Cost of Living Comparison Between Scarborough and Wanaka Cost of Living Comparison Between Scarborough and Wanaka

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,002 in Scarborough versus $1,874 in Wanaka.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,836 in Scarborough versus $2,934 in Wanaka.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,671 in Scarborough versus $3,993 in Wanaka.

Living in Scarborough is roughly 7% more expensive than in Wanaka, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Scarborough 50% above, Wanaka 41% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.59 £11.05

$11.92 NZ$20.71

22.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.1 £52.3

$61.1 NZ$106

13.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.90 £7.50

$8.96 NZ$15.56

10.49%

Cappuccino

$4.36 £3.31

$3.14 NZ$5.45

38.85%

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

$2.06 £1.56

$1.71 NZ$2.98

20.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 £0.77

$1.98 NZ$3.44

-48.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.97 £4.52

$7.43 NZ$12.90

-19.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 £3.47

$6.13 NZ$10.65

-25.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 £1.11

$2.08 NZ$3.61

-29.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 £1.23

$1.88 NZ$3.27

-13.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.43 £1.84

$1.87 NZ$3.25

29.95%

Eggs

$3.75 £2.84

$5.50 NZ$9.55

-31.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.20 £6.97

$8.31 NZ$14.44

10.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.06 £6.10

$10.89 NZ$18.92

-25.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.40 £7.12

$12.96 NZ$22.52

-27.47%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 £2.50

$2.88 NZ$5.00

14.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 £1.14

$2.20 NZ$3.83

-31.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.50 £1.14

$3.33 NZ$5.79

-54.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 £1.68

$4.44 NZ$7.71

-50.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 £0.91

$2.01 NZ$3.49

-40.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 £1.17

$1.97 NZ$3.43

-21.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 £0.76

$2.56 NZ$4.44

-60.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.36

$1.07 NZ$1.87

68.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.73 £8.89

$23.94 NZ$41.58

-51.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.25 £7.01

$9.00 NZ$15.64

2.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 £2.10

$2.46 NZ$4.28

13.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 £2.03

$3.57 NZ$6.19

-24.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.02 £2.29

$2.17 NZ$3.77

39.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$92.8 £70.3

$64.4 NZ$112

44.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 £3.37

$2.65 NZ$4.61

67.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.15 £0.87

$1.15 NZ$1.99

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.61 £12.59

$30.63 NZ$53.2

-45.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 £1.44

$1.64 NZ$2.85

15.85%

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

$35.8K £27.1K

$19.6K NZ$34.0K

83.06%

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

$40.0K £30.3K

$26.0K NZ$45.1K

54.15%

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

$277 £210

$103 NZ$178

169.84%

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

$16.02 £12.13

$36.09 NZ$62.7

-55.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.34 £25.26

$55.5 NZ$96.5

-39.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.56 £26.18

$41.96 NZ$72.9

-17.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.17 £9.97

$12.15 NZ$21.11

8.40%

Cinema Ticket

$11.00 £8.33

$9.55 NZ$16.59

15.18%

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

$1,684 £1,275

$588 NZ$1,022

186.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.1K £13.7K

$12.1K NZ$21.1K

49.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.9 £52.2

$67.4 NZ$117

2.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.69 £27.79

$34.77 NZ$60.4

5.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 £85.3

$72.0 NZ$125

56.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.2 £66.8

$78.3 NZ$136

12.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$882 £668

$1,052 NZ$1,828

-16.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$833 £631

$853 NZ$1,482

-2.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,585 £1,200

$2,027 NZ$3,521

-21.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,228 £930

$1,719 NZ$2,985

-28.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,505 NZ$7,826

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,204 NZ$5,565

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,037 £1,543

$4,403 NZ$7,649

-53.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.45

36.25%

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

Last update for Scarborough: June 13, 2026

Last update for Wanaka: June 15, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $882 in Scarborough and $1,052 in Wanaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wanaka pays 116% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $69.0 in Scarborough vs $61.0 in Wanaka. Groceries flip the comparison at $264 vs $321, with Scarborough cheaper for home cooking.

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

Scarborough vs Wanaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Scarborough and Wanaka differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($2,002 vs $1,874 including rent). Wanaka is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 116% lower in Wanaka. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $882 in Scarborough versus $1,052 in Wanaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Wanaka runs roughly 44% less than in Scarborough. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,684 in Scarborough versus $588 in Wanaka. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,874 in Wanaka versus $2,002 in Scarborough, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Wanaka but tight or insufficient in Scarborough. The gap between the two cities makes Wanaka the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Scarborough and Wanaka are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Wanaka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Scarborough. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.