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

😐 Solo nomad: Queenstown is 11% more expensive than Wellington without rent, and 18.5% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Queenstown is 11.1% more expensive than Wellington without rent, and 20.9% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.90 NZ$25.03

$17.83 NZ$29.96

-16.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.5 NZ$142

$84.2 NZ$141

0.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.67 NZ$16.24

$9.46 NZ$15.90

2.22%

Cappuccino

$3.34 NZ$5.62

$3.65 NZ$6.13

-8.49%

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

$2.49 NZ$4.19

$2.57 NZ$4.32

-3.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 NZ$3.93

$2.20 NZ$3.69

6.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.30 NZ$12.26

$7.20 NZ$12.10

1.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.98 NZ$10.05

$7.44 NZ$12.50

-19.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 NZ$3.64

$1.82 NZ$3.06

19.23%

White Bread (500g)

$2.13 NZ$3.58

$2.04 NZ$3.43

4.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.47 NZ$4.16

$1.97 NZ$3.31

25.38%

Eggs

$6.43 NZ$10.80

$7.24 NZ$12.17

-11.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.77 NZ$16.42

$8.16 NZ$13.72

19.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.79 NZ$18.14

$10.90 NZ$18.32

-1.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.52 NZ$27.75

$13.19 NZ$22.15

25.25%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 NZ$5.09

$3.06 NZ$5.15

-0.98%

Banana (1kg)

$2.44 NZ$4.10

$2.36 NZ$3.96

3.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.14 NZ$6.95

$2.98 NZ$5.01

38.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.97 NZ$10.02

$4.83 NZ$8.12

23.60%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 NZ$4.57

$2.02 NZ$3.40

34.65%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 NZ$4.00

$1.58 NZ$2.65

50.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.85 NZ$4.79

$2.30 NZ$3.86

23.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 NZ$1.92

$1.29 NZ$2.17

-11.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$29.19 NZ$49.05

$26.71 NZ$44.88

9.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 NZ$17.01

$10.89 NZ$18.30

-6.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.68 NZ$7.87

$3.51 NZ$5.90

33.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.03 NZ$11.81

$3.26 NZ$5.47

115.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.74 NZ$4.61

$2.67 NZ$4.49

2.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$132 NZ$222

$107 NZ$180

23.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.88 NZ$4.84

$2.77 NZ$4.65

3.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.80 NZ$3.02

$1.79 NZ$3.01

0.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.05 NZ$52.2

$60.9 NZ$102

-48.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.66 NZ$2.78

$1.67 NZ$2.81

-0.60%

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

$30.3K NZ$50.9K

$33.0K NZ$55.5K

-8.38%

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

$17.7K NZ$29.7K

$24.9K NZ$41.8K

-29.05%

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

$277 NZ$466

$155 NZ$261

78.83%

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

$40.50 NZ$68.1

$33.64 NZ$56.5

20.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.8 NZ$105

$51.1 NZ$85.8

22.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.2 NZ$97.8

$36.54 NZ$61.4

59.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.85 NZ$41.75

$20.82 NZ$34.97

19.36%

Cinema Ticket

$13.23 NZ$22.23

$12.26 NZ$20.59

7.91%

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

$486 NZ$817

$818 NZ$1,374

-40.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,949 NZ$11.7K

$12.8K NZ$21.6K

-45.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.5 NZ$149

$70.9 NZ$119

24.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.86 NZ$82.1

$53.2 NZ$89.4

-8.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.4 NZ$162

$120 NZ$201

-19.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$283 NZ$476

$145 NZ$244

94.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,467 NZ$2,464

$1,297 NZ$2,180

13.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 NZ$2,170

$1,094 NZ$1,838

18.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,940 NZ$4,939

$2,127 NZ$3,573

38.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 NZ$4,318

$1,916 NZ$3,219

34.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,068 NZ$13.6K

$6,806 NZ$11.4K

18.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,591 NZ$9,393

$4,067 NZ$6,833

37.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,252 NZ$5,464

$3,107 NZ$5,219

4.68%

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: March 2, 2026

Last update for Wellington: March 2, 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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