Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oamaru and Wellington

For one person, living is cheaper in Oamaru: $1,809 a month against $2,313 in Wellington, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

93

Cost of Living Index in Oamaru
Learn more

Oamaru Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Wellington
Learn more

Wellington Living Index

Jump to prices

Oamaru

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,809

/mo nomad

Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,313

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Oamaru 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 Oamaru and in Wellington actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,809 in Oamaru versus $2,313 in Wellington.

Oamaru $1,809
Wellington $2,313

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,753 in Oamaru versus $3,422 in Wellington.

Oamaru $2,753
Wellington $3,422

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,698 in Oamaru versus $4,530 in Wellington.

Oamaru $3,698
Wellington $4,530

Living in Oamaru costs roughly 22% less than in Wellington, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Oamaru 33% above, Wellington 70% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.46 NZ$25.67

$14.02 NZ$24.90

3.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 NZ$121

$66.5 NZ$118

2.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.20 NZ$16.33

$9.23 NZ$16.38

-0.33%

Cappuccino

$3.35 NZ$5.94

$3.41 NZ$6.06

-1.76%

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

$2.30 NZ$4.09

$2.43 NZ$4.32

-5.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 NZ$3.15

$1.69 NZ$3.00

5.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.64 NZ$11.79

$7.48 NZ$13.29

-11.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.97 NZ$12.37

$6.74 NZ$11.97

3.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 NZ$3.08

$1.95 NZ$3.47

-11.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.32 NZ$2.34

$2.25 NZ$4.00

-41.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 NZ$2.60

$1.85 NZ$3.29

-20.54%

Eggs

$5.53 NZ$9.82

$7.10 NZ$12.61

-22.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.53 NZ$13.36

$9.54 NZ$16.94

-21.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.85 NZ$15.72

$9.62 NZ$17.08

-8.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.64 NZ$24.21

$15.26 NZ$27.09

-10.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 NZ$4.25

$3.09 NZ$5.49

-22.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.10 NZ$3.73

$2.15 NZ$3.83

-2.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 NZ$4.70

$3.08 NZ$5.47

-13.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.91 NZ$5.17

$6.42 NZ$11.40

-54.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 NZ$2.67

$2.10 NZ$3.72

-28.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 NZ$2.47

$1.23 NZ$2.19

13.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.07 NZ$3.68

$2.01 NZ$3.57

2.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 NZ$1.16

$1.16 NZ$2.06

-43.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.01 NZ$42.63

$25.37 NZ$45.04

-5.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.66 NZ$10.05

$11.48 NZ$20.39

-50.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.42 NZ$6.08

$3.12 NZ$5.53

9.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 NZ$7.89

$2.89 NZ$5.12

53.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 NZ$3.63

$2.86 NZ$5.08

-28.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$108 NZ$191

$105 NZ$186

2.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.58 NZ$4.58

$1.88 NZ$3.34

37.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 NZ$3.06

$1.83 NZ$3.25

-6.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.67 NZ$50.9

$34.31 NZ$60.9

-16.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 NZ$2.88

$1.84 NZ$3.27

-11.96%

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

$28.8K NZ$51.2K

$28.4K NZ$50.4K

1.57%

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

$23.7K NZ$42.1K

$23.8K NZ$42.3K

-0.26%

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

$157 NZ$279

$201 NZ$357

-21.77%

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

$20.20 NZ$35.86

$33.35 NZ$59.2

-39.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.97 NZ$79.8

$53.7 NZ$95.3

-16.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.17 NZ$69.6

$35.87 NZ$63.7

9.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.18 NZ$28.73

Cinema Ticket

$10.03 NZ$17.81

$11.78 NZ$20.92

-14.86%

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

$677 NZ$1,202

$1,065 NZ$1,890

-36.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.4K NZ$39.7K

$13.3K NZ$23.6K

68.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 NZ$102

$80.4 NZ$143

-28.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.36 NZ$30.83

$28.04 NZ$49.78

-38.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.93 NZ$81.6

$102 NZ$180

-54.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$51.0 NZ$90.6

$154 NZ$274

-66.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,042 NZ$1,850

$1,143 NZ$2,029

-8.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$799 NZ$1,419

$1,078 NZ$1,914

-25.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,588 NZ$2,820

$2,057 NZ$3,651

-22.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,426 NZ$2,531

$1,814 NZ$3,220

-21.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,866 NZ$8,638

$6,594 NZ$11.7K

-26.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,783 NZ$6,716

$3,655 NZ$6,489

3.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,950 NZ$3,462

$2,785 NZ$4,945

-29.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.91

5.39

9.65%

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

Last update for Oamaru: October 26, 2026

Last update for Wellington: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Oamaru

$799 44.2%

Wellington

$1.1K 46.6% 34.9% $279

Groceries & Markets

Oamaru

$277 15.3%

Wellington

$348 15.1% 25.8% $72

Eating Out

Oamaru

$247 13.7%

Wellington

$248 10.7% 0.5% $1.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oamaru

$222 12.3%

Wellington

$288 12.4% 29.5% $66

Getting Around

Oamaru

$127 7%

Wellington

$127 5.5% 0.4% $0.5

Clothing & Footwear

Oamaru

$77 4.3%

Wellington

$164 7.1% 112% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Oamaru

$59 3.3%

Wellington

$59 2.6% 0.3% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,042 in Oamaru and $1,143 in Wellington. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wellington pays 43% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $68 in Oamaru vs $66 in Wellington. Groceries flip the comparison at $277 vs $348, with Oamaru cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Oamaru

🇳🇿 Wellington

🕒 Local time

03:10 3:10 AM

Same time as Oamaru

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,850

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Oamaru Wellington 520 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Oamaru
Wellington

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

Oamaru vs Wellington: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Oamaru is about 22% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 30% lower in Oamaru. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,042 in Oamaru versus $1,143 in Wellington. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $677 in Oamaru versus $1,065 in Wellington. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Wellington – a meal for two runs $66 versus $68 in Oamaru. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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, Oamaru and Wellington are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Oamaru wins on affordability, Wellington on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.