$1,073 £807

-10.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,762 NZ$3,100

$2,231 £1,677

-21.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,554 NZ$2,736

$1,742 £1,309

-10.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,530 NZ$9,732

$5,601 £4,210

-1.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,778 NZ$6,650

$4,265 £3,205

-11.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,758 NZ$4,855

$3,349 £2,517

-17.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.27

5.32

17.86%

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

Last update for New Zealand: October 26, 2026

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New Zealand

$965 46.1%

United Kingdom

$1.1K 43.6% 11.2% $108

Groceries & Markets

New Zealand

$317 15.1%

United Kingdom

$307 12.5% 3% $9.6

Eating Out

New Zealand

$245 11.7%

United Kingdom

$328 13.3% 33.5% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New Zealand

$236 11.3%

United Kingdom

$389 15.8% 64.5% $153

Clothing & Footwear

New Zealand

$142 6.8%

United Kingdom

$154 6.3% 8.7% $12

Getting Around

New Zealand

$134 6.4%

United Kingdom

$140 5.7% 4.7% $6.2

Sport & Entertainment

New Zealand

$56 2.7%

United Kingdom

$70 2.9% 24.8% $14

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $999 in New Zealand vs $1,287 in the United Kingdom. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,143 in Wellington and $2,811 in London.

Average salary: $2,922 in New Zealand vs $3,251 in the United Kingdom. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 29% higher in the United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 24% more in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are 11% higher in the United Kingdom.

Good to know

🇳🇿 New Zealand

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🕒 Local time

20:05 8:05 PM

07:05 7:05 AM

13 h behind New Zealand

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,118,700

67,326,569

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.568 USD

1 NZD = 0.511 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, 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).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.752 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.836 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

New Zealand United Kingdom 18,810 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

New Zealand
United Kingdom

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 United Kingdom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Housing costs more in the United Kingdom: a central one-bedroom averages $1,287 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.