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

😐 Solo nomad: Queenstown is 23.8% more expensive than Christchurch without rent, and 24% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Queenstown is 26.4% more expensive than Christchurch without rent, and 49.8% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.91 NZ$25.95

$17.03 NZ$29.64

-12.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.9 NZ$150

$72.4 NZ$126

18.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.62 NZ$16.73

$9.63 NZ$16.75

-0.10%

Cappuccino

$3.49 NZ$6.07

$3.34 NZ$5.80

4.49%

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

$2.45 NZ$4.26

$2.38 NZ$4.14

2.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 NZ$3.95

$1.97 NZ$3.42

15.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.10 NZ$12.36

$7.13 NZ$12.41

-0.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.04 NZ$10.51

$7.16 NZ$12.45

-15.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 NZ$3.89

$1.91 NZ$3.32

16.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 NZ$3.69

$2.00 NZ$3.48

6.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 NZ$4.40

$1.74 NZ$3.03

45.40%

Eggs

$6.49 NZ$11.29

$6.48 NZ$11.28

0.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.67 NZ$16.82

$8.13 NZ$14.14

18.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.59 NZ$18.42

$9.20 NZ$16.01

15.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.45 NZ$28.62

$13.01 NZ$22.64

26.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 NZ$5.37

$3.07 NZ$5.35

0.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.51 NZ$4.37

$2.66 NZ$4.63

-5.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.93 NZ$6.83

$2.93 NZ$5.10

34.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.75 NZ$10.00

$5.80 NZ$10.10

-0.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.67 NZ$4.64

$2.14 NZ$3.72

24.77%

Onion (1kg)

$2.26 NZ$3.92

$2.32 NZ$4.04

-2.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.95 NZ$5.13

$3.08 NZ$5.35

-4.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 NZ$1.93

$1.47 NZ$2.55

-24.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$29.40 NZ$51.2

$24.17 NZ$42.06

21.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.14 NZ$17.65

$8.70 NZ$15.13

16.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.69 NZ$8.16

$3.70 NZ$6.45

26.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.13 NZ$12.41

$5.06 NZ$8.80

40.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.77 NZ$4.82

$1.23 NZ$2.14

125.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$130 NZ$226

$41.89 NZ$72.9

210.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.86 NZ$4.98

$2.77 NZ$4.83

3.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 NZ$3.16

$1.70 NZ$2.96

7.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.14 NZ$55.9

$30.00 NZ$52.2

7.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.73 NZ$3.00

$1.72 NZ$2.98

0.58%

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

$30.0K NZ$52.1K

$27.3K NZ$47.6K

9.57%

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

$18.1K NZ$31.5K

$19.7K NZ$34.3K

-8.00%

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

$284 NZ$494

$117 NZ$204

142.13%

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

$39.72 NZ$69.1

$32.10 NZ$55.9

23.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.3 NZ$112

$53.0 NZ$92.2

21.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.0 NZ$99.2

$35.20 NZ$61.3

61.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.25 NZ$43.94

$15.15 NZ$26.36

66.67%

Cinema Ticket

$13.35 NZ$23.22

$11.11 NZ$19.32

20.16%

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

$502 NZ$873

$643 NZ$1,120

-22.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,935 NZ$12.1K

$9,240 NZ$16.1K

-24.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 NZ$154

$64.3 NZ$112

37.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.0 NZ$87.1

$43.28 NZ$75.3

15.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.3 NZ$168

$93.0 NZ$162

3.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$280 NZ$487

$152 NZ$264

84.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,508 NZ$2,623

$1,511 NZ$2,630

-0.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 NZ$2,241

$1,158 NZ$2,014

11.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,956 NZ$5,144

$2,114 NZ$3,678

39.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,562 NZ$4,457

$1,448 NZ$2,520

76.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,850 NZ$13.7K

$4,962 NZ$8,634

58.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,349 NZ$9,307

$2,674 NZ$4,653

100.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,233 NZ$5,626

$2,666 NZ$4,640

21.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

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

Last update for Queenstown: January 10, 2026

Last update for Christchurch: January 12, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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