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

🙂 Solo nomad: Palmerston North is 11.4% cheaper than Auckland without rent, and 29.5% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Palmerston North is 11.7% cheaper than Auckland without rent, and 17.8% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Palmerston North
Auckland
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.86 NZ$27.81
$15.02 NZ$24.78
12.25%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$72.1 NZ$119
$79.7 NZ$132
-9.53%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.27 NZ$20.23
$9.76 NZ$16.1
25.72%
Cappuccino
$3.44 NZ$5.67
$3.54 NZ$5.83
-2.82%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.37 NZ$3.91
$2.27 NZ$3.75
4.41%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.08 NZ$3.43
$2.18 NZ$3.59
-4.59%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.32 NZ$12.07
$7.16 NZ$11.8
2.23%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.32 NZ$10.42
$7.34 NZ$12.1
-13.90%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Palmerston North
Auckland
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.92 NZ$3.16
$1.74 NZ$2.87
10.34%
White Bread (500g)
$2.05 NZ$3.39
$2.1 NZ$3.46
-2.38%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.81 NZ$2.99
$2.02 NZ$3.33
-10.40%
Eggs
$5.41 NZ$8.92
$6.69 NZ$11.03
-19.13%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.35 NZ$13.77
$8.61 NZ$14.2
-3.02%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.37 NZ$15.46
$9.66 NZ$15.94
-3.00%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.3 NZ$20.28
$12.97 NZ$21.39
-5.17%
Apples (1kg)
$2.52 NZ$4.16
$2.83 NZ$4.67
-10.95%
Banana (1kg)
$1.81 NZ$2.99
$2.27 NZ$3.74
-20.26%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.56 NZ$4.22
$3.21 NZ$5.3
-20.25%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.41 NZ$5.63
$4.03 NZ$6.64
-15.38%
Potato (1kg)
$2.17 NZ$3.57
$2 NZ$3.31
8.50%
Onion (1kg)
$2.18 NZ$3.59
$1.63 NZ$2.69
33.74%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.14 NZ$3.53
$1.94 NZ$3.2
10.31%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1 NZ$1.66
$1.29 NZ$2.12
-22.48%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$20.09 NZ$33.14
$25.57 NZ$42.17
-21.43%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.77 NZ$14.47
$11.73 NZ$19.34
-25.23%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.46 NZ$4.06
$2.92 NZ$4.82
-15.75%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.25 NZ$8.66
$3.91 NZ$6.45
34.27%
🚌 Getting Around
Palmerston North
Auckland
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.64 NZ$7.65
$2.73 NZ$4.5
69.96%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$30.49 NZ$50.3
$129 NZ$213
-76.34%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.36 NZ$3.89
$2.08 NZ$3.43
13.46%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.8 NZ$2.97
$1.92 NZ$3.16
-6.25%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$17.23 NZ$28.42
$34.83 NZ$57.5
-50.53%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.65 NZ$2.73
$1.65 NZ$2.71
-
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$18.8K NZ$31K
$28.5K NZ$47K
-34.19%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.6K NZ$35.7K
$21.9K NZ$36K
-1.03%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Palmerston North
Auckland
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$89.5 NZ$148
$146 NZ$241
-38.84%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$38 NZ$62.7
$30.75 NZ$50.7
23.58%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$48.26 NZ$79.6
$49.23 NZ$81.2
-1.97%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Palmerston North
Auckland
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$35 NZ$57.7
$35.1 NZ$57.9
-0.28%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$12.95 NZ$21.37
$16.78 NZ$27.67
-22.82%
Cinema Ticket
$8.9 NZ$14.68
$15.31 NZ$25.24
-41.87%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Palmerston North
Auckland
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$999 NZ$1,648
$917 NZ$1,512
8.99%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,262 NZ$10.3K
$13.6K NZ$22.4K
-53.89%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Palmerston North
Auckland
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$56.2 NZ$92.7
$70.2 NZ$116
-19.91%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.3 NZ$63.2
$49.41 NZ$81.5
-22.49%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$92.6 NZ$153
$96.8 NZ$160
-4.36%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$93.4 NZ$154
$125 NZ$207
-25.54%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Palmerston North
Auckland
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$836 NZ$1,379
$1,274 NZ$2,101
-34.36%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$695 NZ$1,146
$1,152 NZ$1,900
-39.66%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,565 NZ$2,581
$2,492 NZ$4,110
-37.22%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,386 NZ$2,286
$1,853 NZ$3,056
-25.18%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,102 NZ$3,466
$7,281 NZ$12K
-71.14%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,444 NZ$4,032
$5,886 NZ$9,708
-58.47%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Palmerston North
Auckland
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,487 NZ$4,101
$3,219 NZ$5,309
-22.75%
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: October 29, 2025

Last update for Auckland: October 27, 2025

Similar cities

Join the CityCost newsletter – low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.