Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between North Shore and Wellington

For one person, living is cheaper in North Shore: $2,123 a month against $2,313 in Wellington, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

103

Cost of Living Index in North Shore
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North Shore Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Wellington
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Wellington Living Index

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North Shore

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,123

/mo nomad

Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,313

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in North Shore and in Wellington

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,123 in North Shore versus $2,313 in Wellington.

North Shore $2,123
Wellington $2,313

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,945 in North Shore versus $3,422 in Wellington.

North Shore $2,945
Wellington $3,422

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,766 in North Shore versus $4,530 in Wellington.

North Shore $3,766
Wellington $4,530

Living in North Shore costs roughly 8% less than in Wellington, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: North Shore 56% above, Wellington 70% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 NZ$24.87

$14.02 NZ$24.93

-0.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.3 NZ$134

$66.5 NZ$118

13.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.51 NZ$15.12

$9.23 NZ$16.40

-7.80%

Cappuccino

$3.44 NZ$6.11

$3.41 NZ$6.06

0.88%

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

$1.99 NZ$3.54

$2.43 NZ$4.32

-18.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 NZ$3.25

$1.69 NZ$3.01

8.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.68 NZ$11.87

$7.48 NZ$13.30

-10.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.77 NZ$10.26

$6.74 NZ$11.99

-14.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 NZ$2.88

$1.95 NZ$3.47

-16.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 NZ$2.38

$2.25 NZ$4.01

-40.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 NZ$3.23

$1.85 NZ$3.30

-1.62%

Eggs

$5.76 NZ$10.24

$7.10 NZ$12.63

-18.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.01 NZ$14.24

$9.54 NZ$16.96

-16.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.01 NZ$17.79

$9.62 NZ$17.10

4.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.77 NZ$20.93

$15.26 NZ$27.13

-22.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.68 NZ$4.77

$3.09 NZ$5.50

-13.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 NZ$3.75

$2.15 NZ$3.83

-1.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.16 NZ$5.62

$3.08 NZ$5.48

2.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.03 NZ$10.72

$6.42 NZ$11.42

-6.07%

Potato (1kg)

$2.08 NZ$3.69

$2.10 NZ$3.73

-0.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 NZ$2.70

$1.23 NZ$2.19

23.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.50 NZ$4.44

$2.01 NZ$3.58

24.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 NZ$1.65

$1.16 NZ$2.06

-19.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.31 NZ$44.98

$25.37 NZ$45.09

-0.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.50 NZ$18.66

$11.48 NZ$20.41

-8.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 NZ$4.88

$3.12 NZ$5.54

-12.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 NZ$5.85

$2.89 NZ$5.13

13.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 NZ$4.13

$2.86 NZ$5.09

-18.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.4 NZ$109

$105 NZ$186

-41.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.31 NZ$4.11

$1.88 NZ$3.34

22.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 NZ$3.51

$1.83 NZ$3.25

7.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.86 NZ$58.4

$34.31 NZ$61.0

-4.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 NZ$3.09

$1.84 NZ$3.27

-5.43%

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

$26.9K NZ$47.8K

$28.4K NZ$50.5K

-5.33%

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

$22.1K NZ$39.3K

$23.8K NZ$42.3K

-7.07%

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

$182 NZ$323

$201 NZ$357

-9.46%

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

$26.22 NZ$46.61

$33.35 NZ$59.3

-21.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.4 NZ$91.3

$53.7 NZ$95.4

-4.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.58 NZ$49.02

$35.87 NZ$63.8

-23.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.18 NZ$28.77

Cinema Ticket

$12.07 NZ$21.45

$11.78 NZ$20.94

2.46%

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

$686 NZ$1,220

$1,065 NZ$1,892

-35.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.5K NZ$25.9K

$13.3K NZ$23.6K

9.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.1 NZ$123

$80.4 NZ$143

-14.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.67 NZ$67.0

$28.04 NZ$49.84

34.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.3 NZ$169

$102 NZ$181

-6.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 NZ$191

$154 NZ$274

-30.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,328 NZ$2,361

$1,143 NZ$2,031

16.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,042 NZ$1,851

$1,078 NZ$1,917

-3.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,240 NZ$3,983

$2,057 NZ$3,656

8.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 NZ$2,356

$1,814 NZ$3,224

-26.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,353 NZ$13.1K

$6,594 NZ$11.7K

11.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,086 NZ$10.8K

$3,655 NZ$6,497

66.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,856 NZ$5,077

$2,785 NZ$4,951

2.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.63

5.39

23.01%

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

Last update for North Shore: October 25, 2026

Last update for Wellington: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

North Shore

$1K 49%

Wellington

$1.1K 46.6% 3.5% $37

Groceries & Markets

North Shore

$310 14.6%

Wellington

$348 15.1% 12.4% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

North Shore

$259 12.2%

Wellington

$288 12.4% 10.9% $28

Eating Out

North Shore

$239 11.3%

Wellington

$248 10.7% 3.9% $9.3

Clothing & Footwear

North Shore

$139 6.6%

Wellington

$164 7.1% 17.7% $25

Getting Around

North Shore

$83 3.9%

Wellington

$127 5.5% 53.7% $44

Sport & Entertainment

North Shore

$52 2.4%

Wellington

$59 2.6% 14.9% $7.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,328 in North Shore and $1,143 in Wellington. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $75 in North Shore vs $66 in Wellington. Groceries flip the comparison at $310 vs $348, with North Shore cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 North Shore

🇳🇿 Wellington

🕒 Local time

19:27 7:27 PM

Same time as North Shore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

258,697

215,900 Capital

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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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

North Shore vs Wellington: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,123 in North Shore and $2,313 in Wellington, so North Shore is about 8% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,185 in North Shore and $3,470 in Wellington to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,328 in North Shore versus $1,143 in Wellington. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Wellington – a meal for two runs $66 versus $75 in North Shore. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,123 per month in North Shore versus $2,313 in Wellington – North Shore is about 8% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though North Shore gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, North Shore and Wellington are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.