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

😐 Solo nomad: Queenstown is 14.8% more expensive than Wellington without rent, and 23% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Queenstown is 13.9% more expensive than Wellington without rent, and 25.4% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.91 NZ$25.95

$17.57 NZ$30.57

-15.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.9 NZ$150

$82.9 NZ$144

3.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.62 NZ$16.73

$9.59 NZ$16.69

0.31%

Cappuccino

$3.49 NZ$6.07

$3.61 NZ$6.28

-3.32%

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

$2.45 NZ$4.26

$2.62 NZ$4.55

-6.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 NZ$3.95

$2.14 NZ$3.72

6.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.10 NZ$12.36

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.04 NZ$10.51

$7.13 NZ$12.41

-15.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 NZ$3.89

$1.83 NZ$3.19

21.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 NZ$3.69

$2.05 NZ$3.56

3.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 NZ$4.40

$1.88 NZ$3.26

34.57%

Eggs

$6.49 NZ$11.29

$6.96 NZ$12.10

-6.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.67 NZ$16.82

$8.05 NZ$14.01

20.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.59 NZ$18.42

$11.06 NZ$19.24

-4.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.45 NZ$28.62

$13.02 NZ$22.65

26.34%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 NZ$5.37

$3.03 NZ$5.27

1.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.51 NZ$4.37

$2.33 NZ$4.06

7.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.93 NZ$6.83

$2.97 NZ$5.17

32.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.75 NZ$10.00

$4.81 NZ$8.37

19.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.67 NZ$4.64

$2.09 NZ$3.64

27.75%

Onion (1kg)

$2.26 NZ$3.92

$1.59 NZ$2.77

42.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.95 NZ$5.13

$2.20 NZ$3.83

34.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 NZ$1.93

$1.30 NZ$2.26

-14.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$29.40 NZ$51.2

$26.98 NZ$46.94

8.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.14 NZ$17.65

$10.58 NZ$18.41

-4.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.69 NZ$8.16

$3.51 NZ$6.10

33.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.13 NZ$12.41

$3.23 NZ$5.62

120.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.77 NZ$4.82

$2.63 NZ$4.58

5.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$130 NZ$226

$107 NZ$186

22.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.86 NZ$4.98

$2.77 NZ$4.81

3.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 NZ$3.16

$1.77 NZ$3.09

2.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.14 NZ$55.9

$61.1 NZ$106

-47.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.73 NZ$3.00

$1.67 NZ$2.90

3.59%

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

$30.0K NZ$52.1K

$33.2K NZ$57.8K

-9.88%

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

$18.1K NZ$31.5K

$24.7K NZ$43.0K

-26.70%

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

$284 NZ$494

$157 NZ$273

80.66%

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

$39.72 NZ$69.1

$32.98 NZ$57.4

20.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.3 NZ$112

$52.5 NZ$91.4

22.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.0 NZ$99.2

$36.82 NZ$64.1

54.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.25 NZ$43.94

$20.35 NZ$35.42

24.08%

Cinema Ticket

$13.35 NZ$23.22

$11.85 NZ$20.62

12.66%

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

$502 NZ$873

$814 NZ$1,416

-38.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,935 NZ$12.1K

$12.8K NZ$22.2K

-45.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 NZ$154

$72.7 NZ$126

22.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.0 NZ$87.1

$53.0 NZ$92.1

-5.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.3 NZ$168

$121 NZ$210

-20.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$280 NZ$487

$141 NZ$245

98.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,508 NZ$2,623

$1,297 NZ$2,257

16.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 NZ$2,241

$1,106 NZ$1,924

16.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,956 NZ$5,144

$2,115 NZ$3,680

39.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,562 NZ$4,457

$1,906 NZ$3,317

34.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,850 NZ$13.7K

$6,842 NZ$11.9K

14.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,349 NZ$9,307

$3,920 NZ$6,821

36.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,233 NZ$5,626

$2,973 NZ$5,173

8.75%

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: January 10, 2026

Last update for Wellington: January 10, 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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