Cost of Living Comparison Between Oamaru and Christchurch Cost of Living Comparison Between Oamaru and Christchurch

πŸ™‚ Solo nomad: Oamaru is 16.3% cheaper than Christchurch without rent, and 22.2% cheaper with rent.
πŸ™‚ Family of 3: Oamaru is 13.1% cheaper than Christchurch without rent, and 6.6% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Oamaru
Christchurch
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.05 NZ$28.12
$16.56 NZ$27.32
2.96%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$73.7 NZ$122
$71.4 NZ$118
3.21%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.79 NZ$16.14
$9.41 NZ$15.53
4.04%
Cappuccino
$3.45 NZ$5.69
$3.34 NZ$5.52
3.29%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.28 NZ$3.76
$2.3 NZ$3.8
-0.87%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.05 NZ$3.39
$2.03 NZ$3.34
0.99%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.23 NZ$11.92
$7.31 NZ$12.06
-1.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.4 NZ$12.21
$7.2 NZ$11.87
2.78%
πŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Oamaru
Christchurch
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.8 NZ$2.96
$1.91 NZ$3.16
-5.76%
White Bread (500g)
$1.16 NZ$1.92
$1.94 NZ$3.2
-40.21%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.2 NZ$1.97
$1.73 NZ$2.85
-30.64%
Eggs
$3.88 NZ$6.4
$6.26 NZ$10.33
-38.02%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.53 NZ$14.06
$8.18 NZ$13.48
4.28%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.42 NZ$15.54
$9.65 NZ$15.91
-2.38%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.72 NZ$20.98
$12.83 NZ$21.17
-0.86%
Apples (1kg)
$2.35 NZ$3.87
$3.06 NZ$5.04
-23.20%
Banana (1kg)
$1.83 NZ$3.02
$2.71 NZ$4.46
-32.47%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.95 NZ$4.87
$2.95 NZ$4.87
-
Tomato (1kg)
$5.62 NZ$9.26
$5.52 NZ$9.11
1.81%
Potato (1kg)
$1.54 NZ$2.54
$2.15 NZ$3.54
-28.37%
Onion (1kg)
$1.19 NZ$1.96
$2.21 NZ$3.64
-46.15%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.76 NZ$2.9
$2.98 NZ$4.91
-40.94%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.43 NZ$2.35
$1.45 NZ$2.4
-1.38%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$24.05 NZ$39.66
$23.66 NZ$39.02
1.65%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.74 NZ$9.47
$8.93 NZ$14.72
-35.72%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.69 NZ$6.08
$3.82 NZ$6.29
-3.40%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.06 NZ$8.35
$4.85 NZ$8
4.33%
🚌 Getting Around
Oamaru
Christchurch
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.16 NZ$3.57
$1.24 NZ$2.05
74.19%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$65.1 NZ$107
$41.94 NZ$69.2
55.29%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.69 NZ$4.44
$2.63 NZ$4.34
2.28%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.66 NZ$2.73
$1.64 NZ$2.7
1.22%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$29.56 NZ$48.75
$30.26 NZ$49.91
-2.31%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.71 NZ$2.82
$1.71 NZ$2.81
-
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.5K NZ$45.4K
$27K NZ$44.5K
2.19%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.8K NZ$32.6K
$20K NZ$33K
-1.22%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Oamaru
Christchurch
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$115 NZ$190
$116 NZ$191
-0.41%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.96 NZ$29.63
$32.15 NZ$53
-44.14%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$47.84 NZ$78.9
$52.6 NZ$86.8
-9.10%
πŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Oamaru
Christchurch
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.39 NZ$61.7
$34.61 NZ$57.1
8.03%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$12.02 NZ$19.82
$15.47 NZ$25.51
-22.30%
Cinema Ticket
$11.05 NZ$18.23
$10.81 NZ$17.83
2.22%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Oamaru
Christchurch
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$649 NZ$1,070
$653 NZ$1,077
-0.64%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,276 NZ$15.3K
$9,249 NZ$15.3K
0.29%
πŸ‘•πŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Oamaru
Christchurch
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$59.7 NZ$98.5
$64 NZ$105
-6.63%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$17.73 NZ$29.25
$43.12 NZ$71.1
-58.88%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$48.37 NZ$79.8
$90.8 NZ$150
-46.72%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$54.7 NZ$90.2
$150 NZ$247
-63.57%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Oamaru
Christchurch
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$962 NZ$1,586
$1,536 NZ$2,534
-37.39%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$785 NZ$1,295
$1,158 NZ$1,911
-32.21%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,547 NZ$2,551
$2,059 NZ$3,395
-24.87%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,452 NZ$2,395
$1,488 NZ$2,453
-2.38%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,246 NZ$7,002
$4,194 NZ$6,918
1.23%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,859 NZ$6,365
$3,361 NZ$5,543
14.82%
πŸ’΅ Salaries & Financials
Oamaru
Christchurch
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,061 NZ$3,399
$2,736 NZ$4,512
-24.67%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6
6.74
-10.98%

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

Last update for Oamaru: October 28, 2025

Last update for Christchurch: October 27, 2025

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