Cost of Living Comparison Between Queenstown and Christchurch Cost of Living Comparison Between Queenstown and Christchurch

😐 Solo nomad: Queenstown is 25.3% more expensive than Christchurch without rent, and 25.4% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Queenstown is 19.9% more expensive than Christchurch without rent, and 47.9% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Queenstown
Christchurch
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$15.24 NZ$25.13
$16.56 NZ$27.32
-7.97%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$85.4 NZ$141
$71.4 NZ$118
19.63%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.59 NZ$15.82
$9.41 NZ$15.53
1.91%
Cappuccino
$3.35 NZ$5.53
$3.34 NZ$5.52
0.30%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.38 NZ$3.92
$2.3 NZ$3.8
3.48%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.38 NZ$3.92
$2.03 NZ$3.34
17.24%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.37 NZ$12.16
$7.31 NZ$12.06
0.82%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.05 NZ$9.98
$7.2 NZ$11.87
-15.97%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Queenstown
Christchurch
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.28 NZ$3.75
$1.91 NZ$3.16
19.37%
White Bread (500g)
$2.1 NZ$3.46
$1.94 NZ$3.2
8.25%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.45 NZ$4.04
$1.73 NZ$2.85
41.62%
Eggs
$6.62 NZ$10.92
$6.26 NZ$10.33
5.75%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.07 NZ$16.6
$8.18 NZ$13.48
23.11%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.66 NZ$17.58
$9.65 NZ$15.91
10.47%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.66 NZ$27.48
$12.83 NZ$21.17
29.85%
Apples (1kg)
$3.04 NZ$5.01
$3.06 NZ$5.04
-0.65%
Banana (1kg)
$2.54 NZ$4.18
$2.71 NZ$4.46
-6.27%
Oranges (1kg)
$4 NZ$6.6
$2.95 NZ$4.87
35.59%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.76 NZ$9.51
$5.52 NZ$9.11
4.35%
Potato (1kg)
$2.61 NZ$4.3
$2.15 NZ$3.54
21.40%
Onion (1kg)
$2.26 NZ$3.72
$2.21 NZ$3.64
2.26%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.87 NZ$4.73
$2.98 NZ$4.91
-3.69%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.12 NZ$1.84
$1.45 NZ$2.4
-22.76%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$29.04 NZ$47.89
$23.66 NZ$39.02
22.74%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.05 NZ$16.57
$8.93 NZ$14.72
12.54%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.6 NZ$7.59
$3.82 NZ$6.29
20.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.87 NZ$11.33
$4.85 NZ$8
41.65%
🚌 Getting Around
Queenstown
Christchurch
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.73 NZ$4.5
$1.24 NZ$2.05
120.16%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$127 NZ$210
$41.94 NZ$69.2
203.36%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.77 NZ$4.57
$2.63 NZ$4.34
5.32%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.86 NZ$3.07
$1.64 NZ$2.7
13.41%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$31.55 NZ$52
$30.26 NZ$49.91
4.26%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.72 NZ$2.84
$1.71 NZ$2.81
0.58%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30K NZ$49.4K
$27K NZ$44.5K
11.19%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$18.1K NZ$29.8K
$20K NZ$33K
-9.73%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Queenstown
Christchurch
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$277 NZ$456
$116 NZ$191
139.40%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$40.53 NZ$66.8
$32.15 NZ$53
26.07%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$63.9 NZ$105
$52.6 NZ$86.8
21.34%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Queenstown
Christchurch
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$58.7 NZ$96.9
$34.61 NZ$57.1
69.69%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.73 NZ$40.78
$15.47 NZ$25.51
59.86%
Cinema Ticket
$13.04 NZ$21.51
$10.81 NZ$17.83
20.63%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Queenstown
Christchurch
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$486 NZ$801
$653 NZ$1,077
-25.59%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,939 NZ$11.4K
$9,249 NZ$15.3K
-24.97%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Queenstown
Christchurch
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.1 NZ$144
$64 NZ$105
36.21%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$50.4 NZ$83.1
$43.12 NZ$71.1
16.84%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98 NZ$162
$90.8 NZ$150
8.00%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$279 NZ$460
$150 NZ$247
85.66%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Queenstown
Christchurch
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,498 NZ$2,471
$1,536 NZ$2,534
-2.46%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,277 NZ$2,106
$1,158 NZ$1,911
10.22%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,044 NZ$5,020
$2,059 NZ$3,395
47.86%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,539 NZ$4,187
$1,488 NZ$2,453
70.69%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,162 NZ$10.2K
$4,194 NZ$6,918
46.92%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,252 NZ$7,013
$3,361 NZ$5,543
26.51%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Queenstown
Christchurch
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,259 NZ$5,375
$2,736 NZ$4,512
19.11%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.74
6.74
-

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

Last update for Queenstown: October 29, 2025

Last update for Christchurch: October 27, 2025

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