Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rolleston and Wellington

For one person, living is cheaper in Rolleston: $1,142 a month against $2,358 in Wellington, rent and utilities included – about $14,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Rolleston
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Rolleston Living Index
114

Cost of Living Index in Wellington
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Wellington Living Index

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Rolleston

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,142

/mo nomad

Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,358

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rolleston and in Wellington

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Rolleston and in Wellington actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,142 per month in Rolleston vs $2,358 in Wellington, rent included.

Rolleston $1,142
Wellington $2,358

A couple spends around $2,160 per month in Rolleston vs $3,368 in Wellington, rent included.

Rolleston $2,160
Wellington $3,368

A family of three spends $3,178 per month in Rolleston vs $4,378 in Wellington, rent included.

Rolleston $3,178
Wellington $4,378

Rolleston is about 52% cheaper than Wellington, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Rolleston sits 15% below the global median, while Wellington is 75% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.22 NZ$25.14

$13.72 NZ$24.27

3.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 NZ$120

$63.7 NZ$113

6.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.79 NZ$15.54

$8.95 NZ$15.83

-1.79%

Cappuccino

$3.28 NZ$5.81

$3.42 NZ$6.05

-4.09%

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

$2.13 NZ$3.77

$2.44 NZ$4.31

-12.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 NZ$3.12

$1.69 NZ$2.98

4.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.62 NZ$11.70

$7.22 NZ$12.76

-8.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.18 NZ$10.93

$6.65 NZ$11.76

-7.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 NZ$2.92

$1.91 NZ$3.38

-13.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.81 NZ$3.19

$2.20 NZ$3.89

-17.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 NZ$2.66

$1.83 NZ$3.24

-18.03%

Eggs

$5.66 NZ$10.02

$6.77 NZ$11.97

-16.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.09 NZ$12.53

$9.05 NZ$16.00

-21.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.38 NZ$16.58

$9.85 NZ$17.43

-4.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.71 NZ$24.25

$15.19 NZ$26.86

-9.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.57 NZ$4.55

$3.12 NZ$5.52

-17.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.32 NZ$4.11

$2.21 NZ$3.91

4.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 NZ$4.82

$3.07 NZ$5.43

-11.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.10 NZ$9.01

$6.59 NZ$11.65

-22.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 NZ$3.16

$2.06 NZ$3.64

-13.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.45 NZ$2.57

$1.23 NZ$2.18

17.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.29 NZ$4.05

$2.07 NZ$3.66

10.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 NZ$1.05

$1.15 NZ$2.03

-48.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.39 NZ$41.36

$24.86 NZ$43.96

-5.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.16 NZ$14.43

$11.28 NZ$19.95

-27.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.33 NZ$5.89

$3.09 NZ$5.47

7.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 NZ$5.83

$2.87 NZ$5.08

14.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 NZ$2.02

$2.83 NZ$5.01

-59.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 NZ$180

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.44 NZ$4.32

$1.87 NZ$3.30

30.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 NZ$3.02

$1.82 NZ$3.22

-6.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.51 NZ$48.65

$34.15 NZ$60.4

-19.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 NZ$3.07

$1.82 NZ$3.22

-4.40%

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

$24.8K NZ$43.8K

$25.0K NZ$44.2K

-0.81%

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

$24.0K NZ$42.5K

$25.4K NZ$44.9K

-5.55%

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

$108 NZ$191

$197 NZ$348

-45.06%

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

$22.38 NZ$39.58

$32.00 NZ$56.6

-30.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.15 NZ$79.9

$52.4 NZ$92.7

-13.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.73 NZ$66.7

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.11 NZ$28.50

Cinema Ticket

$10.08 NZ$17.82

$11.93 NZ$21.10

-15.51%

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

$341 NZ$602

$1,056 NZ$1,867

-67.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,755 NZ$11.9K

$12.8K NZ$22.6K

-47.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 NZ$102

$76.3 NZ$135

-24.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.21 NZ$62.3

$28.23 NZ$49.93

24.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.5 NZ$158

$99.6 NZ$176

-10.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 NZ$215

$152 NZ$270

-20.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$278 NZ$491

$1,226 NZ$2,169

-77.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$254 NZ$449

$1,141 NZ$2,018

-77.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 NZ$1,813

$2,143 NZ$3,790

-52.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,082 NZ$1,914

$1,709 NZ$3,022

-36.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,022 NZ$3,576

$6,578 NZ$11.6K

-69.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,805 NZ$3,192

$3,559 NZ$6,294

-49.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,358 NZ$7,707

$2,785 NZ$4,925

56.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.91

5.39

9.65%

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

Last update for Rolleston: October 12, 2026

Last update for Wellington: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Rolleston

$300 26.3%

Wellington

$346 14.7% 15.4% $46

Accommodation & Living

Rolleston

$254 22.2%

Wellington

$1.1K 48.4% 350% $887

Eating Out

Rolleston

$241 21.1%

Wellington

$244 10.3% 1.3% $3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rolleston

$176 15.4%

Wellington

$281 11.9% 60.1% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Rolleston

$137 12%

Wellington

$160 6.8% 17.4% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Rolleston

$20 * 1.8%

Wellington

$62 2.6% 206% $41

Getting Around

Rolleston

$16 * 1.4%

Wellington

$124 5.3% 695% $108

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $278 in Rolleston versus $1,226 in Wellington. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 56% higher in Rolleston, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Rolleston versus $64.0 in Wellington. Groceries tell a different story – $300 in Rolleston vs $346 in Wellington – so Rolleston wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Rolleston

🇳🇿 Wellington

🕒 Local time

17:07 5:07 PM

Same time as Rolleston

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

28,000

215,900 Capital

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Rolleston Wellington 320 km

From you

Rolleston
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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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

Rolleston vs Wellington: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,142 in Rolleston, $2,358 in Wellington – roughly 106% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,713 per month in Rolleston and $3,536 in Wellington. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Rolleston, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,142 in Rolleston and $2,358 in Wellington. That's a gap of about 106%.

Kindergarten costs $341 per month in Rolleston and $1,056 in Wellington. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Rolleston, where all-in costs run around $1,142, than in Wellington at $2,358. In Rolleston it covers expenses comfortably, while in Wellington it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Wellington has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,142 in Rolleston to $2,358 in Wellington. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Rolleston. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Wellington makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.