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

😐 Solo nomad: Queenstown is 13.8% more expensive than Wellington without rent, and 20% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Queenstown is 12.2% more expensive than Wellington without rent, and 22% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Queenstown
Wellington
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$14.79 NZ$25.15
$17.30 NZ$29.40
-14.51%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$85.3 NZ$145
$83.1 NZ$141
2.59%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.83 NZ$16.72
$9.37 NZ$15.94
4.91%
Cappuccino
$3.42 NZ$5.82
$3.78 NZ$6.43
-9.52%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.50 NZ$4.25
$2.47 NZ$4.19
1.21%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.34 NZ$3.98
$2.09 NZ$3.56
11.96%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.16 NZ$12.17
$7.38 NZ$12.54
-2.98%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.10 NZ$10.37
$7.37 NZ$12.52
-17.23%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Queenstown
Wellington
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.16 NZ$3.67
$1.86 NZ$3.17
16.13%
White Bread (500g)
$2.11 NZ$3.59
$2.12 NZ$3.60
-0.47%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.42 NZ$4.11
$1.96 NZ$3.33
23.47%
Eggs
$6.35 NZ$10.79
$7.13 NZ$12.12
-10.94%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.88 NZ$16.79
$8.30 NZ$14.10
19.04%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.88 NZ$18.50
$10.92 NZ$18.57
-0.37%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.92 NZ$28.77
$13.29 NZ$22.59
27.31%
Apples (1kg)
$3.13 NZ$5.33
$3.15 NZ$5.35
-0.63%
Banana (1kg)
$2.56 NZ$4.35
$2.23 NZ$3.80
14.80%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.96 NZ$6.74
$3.06 NZ$5.20
29.41%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.94 NZ$10.10
$4.78 NZ$8.13
24.27%
Potato (1kg)
$2.63 NZ$4.47
$2.08 NZ$3.54
26.44%
Onion (1kg)
$2.34 NZ$3.98
$1.65 NZ$2.80
41.82%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.96 NZ$5.04
$2.20 NZ$3.73
34.55%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.10 NZ$1.87
$1.23 NZ$2.10
-10.57%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$29.16 NZ$49.58
$26.91 NZ$45.74
8.36%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.11 NZ$17.19
$10.70 NZ$18.19
-5.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.71 NZ$8.00
$3.56 NZ$6.05
32.30%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.87 NZ$11.68
$3.19 NZ$5.43
115.36%
🚌 Getting Around
Queenstown
Wellington
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.73 NZ$4.63
$2.77 NZ$4.72
-1.44%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$129 NZ$219
$108 NZ$184
19.56%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.89 NZ$4.91
$2.64 NZ$4.49
9.47%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.80 NZ$3.06
$1.84 NZ$3.12
-2.17%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$31.25 NZ$53.1
$60.4 NZ$103
-48.27%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.64 NZ$2.79
$1.71 NZ$2.90
-4.09%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.8K NZ$50.6K
$33.6K NZ$57.1K
-11.42%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$18.0K NZ$30.7K
$25.1K NZ$42.6K
-28.04%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Queenstown
Wellington
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$279 NZ$475
$160 NZ$271
75.11%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$39.54 NZ$67.2
$32.86 NZ$55.9
20.33%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$63.4 NZ$108
$52.2 NZ$88.7
21.50%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Queenstown
Wellington
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$58.1 NZ$98.8
$35.65 NZ$60.6
62.95%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.63 NZ$41.87
$20.40 NZ$34.67
20.74%
Cinema Ticket
$13.03 NZ$22.15
$12.09 NZ$20.55
7.78%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Queenstown
Wellington
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$485 NZ$825
$803 NZ$1,366
-39.64%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,059 NZ$12.0K
$13.0K NZ$22.0K
-45.50%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Queenstown
Wellington
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.6 NZ$149
$72.7 NZ$124
20.49%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$48.94 NZ$83.2
$53.1 NZ$90.2
-7.80%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$97.4 NZ$166
$119 NZ$203
-18.34%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$285 NZ$484
$141 NZ$239
102.23%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Queenstown
Wellington
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,513 NZ$2,571
$1,309 NZ$2,225
15.55%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,281 NZ$2,177
$1,099 NZ$1,869
16.52%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,988 NZ$5,080
$2,168 NZ$3,686
37.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,556 NZ$4,346
$1,938 NZ$3,294
31.94%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$8,074 NZ$13.7K
$6,803 NZ$11.6K
18.67%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,449 NZ$9,264
$3,961 NZ$6,734
37.56%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Queenstown
Wellington
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,209 NZ$5,455
$3,081 NZ$5,238
4.14%
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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Wellington: April 12, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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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