Cost of Living Comparison Between Thames and Wellington Cost of Living Comparison Between Thames and Wellington

🙂 Solo nomad: Thames is 10.7% cheaper than Wellington without rent, and 19.6% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Thames is 6.3% cheaper than Wellington without rent, and 18.5% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Thames
Wellington
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$14.78 NZ$24.83
$17.83 NZ$29.96
-17.11%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$79.0 NZ$133
$84.2 NZ$141
-6.16%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.46 NZ$15.89
$9.46 NZ$15.90
-
Cappuccino
$3.53 NZ$5.93
$3.65 NZ$6.13
-3.29%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.28 NZ$3.82
$2.57 NZ$4.32
-11.28%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.22 NZ$3.73
$2.20 NZ$3.69
0.91%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.11 NZ$11.95
$7.20 NZ$12.10
-1.25%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.29 NZ$12.24
$7.44 NZ$12.50
-2.02%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Thames
Wellington
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.81 NZ$3.03
$1.82 NZ$3.06
-0.55%
White Bread (500g)
$2.10 NZ$3.53
$2.04 NZ$3.43
2.94%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.94 NZ$3.26
$1.97 NZ$3.31
-1.52%
Eggs
$6.87 NZ$11.55
$7.24 NZ$12.17
-5.11%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.55 NZ$14.36
$8.16 NZ$13.72
4.78%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.56 NZ$16.06
$10.90 NZ$18.32
-12.29%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.18 NZ$22.13
$13.19 NZ$22.15
-0.08%
Apples (1kg)
$2.81 NZ$4.73
$3.06 NZ$5.15
-8.17%
Banana (1kg)
$2.30 NZ$3.87
$2.36 NZ$3.96
-2.54%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.20 NZ$5.38
$2.98 NZ$5.01
7.38%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.15 NZ$6.97
$4.83 NZ$8.12
-14.08%
Potato (1kg)
$2.08 NZ$3.49
$2.02 NZ$3.40
2.97%
Onion (1kg)
$1.64 NZ$2.75
$1.58 NZ$2.65
3.80%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.91 NZ$3.21
$2.30 NZ$3.86
-16.96%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.25 NZ$2.09
$1.29 NZ$2.17
-3.10%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$25.76 NZ$43.29
$26.71 NZ$44.88
-3.56%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.72 NZ$18.02
$10.89 NZ$18.30
-1.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.91 NZ$4.89
$3.51 NZ$5.90
-17.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.83 NZ$6.43
$3.26 NZ$5.47
17.48%
🚌 Getting Around
Thames
Wellington
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.05 NZ$3.45
$2.67 NZ$4.49
-23.22%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$63.9 NZ$107
$107 NZ$180
-40.36%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.07 NZ$3.48
$2.77 NZ$4.65
-25.27%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.95 NZ$3.27
$1.79 NZ$3.01
8.94%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$35.57 NZ$59.8
$60.9 NZ$102
-41.56%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.65 NZ$2.77
$1.67 NZ$2.81
-1.20%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.2K NZ$47.3K
$33.0K NZ$55.5K
-14.77%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.1K NZ$37.2K
$24.9K NZ$41.8K
-11.15%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Thames
Wellington
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$145 NZ$244
$155 NZ$261
-6.48%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$30.72 NZ$51.6
$33.64 NZ$56.5
-8.68%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$48.06 NZ$80.7
$51.1 NZ$85.8
-5.88%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Thames
Wellington
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.62 NZ$61.5
$36.54 NZ$61.4
0.22%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$12.03 NZ$20.22
$20.82 NZ$34.97
-42.22%
Cinema Ticket
$15.19 NZ$25.52
$12.26 NZ$20.59
23.90%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Thames
Wellington
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$892 NZ$1,499
$818 NZ$1,374
9.09%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$13.7K NZ$23.0K
$12.8K NZ$21.6K
6.74%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Thames
Wellington
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$69.7 NZ$117
$70.9 NZ$119
-1.78%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$50.4 NZ$84.6
$53.2 NZ$89.4
-5.35%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$97.1 NZ$163
$120 NZ$201
-18.99%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$126 NZ$212
$145 NZ$244
-13.36%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Thames
Wellington
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$970 NZ$1,630
$1,297 NZ$2,180
-25.20%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$786 NZ$1,321
$1,094 NZ$1,838
-28.10%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,549 NZ$2,603
$2,127 NZ$3,573
-27.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,434 NZ$2,409
$1,916 NZ$3,219
-25.16%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,747 NZ$7,975
$6,806 NZ$11.4K
-30.25%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,656 NZ$6,142
$4,067 NZ$6,833
-10.11%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Thames
Wellington
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$3,107 NZ$5,219
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.37
6.94
-8.21%

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

Last update for Thames: March 1, 2026

Last update for Wellington: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

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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