Cost of Living Comparison Between Queenstown and Wellington Cost of Living Comparison Between Queenstown and Wellington

😐 Solo nomad: Queenstown is 14.7% more expensive than Wellington without rent, and 20.8% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Queenstown is 9% more expensive than Wellington without rent, and 25.4% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Queenstown
Wellington
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$15.24 NZ$25.13
$17.57 NZ$28.98
-13.26%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$85.4 NZ$141
$82.9 NZ$137
3.04%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.59 NZ$15.82
$9.53 NZ$15.72
0.63%
Cappuccino
$3.35 NZ$5.53
$3.59 NZ$5.92
-6.69%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.38 NZ$3.92
$2.47 NZ$4.08
-3.64%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.38 NZ$3.92
$2.2 NZ$3.62
8.18%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.37 NZ$12.16
$7.03 NZ$11.6
4.84%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.05 NZ$9.98
$7.38 NZ$12.18
-18.02%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Queenstown
Wellington
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.28 NZ$3.75
$1.88 NZ$3.1
21.28%
White Bread (500g)
$2.1 NZ$3.46
$2.09 NZ$3.44
0.48%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.45 NZ$4.04
$1.96 NZ$3.23
25.00%
Eggs
$6.62 NZ$10.92
$6.89 NZ$11.37
-3.92%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.07 NZ$16.6
$8.24 NZ$13.6
22.21%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.66 NZ$17.58
$10.92 NZ$18.01
-2.38%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.66 NZ$27.48
$12.99 NZ$21.42
28.25%
Apples (1kg)
$3.04 NZ$5.01
$3.12 NZ$5.15
-2.56%
Banana (1kg)
$2.54 NZ$4.18
$2.31 NZ$3.82
9.96%
Oranges (1kg)
$4 NZ$6.6
$3.1 NZ$5.12
29.03%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.76 NZ$9.51
$4.68 NZ$7.72
23.08%
Potato (1kg)
$2.61 NZ$4.3
$2.07 NZ$3.41
26.09%
Onion (1kg)
$2.26 NZ$3.72
$1.57 NZ$2.59
43.95%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.87 NZ$4.73
$2.3 NZ$3.79
24.78%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.12 NZ$1.84
$1.28 NZ$2.11
-12.50%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$29.04 NZ$47.89
$27.02 NZ$44.57
7.48%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.05 NZ$16.57
$10.48 NZ$17.28
-4.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.6 NZ$7.59
$3.68 NZ$6.08
25.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.87 NZ$11.33
$3.24 NZ$5.35
112.04%
🚌 Getting Around
Queenstown
Wellington
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.73 NZ$4.5
$2.78 NZ$4.59
-1.80%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$127 NZ$210
$106 NZ$175
19.59%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.77 NZ$4.57
$2.67 NZ$4.41
3.75%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.86 NZ$3.07
$1.78 NZ$2.93
4.49%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$31.55 NZ$52
$59.2 NZ$97.6
-46.66%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.72 NZ$2.84
$1.66 NZ$2.73
3.61%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30K NZ$49.4K
$33K NZ$54.5K
-9.25%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$18.1K NZ$29.8K
$25K NZ$41.3K
-27.86%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Queenstown
Wellington
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$277 NZ$456
$161 NZ$265
72.25%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$40.53 NZ$66.8
$33.1 NZ$54.6
22.45%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$63.9 NZ$105
$52.6 NZ$86.7
21.45%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Queenstown
Wellington
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$58.7 NZ$96.9
$36.7 NZ$60.5
60.03%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.73 NZ$40.78
$20.16 NZ$33.25
22.67%
Cinema Ticket
$13.04 NZ$21.51
$11.86 NZ$19.56
9.95%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Queenstown
Wellington
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$486 NZ$801
$789 NZ$1,301
-38.45%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,939 NZ$11.4K
$12.7K NZ$20.9K
-45.33%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Queenstown
Wellington
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.1 NZ$144
$72.5 NZ$120
20.17%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$50.4 NZ$83.1
$53.7 NZ$88.6
-6.23%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98 NZ$162
$118 NZ$195
-16.99%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$279 NZ$460
$145 NZ$240
91.57%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Queenstown
Wellington
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,498 NZ$2,471
$1,341 NZ$2,211
11.75%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,277 NZ$2,106
$1,091 NZ$1,800
17.01%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,044 NZ$5,020
$2,146 NZ$3,539
41.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,539 NZ$4,187
$1,893 NZ$3,122
34.12%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,162 NZ$10.2K
$6,617 NZ$10.9K
-6.88%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,252 NZ$7,013
$4,828 NZ$7,962
-11.92%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Queenstown
Wellington
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,259 NZ$5,375
$3,228 NZ$5,324
0.95%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.74
6.94
-2.88%

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

Last update for Queenstown: October 29, 2025

Last update for Wellington: October 28, 2025

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