Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palmerston North and Ljubljana

For one person, living is cheaper in Palmerston North: $1,562 a month against $2,073 in Ljubljana, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Palmerston North
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Palmerston North Living Index
102

Cost of Living Index in Ljubljana
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Ljubljana Living Index

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Palmerston North

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,562

/mo nomad

Ljubljana

🇸🇮 Slovenia

$2,073

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Palmerston North and in Ljubljana

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Palmerston North and in Ljubljana actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,562 in Palmerston North versus $2,073 in Ljubljana.

Palmerston North $1,562
Ljubljana $2,073

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,537 in Palmerston North versus $3,059 in Ljubljana.

Palmerston North $2,537
Ljubljana $3,059

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,511 in Palmerston North versus $4,045 in Ljubljana.

Palmerston North $3,511
Ljubljana $4,045

Living in Palmerston North costs roughly 25% less than in Ljubljana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Palmerston North 16% above, Ljubljana 54% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.50 NZ$23.87

$15.76 €14.02

-14.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.7 NZ$113

$67.0 €59.6

-4.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 NZ$15.56

$11.07 €9.84

-20.51%

Cappuccino

$3.13 NZ$5.54

$2.85 €2.53

9.82%

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

$2.36 NZ$4.18

$3.10 €2.76

-23.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 NZ$2.97

$1.98 €1.76

-15.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.43 NZ$11.38

$4.01 €3.56

60.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.52 NZ$11.53

$4.44 €3.95

46.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 NZ$3.26

$1.30 €1.16

41.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.14 NZ$3.78

$2.17 €1.93

-1.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 NZ$2.42

$3.08 €2.74

-55.52%

Eggs

$4.85 NZ$8.58

$4.05 €3.60

19.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.41 NZ$11.34

$14.79 €13.15

-56.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.50 NZ$16.80

$10.03 €8.92

-5.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.78 NZ$19.06

$14.84 €13.20

-27.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.54 NZ$4.48

$2.19 €1.95

15.98%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 NZ$3.94

$1.74 €1.55

28.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 NZ$4.07

$2.27 €2.02

1.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.53 NZ$9.78

$3.55 €3.15

55.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.41 NZ$2.49

$1.50 €1.34

-6.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.86 NZ$1.53

$1.63 €1.45

-47.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.72 NZ$3.04

$1.71 €1.52

0.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 NZ$1.33

$0.83 €0.74

-9.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.06 NZ$39.00

$6.16 €5.48

258.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.91 NZ$13.99

$7.62 €6.78

3.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 NZ$4.69

$1.42 €1.26

86.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 NZ$4.91

$2.16 €1.92

28.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.93 NZ$6.95

$1.66 €1.47

136.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.3 NZ$146

$42.07 €37.42

95.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.87 NZ$3.30

$2.21 €1.97

-15.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 NZ$3.14

$1.29 €1.15

37.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.63 NZ$29.40

$19.24 €17.11

-13.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.64 NZ$2.90

$1.85 €1.65

-11.35%

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

$21.6K NZ$38.1K

$29.4K €26.1K

-26.58%

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

$23.9K NZ$42.3K

$25.0K €22.2K

-4.25%

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

$68.2 NZ$121

$278 €248

-75.49%

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

$32.09 NZ$56.8

$16.61 €14.78

93.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.64 NZ$61.3

$40.72 €36.22

-14.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.79 NZ$38.54

$53.8 €47.87

-59.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.08 NZ$24.90

$24.04 €21.38

-41.43%

Cinema Ticket

$11.60 NZ$20.52

$10.77 €9.58

7.71%

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

$1,034 NZ$1,829

$658 €585

57.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,550 NZ$15.1K

$14.1K €12.5K

-39.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.5 NZ$123

$115 €102

-39.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.70 NZ$48.98

$42.95 €38.20

-35.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.1 NZ$147

$108 €95.9

-22.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 NZ$146

$145 €129

-43.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$906 NZ$1,602

$1,090 €970

-16.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$639 NZ$1,129

$875 €779

-27.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,587 NZ$2,807

$2,074 €1,845

-23.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,311 NZ$2,318

$1,459 €1,298

-10.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,023 NZ$3,577

$6,492 €5,774

-68.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,836 NZ$3,247

$4,815 €4,283

-61.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,494 NZ$4,411

$1,929 €1,716

29.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

3.52

53.12%

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

Last update for Palmerston North: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ljubljana: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Palmerston North

$639 40.9%

Ljubljana

$875 42.2% 37.1% $237

Groceries & Markets

Palmerston North

$283 18.1%

Ljubljana

$302 14.6% 6.5% $19

Eating Out

Palmerston North

$233 14.9%

Ljubljana

$243 11.7% 4% $9.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Palmerston North

$135 8.6%

Ljubljana

$336 16.2% 149% $201

Clothing & Footwear

Palmerston North

$118 7.6%

Ljubljana

$185 8.9% 56.6% $67

Getting Around

Palmerston North

$109 7%

Ljubljana

$57 2.8% 47.2% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Palmerston North

$45 2.9%

Ljubljana

$75 3.6% 67.5% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $906 in Palmerston North and $1,090 in Ljubljana. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Palmerston North pays 29% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $64.0 in Palmerston North vs $67.0 in Ljubljana for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $302 per month, with Palmerston North cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Palmerston North

🇸🇮 Ljubljana

🕒 Local time

14:21 2:21 PM

03:21 3:21 AM

11 h behind Palmerston North

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

90,500

285,604 Capital

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Palmerston North Ljubljana 18,360 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Palmerston North
Ljubljana

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

Palmerston North vs Ljubljana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Palmerston North is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 33% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 29% higher in Palmerston North, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $906 in Palmerston North versus $1,090 in Ljubljana. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Palmerston North runs roughly 96% less than in Ljubljana. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,034 in Palmerston North versus $658 in Ljubljana. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,562 in Palmerston North versus $2,073 in Ljubljana, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Palmerston North but tight or insufficient in Ljubljana. The gap between the two cities makes Palmerston North the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Palmerston North is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Ljubljana, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Palmerston North and Ljubljana are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Palmerston North gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Ljubljana. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.