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

🙂 Solo nomad: Palmerston North is 14.1% cheaper than Wellington without rent, and 28.9% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Palmerston North is 15.3% cheaper than Wellington without rent, and 20.5% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Palmerston North
Wellington
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.86 NZ$27.81
$17.57 NZ$28.98
-4.04%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$72.1 NZ$119
$82.9 NZ$137
-13.01%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.27 NZ$20.23
$9.53 NZ$15.72
28.75%
Cappuccino
$3.44 NZ$5.67
$3.59 NZ$5.92
-4.18%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.37 NZ$3.91
$2.47 NZ$4.08
-4.05%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.08 NZ$3.43
$2.2 NZ$3.62
-5.45%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.32 NZ$12.07
$7.03 NZ$11.6
4.13%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.32 NZ$10.42
$7.38 NZ$12.18
-14.36%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Palmerston North
Wellington
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.92 NZ$3.16
$1.88 NZ$3.1
2.13%
White Bread (500g)
$2.05 NZ$3.39
$2.09 NZ$3.44
-1.91%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.81 NZ$2.99
$1.96 NZ$3.23
-7.65%
Eggs
$5.41 NZ$8.92
$6.89 NZ$11.37
-21.48%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.35 NZ$13.77
$8.24 NZ$13.6
1.33%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.37 NZ$15.46
$10.92 NZ$18.01
-14.19%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.3 NZ$20.28
$12.99 NZ$21.42
-5.31%
Apples (1kg)
$2.52 NZ$4.16
$3.12 NZ$5.15
-19.23%
Banana (1kg)
$1.81 NZ$2.99
$2.31 NZ$3.82
-21.65%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.56 NZ$4.22
$3.1 NZ$5.12
-17.42%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.41 NZ$5.63
$4.68 NZ$7.72
-27.14%
Potato (1kg)
$2.17 NZ$3.57
$2.07 NZ$3.41
4.83%
Onion (1kg)
$2.18 NZ$3.59
$1.57 NZ$2.59
38.85%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.14 NZ$3.53
$2.3 NZ$3.79
-6.96%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1 NZ$1.66
$1.28 NZ$2.11
-21.88%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$20.09 NZ$33.14
$27.02 NZ$44.57
-25.65%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.77 NZ$14.47
$10.48 NZ$17.28
-16.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.46 NZ$4.06
$3.68 NZ$6.08
-33.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.25 NZ$8.66
$3.24 NZ$5.35
62.04%
🚌 Getting Around
Palmerston North
Wellington
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.64 NZ$7.65
$2.78 NZ$4.59
66.91%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$30.49 NZ$50.3
$106 NZ$175
-71.34%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.36 NZ$3.89
$2.67 NZ$4.41
-11.61%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.8 NZ$2.97
$1.78 NZ$2.93
1.12%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$17.23 NZ$28.42
$59.2 NZ$97.6
-70.87%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.65 NZ$2.73
$1.66 NZ$2.73
-0.60%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$18.8K NZ$31K
$33K NZ$54.5K
-43.17%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.6K NZ$35.7K
$25K NZ$41.3K
-13.55%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Palmerston North
Wellington
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$89.5 NZ$148
$161 NZ$265
-44.27%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$38 NZ$62.7
$33.1 NZ$54.6
14.80%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$48.26 NZ$79.6
$52.6 NZ$86.7
-8.22%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Palmerston North
Wellington
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$35 NZ$57.7
$36.7 NZ$60.5
-4.63%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$12.95 NZ$21.37
$20.16 NZ$33.25
-35.76%
Cinema Ticket
$8.9 NZ$14.68
$11.86 NZ$19.56
-24.96%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Palmerston North
Wellington
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$999 NZ$1,648
$789 NZ$1,301
26.66%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,262 NZ$10.3K
$12.7K NZ$20.9K
-50.67%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Palmerston North
Wellington
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$56.2 NZ$92.7
$72.5 NZ$120
-22.46%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.3 NZ$63.2
$53.7 NZ$88.6
-28.72%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$92.6 NZ$153
$118 NZ$195
-21.62%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$93.4 NZ$154
$145 NZ$240
-35.76%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Palmerston North
Wellington
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$836 NZ$1,379
$1,341 NZ$2,211
-37.65%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$695 NZ$1,146
$1,091 NZ$1,800
-36.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,565 NZ$2,581
$2,146 NZ$3,539
-27.09%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,386 NZ$2,286
$1,893 NZ$3,122
-26.77%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,102 NZ$3,466
$6,617 NZ$10.9K
-68.24%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,444 NZ$4,032
$4,828 NZ$7,962
-49.37%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Palmerston North
Wellington
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,487 NZ$4,101
$3,228 NZ$5,324
-22.97%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.69
6.94
-3.60%

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

Last update for Palmerston North: October 29, 2025

Last update for Wellington: October 28, 2025

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