Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Spain and New Zealand

Name: New Zealand
Address: NZ

For one person, living is cheaper in Spain: $1,775 a month against $2,096 in New Zealand, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Spain
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Spain Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in New Zealand
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New Zealand Living Index

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🇪🇸 Spain

$1,775

/mo nomad

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,096

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Spain and in New Zealand

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

A single person spends $1,775 per month in Spain vs $2,096 in New Zealand, rent included.

Spain $1,775
New Zealand $2,096

A couple spends around $2,606 per month in Spain vs $3,101 in New Zealand, rent included.

Spain $2,606
New Zealand $3,101

A family of three spends $3,438 per month in Spain vs $4,106 in New Zealand, rent included.

Spain $3,438
New Zealand $4,106

Cost ranges are similar: Spain spans $931–$2,610, New Zealand $841–$2,421. City choice affects budget similarly in either country.

The cost of living in Spain is roughly 15% lower than in New Zealand on average.

Both Spain and New Zealand are pricier than the global median – Spain by 30%, New Zealand by 54%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.95

$14.33 NZ$25.43

16.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.7 €49.88

$68.4 NZ$121

-18.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.37 €10.18

$9.17 NZ$16.28

23.99%

Cappuccino

$2.42 €2.16

$3.32 NZ$5.89

-27.11%

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

$2.68 €2.40

$2.21 NZ$3.93

21.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 €1.60

$1.97 NZ$3.50

-9.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.07

$6.68 NZ$11.85

-48.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.88 €3.47

$6.67 NZ$11.84

-41.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 €1.07

$1.78 NZ$3.15

-32.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 €1.33

$1.88 NZ$3.34

-21.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 €1.50

$1.74 NZ$3.09

-4.02%

Eggs

$3.42 €3.06

$6.03 NZ$10.71

-43.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.17 €12.69

$8.01 NZ$14.22

76.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.33 €7.46

$9.55 NZ$16.96

-12.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.20 €14.51

$14.49 NZ$25.72

11.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.45 €2.20

$2.73 NZ$4.85

-10.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.82

$2.12 NZ$3.76

-4.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 €1.86

$2.96 NZ$5.26

-29.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 €2.31

$5.02 NZ$8.91

-48.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 €1.64

$1.98 NZ$3.52

-7.58%

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 €1.79

$1.52 NZ$2.70

31.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 €1.17

$2.06 NZ$3.65

-36.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$1.11 NZ$1.96

-30.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.36 €5.70

$24.38 NZ$43.28

-73.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.05

$8.82 NZ$15.66

-36.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 €1.17

$3.17 NZ$5.64

-58.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 €1.87

$3.35 NZ$5.94

-37.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 €1.47

$2.02 NZ$3.60

-18.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.91 €29.48

$114 NZ$202

-71.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.43 €3.96

$2.33 NZ$4.14

90.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.94 NZ$3.44

-24.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.98 €22.38

$32.85 NZ$58.3

-23.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 €1.59

$1.78 NZ$3.16

-0.56%

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

$35.5K €31.8K

$27.9K NZ$49.5K

27.37%

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

$30.6K €27.4K

$23.3K NZ$41.4K

31.41%

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

$149 €134

$154 NZ$274

-3.23%

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

$17.67 €15.83

$32.00 NZ$56.8

-44.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.88 €28.55

$50.2 NZ$89.1

-36.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.24 €39.62

$33.74 NZ$59.9

31.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.29 €13.70

$14.70 NZ$26.10

4.01%

Cinema Ticket

$9.66 €8.65

$11.18 NZ$19.86

-13.60%

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

$544 €487

$870 NZ$1,544

-37.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K €9,499

$16.4K NZ$29.1K

-35.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.9 €76.0

$68.9 NZ$122

23.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.11 €33.24

$36.42 NZ$64.7

1.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.2 €79.9

$93.4 NZ$166

-4.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 €94.7

$117 NZ$207

-9.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 €946

$1,117 NZ$1,982

-5.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$808 €723

$965 NZ$1,714

-16.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,621 €1,452

$1,762 NZ$3,128

-7.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,246 €1,116

$1,554 NZ$2,759

-19.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,135 €3,704

$5,530 NZ$9,818

-25.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,633 €2,358

$3,778 NZ$6,708

-30.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,999 €1,790

$2,758 NZ$4,897

-27.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

6.27

-47.37%

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

Last update for Spain: October 24, 2026

Last update for New Zealand: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Spain

$808 45.5%

New Zealand

$965 46.1% 19.5% $158

Groceries & Markets

Spain

$272 15.3%

New Zealand

$317 15.1% 16.7% $45

Eating Out

Spain

$239 13.5%

New Zealand

$245 11.7% 2.5% $6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Spain

$199 11.2%

New Zealand

$236 11.3% 18.9% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Spain

$143 8%

New Zealand

$142 6.8% 0.5% $0.7

Sport & Entertainment

Spain

$64 3.6%

New Zealand

$56 2.7% 11.7% $7.5

Getting Around

Spain

$51 2.9%

New Zealand

$134 6.4% 162% $83

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $920 in Spain vs $999 in New Zealand. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,508 in Madrid and $1,143 in Wellington.

Average salary: $1,972 in Spain vs $2,922 in New Zealand. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 9% higher in New Zealand.

Dining out costs 18% more in New Zealand.

Public transport is 232% more expensive in New Zealand.

Salaries are 48% higher in New Zealand, and purchasing power comes out stronger in New Zealand.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Spain

🇳🇿 New Zealand

🕒 Local time

08:08 8:08 AM

20:08 8:08 PM

12 h ahead of Spain

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

47,415,750

5,118,700

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Spain New Zealand 19,850 km ≈ 25 h nonstop flight

From you

Spain
New Zealand

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

Spain vs New Zealand: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Spain is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 15% lower on average.

Housing costs more in New Zealand: a central one-bedroom averages $999 versus $920 in Spain.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Spain – part of why living there is about 15% cheaper overall.

Spain is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.