Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palmerston North and Wellington

For one person, living is cheaper in Palmerston North: $1,562 a month against $2,358 in Wellington, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 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
114

Cost of Living Index in Wellington
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Wellington Living Index

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Palmerston North

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,562

/mo nomad

Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,358

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Wellington actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,562 in Palmerston North versus $2,358 in Wellington.

Palmerston North $1,562
Wellington $2,358

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,537 in Palmerston North versus $3,368 in Wellington.

Palmerston North $2,537
Wellington $3,368

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,511 in Palmerston North versus $4,378 in Wellington.

Palmerston North $3,511
Wellington $4,378

Living in Palmerston North costs roughly 34% less than in Wellington, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Palmerston North 16% above, Wellington 75% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.50 NZ$23.87

$13.72 NZ$24.27

-1.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.7 NZ$113

-0.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 NZ$15.56

$8.95 NZ$15.83

-1.68%

Cappuccino

$3.13 NZ$5.54

$3.42 NZ$6.05

-8.48%

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

$2.36 NZ$4.18

$2.44 NZ$4.31

-3.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 NZ$2.97

$1.69 NZ$2.98

-0.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.43 NZ$11.38

$7.22 NZ$12.76

-10.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.52 NZ$11.53

$6.65 NZ$11.76

-1.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 NZ$3.26

$1.91 NZ$3.38

-3.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.14 NZ$3.78

$2.20 NZ$3.89

-2.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 NZ$2.42

$1.83 NZ$3.24

-25.14%

Eggs

$4.85 NZ$8.58

$6.77 NZ$11.97

-28.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.41 NZ$11.34

$9.05 NZ$16.00

-29.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.50 NZ$16.80

$9.85 NZ$17.43

-3.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.78 NZ$19.06

$15.19 NZ$26.86

-29.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.54 NZ$4.48

$3.12 NZ$5.52

-18.59%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 NZ$3.94

$2.21 NZ$3.91

0.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 NZ$4.07

$3.07 NZ$5.43

-25.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.53 NZ$9.78

$6.59 NZ$11.65

-16.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.41 NZ$2.49

$2.06 NZ$3.64

-31.55%

Onion (1kg)

$0.86 NZ$1.53

$1.23 NZ$2.18

-30.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.72 NZ$3.04

$2.07 NZ$3.66

-16.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 NZ$1.33

$1.15 NZ$2.03

-34.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.06 NZ$39.00

$24.86 NZ$43.96

-11.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.91 NZ$13.99

$11.28 NZ$19.95

-29.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 NZ$4.69

$3.09 NZ$5.47

-14.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 NZ$4.91

$2.87 NZ$5.08

-3.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.93 NZ$6.95

$2.83 NZ$5.01

38.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.3 NZ$146

$102 NZ$180

-18.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.87 NZ$3.30

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 NZ$3.14

$1.82 NZ$3.22

-2.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.63 NZ$29.40

$34.15 NZ$60.4

-51.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.64 NZ$2.90

$1.82 NZ$3.22

-9.89%

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

$21.6K NZ$38.1K

$25.0K NZ$44.2K

-13.70%

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

$23.9K NZ$42.3K

$25.4K NZ$44.9K

-5.87%

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

$68.2 NZ$121

$197 NZ$348

-65.32%

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

$32.09 NZ$56.8

$32.00 NZ$56.6

0.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.64 NZ$61.3

$52.4 NZ$92.7

-33.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.79 NZ$38.54

$37.73 NZ$66.7

-42.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.08 NZ$24.90

$16.11 NZ$28.50

-12.60%

Cinema Ticket

$11.60 NZ$20.52

$11.93 NZ$21.10

-2.77%

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

$1,034 NZ$1,829

$1,056 NZ$1,867

-2.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,550 NZ$15.1K

$12.8K NZ$22.6K

-32.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.5 NZ$123

$76.3 NZ$135

-8.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.70 NZ$48.98

$28.23 NZ$49.93

-1.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.1 NZ$147

$99.6 NZ$176

-16.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 NZ$146

$152 NZ$270

-45.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$906 NZ$1,602

$1,226 NZ$2,169

-26.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$639 NZ$1,129

$1,141 NZ$2,018

-44.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,587 NZ$2,807

$2,143 NZ$3,790

-25.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,311 NZ$2,318

$1,709 NZ$3,022

-23.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,023 NZ$3,577

$6,578 NZ$11.6K

-69.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,836 NZ$3,247

$3,559 NZ$6,294

-48.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,494 NZ$4,411

$2,785 NZ$4,925

-10.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

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

Last update for Palmerston North: October 12, 2026

Last update for Wellington: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Palmerston North

$639 40.9%

Wellington

$1.1K 48.4% 78.6% $502

Groceries & Markets

Palmerston North

$283 18.1%

Wellington

$346 14.7% 22.2% $63

Eating Out

Palmerston North

$233 14.9%

Wellington

$244 10.3% 4.4% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Palmerston North

$135 8.6%

Wellington

$281 11.9% 108% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Palmerston North

$118 7.6%

Wellington

$160 6.8% 35.7% $42

Getting Around

Palmerston North

$109 7%

Wellington

$124 5.3% 13.9% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Palmerston North

$45 2.9%

Wellington

$62 2.6% 36.9% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $906 in Palmerston North and $1,226 in Wellington. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wellington pays 12% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $64.0 in Palmerston North vs $64.0 in Wellington for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $346 per month, with Palmerston North cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Palmerston North

🇳🇿 Wellington

🕒 Local time

13:54 1:54 PM

Same time as Palmerston North

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

90,500

215,900 Capital

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Palmerston North Wellington 130 km

From you

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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 Wellington: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Palmerston North and Wellington differ by about 51% in total monthly costs ($1,562 vs $2,358 including rent). Palmerston North is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 12% lower in Wellington. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $906 in Palmerston North versus $1,226 in Wellington. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,034 in Palmerston North versus $1,056 in Wellington. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Wellington. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,562 in Palmerston North versus $2,358 in Wellington, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Palmerston North but tight or insufficient in Wellington. The gap between the two cities makes Palmerston North the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Palmerston North and Wellington 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 51% less than in Wellington. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.