Cost of Living Comparison Between Solihull and Nelson Cost of Living Comparison Between Solihull and Nelson

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,493 in Solihull versus $1,835 in Nelson.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,670 in Solihull versus $2,834 in Nelson.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,847 in Solihull versus $3,833 in Nelson.

Living in Solihull is roughly 36% more expensive than in Nelson, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Solihull 86% above, Nelson 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.14 £19.78

$13.94 NZ$24.88

87.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.8 £58.8

$65.1 NZ$116

19.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.53 £7.97

$8.43 NZ$15.04

24.91%

Cappuccino

$4.88 £3.69

$3.27 NZ$5.83

49.24%

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

$2.44 £1.85

$1.76 NZ$3.15

38.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 £1.53

$1.64 NZ$2.93

23.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.56 £4.20

$7.09 NZ$12.65

-21.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.61 £4.25

$5.68 NZ$10.14

-1.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 £1.11

$1.91 NZ$3.40

-23.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.92 £1.45

$2.15 NZ$3.84

-10.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 £1.26

$1.88 NZ$3.36

-11.17%

Eggs

$3.97 £3.00

$5.73 NZ$10.23

-30.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.14 £6.92

$9.22 NZ$16.46

-0.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.15 £6.16

$7.63 NZ$13.63

6.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.41 £9.40

$13.46 NZ$24.03

-7.80%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 £2.51

$3.13 NZ$5.60

5.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 £1.17

$2.24 NZ$3.99

-30.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 £1.31

$2.98 NZ$5.32

-41.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.40 £2.57

$5.57 NZ$9.95

-38.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.41 £1.07

$2.08 NZ$3.71

-32.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 £1.17

$1.23 NZ$2.19

25.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 £0.98

$2.00 NZ$3.57

-35.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 £0.94

$1.02 NZ$1.82

21.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.14 £17.51

$24.83 NZ$44.33

-6.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.81 £6.66

$9.67 NZ$17.27

-8.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.67

$3.15 NZ$5.62

-30.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 £1.52

$2.85 NZ$5.08

-29.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 £2.01

$2.30 NZ$4.11

15.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.21 £3.18

$1.80 NZ$3.21

133.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.00 £3.02

$1.75 NZ$3.12

128.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.22 £24.38

$34.13 NZ$60.9

-5.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 £1.51

$1.55 NZ$2.76

29.03%

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

$37.5K £28.4K

$17.3K NZ$30.9K

116.86%

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

$40.7K £30.8K

$22.0K NZ$39.2K

85.01%

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

$344 £260

$129 NZ$231

166.20%

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

$17.23 £13.04

$32.65 NZ$58.3

-47.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.41 £35.13

$42.61 NZ$76.1

8.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.06 £35.61

$102 NZ$182

-53.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.29 NZ$59.4

Cinema Ticket

$11.17 £8.45

$11.12 NZ$19.86

0.45%

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

$1,442 £1,091

$457 NZ$815

215.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.9K £18.1K

$13.1K NZ$23.4K

82.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.4 £63.9

$53.0 NZ$94.6

59.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.2 £39.51

$28.03 NZ$50.0

86.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 £84.1

$101 NZ$180

9.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 £84.3

$136 NZ$243

-18.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,052 £796

$1,020 NZ$1,821

3.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 £886

$798 NZ$1,424

46.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,067 £1,564

$1,741 NZ$3,109

18.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,108 £1,595

$1,460 NZ$2,607

44.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,599 £4,237

$1,381 NZ$2,466

305.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,557 £2,692

$824 NZ$1,471

331.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,811 £3,641

$2,063 NZ$3,682

133.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.21

5.39

-3.34%

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

Last update for Solihull: October 5, 2026

Last update for Nelson: October 6, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,052 in Solihull and $1,020 in Nelson. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Solihull pays 133% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $78.0 in Solihull vs $65.0 in Nelson. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $316, with Solihull 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

Solihull vs Nelson: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nelson wins on cost – living expenses run 36% lower than in Solihull. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Nelson the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 133% higher in Solihull, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,052 in Solihull versus $1,020 in Nelson. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,442 in Solihull versus $457 in Nelson. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Nelson – a meal for two runs $65.0 versus $78.0 in Solihull. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,835 in Nelson versus $2,493 in Solihull, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Nelson but tight or insufficient in Solihull. The gap between the two cities makes Nelson 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, Solihull and Nelson 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 Nelson gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Solihull. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.