Cost of Living Comparison Between Palmerston North and Auckland Cost of Living Comparison Between Palmerston North and Auckland

🙂 Solo nomad: Palmerston North is 13.4% cheaper than Auckland without rent, and 26.1% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Palmerston North is 9.5% cheaper than Auckland without rent, and 20.6% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Palmerston North
Auckland
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.61 NZ$27.91
$15.14 NZ$25.44
9.71%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$73.5 NZ$123
$79.0 NZ$133
-6.98%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.90 NZ$19.99
$9.88 NZ$16.60
20.45%
Cappuccino
$3.39 NZ$5.69
$3.51 NZ$5.90
-3.42%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 NZ$3.85
$2.33 NZ$3.91
-1.72%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.13 NZ$3.58
$2.21 NZ$3.71
-3.62%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.12 NZ$11.96
$7.05 NZ$11.85
0.99%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.34 NZ$10.66
$7.18 NZ$12.06
-11.70%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Palmerston North
Auckland
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.97 NZ$3.31
$1.80 NZ$3.03
9.44%
White Bread (500g)
$2.06 NZ$3.46
$2.09 NZ$3.52
-1.44%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.74 NZ$2.93
$1.94 NZ$3.26
-10.31%
Eggs
$5.28 NZ$8.86
$6.99 NZ$11.74
-24.46%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.37 NZ$14.05
$8.84 NZ$14.85
-5.32%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.94 NZ$15.01
$9.43 NZ$15.84
-5.20%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.48 NZ$20.97
$12.86 NZ$21.61
-2.95%
Apples (1kg)
$2.48 NZ$4.17
$2.89 NZ$4.86
-14.19%
Banana (1kg)
$1.80 NZ$3.03
$2.30 NZ$3.87
-21.74%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.42 NZ$4.07
$3.37 NZ$5.66
-28.19%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.34 NZ$5.60
$4.18 NZ$7.02
-20.10%
Potato (1kg)
$2.08 NZ$3.49
$1.97 NZ$3.32
5.58%
Onion (1kg)
$2.18 NZ$3.66
$1.63 NZ$2.74
33.74%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.05 NZ$3.44
$1.89 NZ$3.18
8.47%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.92 NZ$1.55
$1.28 NZ$2.15
-28.13%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$20.08 NZ$33.73
$24.89 NZ$41.81
-19.33%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.02 NZ$15.16
$10.76 NZ$18.07
-16.17%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.44 NZ$4.10
$2.97 NZ$5.00
-17.85%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.20 NZ$8.74
$3.82 NZ$6.41
36.13%
🚌 Getting Around
Palmerston North
Auckland
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.77 NZ$8.01
$2.71 NZ$4.56
76.01%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$29.65 NZ$49.81
$127 NZ$214
-76.71%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.45 NZ$4.11
$2.17 NZ$3.65
12.90%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.79 NZ$3.01
$2.02 NZ$3.39
-11.39%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$17.01 NZ$28.58
$34.77 NZ$58.4
-51.08%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.70 NZ$2.86
$1.71 NZ$2.86
-0.58%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$18.5K NZ$31.0K
$28.4K NZ$47.7K
-35.01%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.6K NZ$36.3K
$21.8K NZ$36.7K
-1.02%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Palmerston North
Auckland
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$88.8 NZ$149
$145 NZ$244
-38.88%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$37.31 NZ$62.7
$30.51 NZ$51.3
22.29%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$48.09 NZ$80.8
$49.67 NZ$83.4
-3.18%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Palmerston North
Auckland
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$35.00 NZ$58.8
$36.46 NZ$61.3
-4.00%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.25 NZ$22.26
$16.56 NZ$27.82
-19.99%
Cinema Ticket
$9.20 NZ$15.45
$14.81 NZ$24.87
-37.88%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Palmerston North
Auckland
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,022 NZ$1,717
$907 NZ$1,524
12.67%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,103 NZ$10.3K
$13.7K NZ$23.0K
-55.49%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Palmerston North
Auckland
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$58.1 NZ$97.5
$70.4 NZ$118
-17.55%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.06 NZ$64.0
$49.49 NZ$83.2
-23.10%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$90.8 NZ$153
$97.3 NZ$164
-6.68%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$91.8 NZ$154
$127 NZ$214
-27.79%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Palmerston North
Auckland
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$848 NZ$1,425
$1,282 NZ$2,154
-33.86%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$701 NZ$1,178
$1,134 NZ$1,905
-38.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,562 NZ$2,624
$2,463 NZ$4,137
-36.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,397 NZ$2,348
$1,846 NZ$3,101
-24.29%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,171 NZ$3,647
$8,025 NZ$13.5K
-72.95%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,938 NZ$3,256
$5,517 NZ$9,269
-64.87%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Palmerston North
Auckland
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,623 NZ$4,407
$3,272 NZ$5,498
-19.83%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.69
6.37
5.02%

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

Last update for Palmerston North: February 28, 2026

Last update for Auckland: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Similar cities