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

🙂 Solo nomad: Palmerston North is 13.8% cheaper than Christchurch without rent, and 24.7% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Palmerston North is 1.1% more expensive than Christchurch without rent, and 4.3% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 NZ$29.04

$17.03 NZ$29.64

-2.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.7 NZ$128

$72.4 NZ$126

1.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.13 NZ$21.11

$9.63 NZ$16.75

25.96%

Cappuccino

$3.50 NZ$6.09

$3.34 NZ$5.80

4.79%

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

$2.40 NZ$4.17

$2.38 NZ$4.14

0.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 NZ$3.60

$1.97 NZ$3.42

5.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.03 NZ$12.24

$7.13 NZ$12.41

-1.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.45 NZ$11.23

$7.16 NZ$12.45

-9.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.91 NZ$3.32

White Bread (500g)

$2.13 NZ$3.71

$2.00 NZ$3.48

6.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 NZ$3.09

$1.74 NZ$3.03

2.30%

Eggs

$5.41 NZ$9.41

$6.48 NZ$11.28

-16.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.32 NZ$14.48

$8.13 NZ$14.14

2.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.24 NZ$16.08

$9.20 NZ$16.01

0.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.37 NZ$21.53

$13.01 NZ$22.64

-4.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 NZ$4.32

$3.07 NZ$5.35

-18.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 NZ$3.30

$2.66 NZ$4.63

-28.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.43 NZ$4.23

$2.93 NZ$5.10

-17.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.42 NZ$5.95

$5.80 NZ$10.10

-41.03%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 NZ$3.59

$2.14 NZ$3.72

-3.74%

Onion (1kg)

$2.26 NZ$3.94

$2.32 NZ$4.04

-2.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.03 NZ$3.54

$3.08 NZ$5.35

-34.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 NZ$1.65

$1.47 NZ$2.55

-35.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.42 NZ$35.53

$24.17 NZ$42.06

-15.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.86 NZ$15.42

$8.70 NZ$15.13

1.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 NZ$4.26

$3.70 NZ$6.45

-33.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.40 NZ$9.40

$5.06 NZ$8.80

6.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.64 NZ$8.07

$1.23 NZ$2.14

277.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.43 NZ$52.9

$41.89 NZ$72.9

-27.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.40 NZ$4.17

$2.77 NZ$4.83

-13.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.77 NZ$3.08

$1.70 NZ$2.96

4.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 NZ$29.43

$30.00 NZ$52.2

-43.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.73 NZ$3.01

$1.72 NZ$2.98

0.58%

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

$18.5K NZ$32.2K

$27.3K NZ$47.6K

-32.29%

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

$21.2K NZ$36.9K

$19.7K NZ$34.3K

7.69%

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

$89.5 NZ$156

$117 NZ$204

-23.63%

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

$37.86 NZ$65.9

$32.10 NZ$55.9

17.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.07 NZ$83.7

$53.0 NZ$92.2

-9.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.85 NZ$60.7

$35.20 NZ$61.3

-0.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.22 NZ$23.00

$15.15 NZ$26.36

-12.74%

Cinema Ticket

$9.08 NZ$15.80

$11.11 NZ$19.32

-18.27%

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

$1,006 NZ$1,750

$643 NZ$1,120

56.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,145 NZ$10.7K

$9,240 NZ$16.1K

-33.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.8 NZ$98.9

$64.3 NZ$112

-11.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.29 NZ$66.6

$43.28 NZ$75.3

-11.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.3 NZ$159

$93.0 NZ$162

-1.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.7 NZ$163

$152 NZ$264

-38.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$834 NZ$1,452

$1,511 NZ$2,630

-44.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$702 NZ$1,222

$1,158 NZ$2,014

-39.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,527 NZ$2,657

$2,114 NZ$3,678

-27.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,379 NZ$2,400

$1,448 NZ$2,520

-4.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,137 NZ$3,719

$4,962 NZ$8,634

-56.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,887 NZ$3,283

$2,674 NZ$4,653

-29.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,504 NZ$4,357

$2,666 NZ$4,640

-6.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.69

6.74

-0.74%

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

Last update for Palmerston North: January 12, 2026

Last update for Christchurch: January 12, 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

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