Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United Kingdom and New Zealand

Name: New Zealand
Address: NZ

For one person, living is cheaper in New Zealand: $2,096 a month against $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
Learn more

United Kingdom Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in New Zealand
Learn more

New Zealand Living Index

Jump to prices

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,462

/mo nomad

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,096

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the United Kingdom 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 the United Kingdom and in New Zealand actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,462 per month in the United Kingdom vs $2,096 in New Zealand, rent included.

United Kingdom $2,462
New Zealand $2,096

A couple spends around $3,600 per month in the United Kingdom vs $3,101 in New Zealand, rent included.

United Kingdom $3,600
New Zealand $3,101

A family of three spends $4,738 per month in the United Kingdom vs $4,106 in New Zealand, rent included.

United Kingdom $4,738
New Zealand $4,106

The regional cost range is wider in the United Kingdom ($1,126–$4,646) than in New Zealand ($841–$2,421), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in the United Kingdom is about 17% higher than in New Zealand on average.

Both the United Kingdom and New Zealand are pricier than the global median – the United Kingdom by 81%, New Zealand by 54%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.48 £16.04

$14.33 NZ$25.43

49.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.7 £64.0

$68.4 NZ$121

25.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 £7.92

$9.17 NZ$16.28

15.70%

Cappuccino

$4.91 £3.67

$3.32 NZ$5.89

47.89%

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

$2.66 £1.99

$2.21 NZ$3.93

20.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 £1.39

$1.97 NZ$3.50

-5.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.63 £4.95

$6.68 NZ$11.85

-0.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 £5.11

$6.67 NZ$11.84

2.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 £1.25

$1.78 NZ$3.15

-5.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 £1.28

$1.88 NZ$3.34

-8.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 £1.62

$1.74 NZ$3.09

24.71%

Eggs

$4.00 £2.99

$6.03 NZ$10.71

-33.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.42 £7.03

$8.01 NZ$14.22

17.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.19 £6.86

$9.55 NZ$16.96

-3.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.77 £11.03

$14.49 NZ$25.72

1.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 £2.21

$2.73 NZ$4.85

8.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 £1.21

$2.12 NZ$3.76

-23.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 £2.13

$2.96 NZ$5.26

-3.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.52 £2.63

$5.02 NZ$8.91

-29.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 £1.37

$1.98 NZ$3.52

-7.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 £1.20

$1.52 NZ$2.70

5.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 £0.93

$2.06 NZ$3.65

-39.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 £1.24

$1.11 NZ$1.96

49.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.65 £17.66

$24.38 NZ$43.28

-2.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.50 £7.84

$8.82 NZ$15.66

19.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 £2.23

$3.17 NZ$5.64

-5.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 £2.62

$3.35 NZ$5.94

4.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.98 £2.97

$2.02 NZ$3.60

97.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 £80.2

$114 NZ$202

-5.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 £3.87

$2.33 NZ$4.14

122.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.35 £1.75

$1.94 NZ$3.44

21.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.84 £20.04

$32.85 NZ$58.3

-18.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.48

$1.78 NZ$3.16

11.80%

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

$39.4K £29.5K

$27.9K NZ$49.5K

41.45%

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

$40.5K £30.2K

$23.3K NZ$41.4K

73.79%

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

$327 £244

$154 NZ$274

112.08%

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

$18.21 £13.60

$32.00 NZ$56.8

-43.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.60 £32.56

$50.2 NZ$89.1

-13.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.36 £31.63

$33.74 NZ$59.9

25.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.22 £13.60

$14.70 NZ$26.10

23.95%

Cinema Ticket

$13.85 £10.34

$11.18 NZ$19.86

23.88%

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

$1,868 £1,395

$870 NZ$1,544

114.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K £16.9K

$16.4K NZ$29.1K

38.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.9 £69.4

$68.9 NZ$122

34.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.92 £34.29

$36.42 NZ$64.7

26.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £75.9

$93.4 NZ$166

8.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 £76.3

$117 NZ$207

-12.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,342 £1,002

$1,117 NZ$1,982

20.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,073 £801

$965 NZ$1,714

11.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,231 £1,666

$1,762 NZ$3,128

26.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,742 £1,301

$1,554 NZ$2,759

12.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,601 £4,182

$5,530 NZ$9,818

1.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,265 £3,185

$3,778 NZ$6,708

12.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,349 £2,501

$2,758 NZ$4,897

21.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

6.27

-15.15%

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

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 26, 2026

Last update for New Zealand: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

United Kingdom

$1.1K 43.6%

New Zealand

$965 46.1% 10.1% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United Kingdom

$389 15.8%

New Zealand

$236 11.3% 39.2% $153

Eating Out

United Kingdom

$328 13.3%

New Zealand

$245 11.7% 25.1% $82

Groceries & Markets

United Kingdom

$307 12.5%

New Zealand

$317 15.1% 3.1% $9.6

Clothing & Footwear

United Kingdom

$154 6.3%

New Zealand

$142 6.8% 8% $12

Getting Around

United Kingdom

$140 5.7%

New Zealand

$134 6.4% 4.4% $6.2

Sport & Entertainment

United Kingdom

$70 2.9%

New Zealand

$56 2.7% 19.9% $14

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,287 in the United Kingdom vs $999 in New Zealand. For reference, capital cities sit at $2,811 in London and $1,143 in Wellington.

Average salary: $3,251 in the United Kingdom 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 29% higher in the United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 24% more in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are 11% higher in the United Kingdom.

Good to know

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🇳🇿 New Zealand

🕒 Local time

12:21 12:21 PM

01:21 1:21 AM

13 h ahead of the United Kingdom

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,326,569

5,118,700

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

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 GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

United Kingdom New Zealand 18,810 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

United Kingdom
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

United Kingdom vs New Zealand: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Housing costs more in the United Kingdom: a central one-bedroom averages $1,287 versus $999 in New Zealand.

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