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

🙂 Solo nomad: Palmerston North is 19.3% cheaper than Wellington without rent, and 25.4% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Palmerston North is 24.6% cheaper than Wellington without rent, and 22.1% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.75 NZ$28.47

$17.30 NZ$29.40

-3.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.7 NZ$124

$83.1 NZ$141

-12.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.19 NZ$20.73

$9.37 NZ$15.94

30.10%

Cappuccino

$3.53 NZ$6.00

$3.78 NZ$6.43

-6.61%

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

$2.29 NZ$3.90

$2.47 NZ$4.19

-7.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 NZ$3.65

$2.09 NZ$3.56

2.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.11 NZ$12.10

$7.38 NZ$12.54

-3.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.32 NZ$10.74

$7.37 NZ$12.52

-14.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.91 NZ$3.24

$1.86 NZ$3.17

2.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 NZ$3.57

$2.12 NZ$3.60

-0.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 NZ$3.02

$1.96 NZ$3.33

-9.69%

Eggs

$5.31 NZ$9.03

$7.13 NZ$12.12

-25.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.93 NZ$13.48

$8.30 NZ$14.10

-4.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.26 NZ$15.75

$10.92 NZ$18.57

-15.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.17 NZ$20.70

$13.29 NZ$22.59

-8.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.45 NZ$4.16

$3.15 NZ$5.35

-22.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 NZ$3.21

$2.23 NZ$3.80

-15.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.44 NZ$4.14

$3.06 NZ$5.20

-20.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.49 NZ$5.94

$4.78 NZ$8.13

-26.99%

Potato (1kg)

$2.12 NZ$3.61

$2.08 NZ$3.54

1.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 NZ$3.67

$1.65 NZ$2.80

30.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.07 NZ$3.52

$2.20 NZ$3.73

-5.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 NZ$1.66

$1.23 NZ$2.10

-20.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.55 NZ$34.93

$26.91 NZ$45.74

-23.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.07 NZ$15.42

$10.70 NZ$18.19

-15.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.53 NZ$4.29

$3.56 NZ$6.05

-28.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.47 NZ$9.30

$3.19 NZ$5.43

71.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.63 NZ$7.86

$2.77 NZ$4.72

67.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.84 NZ$50.7

$108 NZ$184

-72.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.44 NZ$4.15

$2.64 NZ$4.49

-7.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.87 NZ$3.18

$1.84 NZ$3.12

1.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.86 NZ$28.67

$60.4 NZ$103

-72.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.73 NZ$2.94

$1.71 NZ$2.90

1.17%

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

$18.8K NZ$32.0K

$33.6K NZ$57.1K

-44.05%

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

$21.4K NZ$36.4K

$25.1K NZ$42.6K

-14.58%

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

$88.0 NZ$150

$160 NZ$271

-44.86%

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

$36.87 NZ$62.7

$32.86 NZ$55.9

12.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.64 NZ$81.0

$52.2 NZ$88.7

-8.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.20 NZ$59.9

$35.65 NZ$60.6

-1.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.28 NZ$22.58

$20.40 NZ$34.67

-34.90%

Cinema Ticket

$9.16 NZ$15.57

$12.09 NZ$20.55

-24.23%

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

$995 NZ$1,692

$803 NZ$1,366

23.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,171 NZ$10.5K

$13.0K NZ$22.0K

-52.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.1 NZ$97.0

$72.7 NZ$124

-21.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.08 NZ$64.7

$53.1 NZ$90.2

-28.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.5 NZ$154

$119 NZ$203

-24.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.4 NZ$159

$141 NZ$239

-33.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$841 NZ$1,429

$1,309 NZ$2,225

-35.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$688 NZ$1,170

$1,099 NZ$1,869

-37.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,546 NZ$2,628

$2,168 NZ$3,686

-28.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,366 NZ$2,322

$1,938 NZ$3,294

-29.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,184 NZ$3,713

$6,803 NZ$11.6K

-67.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 NZ$3,246

$3,961 NZ$6,734

-51.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,576 NZ$4,380

$3,081 NZ$5,238

-16.39%

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: April 13, 2026

Last update for Wellington: April 12, 2026

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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